Instructors
Sarah Walker Caron has been an instructor in the Department of Communication and Journalism since 2017. A journalist for more than 20 years, she is a senior editor, overseeing coastal news for The Bangor Daily News. Her writing has appeared in regional and national publications including Fine Cooking, The Washington Post, Motherwell, and SheKnows. She’s also a food writer and the author of seven books including The Super Easy 5-Ingredient Cookbook, Classic Diners of Maine and The Disney Princess Tea Parties Cookbook. Sarah earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Barnard College and is working on her MA in English with a Concentration in Creative Writing at the University of Maine.
Email: sarah.w.caron@maine.edu
Courses Taught: Journalism Writing and Editing (CMJ 136); Public Affairs Reporting and Research (CMJ 332); Copy Editing (CMJ 330)
Links: LinkedIn | Twitter
Ryan Kirkpatrick is an M.A. student at the School of Policy and International Affairs at the University of Maine. He joined the department in 2021.
Email: ryan.kirkpatrick@maine.edu
Courses Taught: Public Speaking (CMJ 103)
Adria LaRose earned a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Missouri at Columbia and a J.D. from the Stanford Law School. She works as a Counsel at Eaton Peabody in Bangor and joined the Department in 2010.
Email: adria.larose@maine.edu
Courses Taught: Journalism and Media Law (CMJ 375)
Links: LinkedIn
Lisa Leaverton (PATFA) teaches performance-based courses in communication studies. A writer and director of ensemble theatre company (inquire within), Lisa’s scripted performances and plays have been performed in New York, Portland, Oregon, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Puget Sound, Baltimore, and various settings in Maine. Lisa completed her MFA in playwriting at the University of Iowa and her Bachelor of Music at Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University. She has designed and taught courses in Collaborative Performance, Theatre and Storytelling at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine and Playwriting and Theatre History at the University of Iowa.
Email: lisa.leaverton@maine.edu
Courses Taught: Public Speaking (CMJ 103); Storytelling (CMJ 106)
Links: Website
Oyabanjo Ogunlela is an M.A. student in the School of Policy and International Affairs at the University of Maine. He joined the department in 2022.
Email: oyebanjo.ogunlela@maine.edu
Courses Taught: Storytelling (CMJ 106)
Carol Patterson-Martineau is from Windham, Connecticut. She earned her PhD in History from UMaine. Her dissertation examined the advancement of white supremacy in early 19th-century U.S. History textbooks. She has been teaching CMJ103 Public Speaking since 2016 and currently resides in Hartland, Maine with her dog Zelda June.
Shane Perry, APR, has been teaching off and on with the Department of Communication and Journalism since 2006. Shane has been an Accredited Public Relations professional (APR) since 2015 with more than a decade of providing public relations and digital communication services in the healthcare, military, and information technology industries. Shane works full-time as the Digital Content Strategist for Northern Light Health which oversees search engine optimization efforts, user experience, and stakeholder communications. Shane is also a board member of the Maine Public Relations Council and serves as the Accreditation Chair. He currently teaches Public Relations (CMJ 367) at UMaine as well as teaching Social Media Marketing and Digital Marketing at Husson University during the Spring semester. Shane earned his MA in Communication from UMaine in 2010 and BA in Media Studies from the University of Southern Maine in 2005.
Email: shane.perry@maine.edu
Links: LinkedIn | Twitter
Kendra Rand has been an instructor in the Department of Communication and Journalism since 2015. She teaches public speaking, interpersonal communication, and small group communication. Kendra is an active alum of the University of Maine Diversity Leadership Institute and serves on the board of Island Housing Trust on Mount Desert Island.
Email: kendra.rudolph@maine.edu
Courses Taught: Public Speaking (CMJ 103); Interpersonal Communication (102/324); Small Group Communication (CMJ 345)
Links: Website
Olivia Reese holds an M.A. and a B.A. in Communication from the University of Maine. She joined the department in 2020.
Email: olivia.reese@maine.edu
Courses Taught: Public Speaking (CMJ 103)
Ulrich Regler (Uli) has been teaching in the CMJ Department since 2013. He studied at UMaine for both his B.A. (Sociology) and M.A. (Communication). Before joining the department, he spent time as a chef, sailor, and IT specialist. In his free time, he enjoys carpentry, working on engines, gaming, and being a dad to his son and dog. His academic interests are eclectic but tend to involve critical theory, pedagogy, global communication/culture, and media ecology. He is an avid supporter of grassroots and local campaigns, as well as the DIY movement.
Email: ulrich.regler@maine.edu
Courses Taught: Intro to Media Studies (CMJ 100); Public Speaking (CMJ 103); Journalism and Media History (CMJ 211); Argument and Critical Thinking (CMJ 347); International Communication (CMJ 314); Media, Advertising, and Society (CMJ 380)
Alexandra Requena is an M.A. student at the Department of English of the University of Maine. She joined the department in 2021.
Email: alexandra.requena@maine.edu
Courses Taught: Public Speaking (CMJ 103)
Kevin Roberge
Though this is Kevin’s first year teaching in Communication & Journalism, he has been teaching mathematics for almost twenty years and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies for the last four years. His passions include the critical pedagogies, including critical communication pedagogy and feminist pedagogies, and is constantly trying to implement them in the courses he teaches across disciplinary boundaries. Kevin lives in Orono with a delightfully disordered family and an imperfect life that he remains grateful to have.
Aislinn Sarnacki earned her BA in Journalism at the University of Maine. She writes for the Bangor Daily News and other local media outlets. She has also published several books on hiking in Maine.
Email: aislinn.sarnacki@maine.edu
Courses Taught: Journalism Writing and Editing (CMJ 136); Editorial and Opinion Writing (CMJ 434); Feature Writing (CMJ 435)
Imke Schessler-Jandreau is a two-time UMaine graduate, earning both her B.A. and M.A. degrees in Communication here in the CMJ Department. With over ten years of experience working as a communication professional, she has abandoned the nine-to-five world to work as a mom, adjunct faculty member, yoga instructor, and communication consultant. Beyond that, Imke is a lover of the outdoors, and you will often find her out in nature hiking, biking, snowshoeing, or otherwise gallivanting around with family and friends.
Email: imke.schessler@maine.edu
Courses Taught: Public Speaking (CMJ 103); Persuasion and Social Influence (CMJ 403); Health Communication (CMJ 420); Health Campaigns (CMJ 425)
Links: LinkedIn | Website
Graysen Wolfe is an M.A. student at the Department of English of the University of Maine. They joined the department in 2021.
Email: graysen.wolfe@maine.edu
Courses Taught: Public Speaking (CMJ 103)