Kristin Gilger

Kristin Gilger, Associate Dean, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Gilger helped bring the NCDJ to the Cronkite School and provides administrative oversight for the organization. As associate dean, she directs the school’s 50-plus part-time faculty members and oversees the school’s professional programs. She also serves as executive editor of the national News21 program, headquartered at the Cronkite School. She was director of Student Media at ASU from 2002-2007. She spent 21 years in various reporting and editing roles at newspapers across the country, including the Times-Picayune in New Orleans, La., the Salem Statesman Journal in Oregon and The Arizona Republic. She conducts training at newspapers and for newspaper associations nationally and internationally.

Jake Geller, NCDJ Coordinator

Jake Geller completed his Masters of Mass Communication with an emphasis in print journalism and public relations at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University in May 2010.

Geller received his undergraduate degree from the Cronkite School in broadcasting in 2002 and worked professionally in television news writing and production before going back to school for his graduate degree. Among his positions were those of freelance assistant producer at KTVK-TV and video editor with the city of Phoenix.

Geller’s own disability has motivated his academic research, which focuses on how the media cover people with disabilities and disability issues. He has been active in the disability community and adaptive sports for people with disabilities. Geller is co-founder and head coach of the ASU Sailing Club and has led the club for the past four years. One of the club’s missions is to bring together people with and without disabilities to sail together on an even playing field.

Geller has worked part-time for more than a year to help launch the National Center on Disability and Journalism at the Cronkite School. He can be reached at jake@ncdj.org.

Cronkite student Annie Woods has a profile of Geller and his experience with muscular dystrophy.

Jake Geller, NCDJ coordinator, talks about the changes wrought by the Americans with Disabilities Act and the challenges he and others with disabilities still face.

AJ Vicens, Graduate Assistant

AJ Vicens is a first-year graduate student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. His main interest is the combination of investigative, depth reporting with thorough data and the use of multimedia. He graduated from Metropolitan State College of Denver in December 2006 went on to work in newspapers, magazines, television, radio and on the Internet before coming back to school in August 2011.