gnovis, Georgetown University's peer-reviewed journal of Communication, Culture & Technology, is pleased to welcome two new members to its editorial staff for the 2008-2009 school year, and to announce the formation of a three member New Media Team.

Editorial Team

Lauren Alfrey, our new Assistant Managing Editor, joins gnovis and CCT after a three-year stint in the online consulting world, where she worked as a Campaign Manager for Care2.com and as an Account Executive for Watershed Company, both based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prior to her professional work, Lauren graduated with honors from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where she majored in Communication and minored in Art History with a focus on women's representation in print advertising and high art.

Akoto Ofori-Atta joins gnovis as the Assistant Peer Review Manager. Akoto graduated in 2005 from Hampton University with a BA in Print Journalism. After graduation, she held positions at The McGraw-Hill companies as a communications assistant and then as a marketing associate for BusinessWeek magazine. After two years of juggling a corporate 9-5 and various freelance writing assignments, she quit her full-time job to pursuit a full-time freelance journalism career in July 2007. In CCT, Akoto plans to focus on how media, particularly journalism, can help to advance developing countries.

Rounding out the editorial staff are returning members Brad Weikel and Ashley Bowen. Brad continues in his role as Managing Editor, and Ashley takes over the review process as Peer Review Manager.

New Media Team

In an exciting new development this year, gnovis has replaced our "New Media Editor" with a full New Media Team, featuring second year CCT students Patricia Fancher, Margarita Rayzberg, and Jed Brubaker. This talented team will expand the blog and podcast efforts we began last year, providing us with a more predictable posting cycle, a rounder representation of CCT academic interests, and a deeper level of discourse.

Margarita Rayzberg received her B.S. in international business from Northeastern University, then worked at a start up management consulting firm specializing in innovation for the service sector. A growing interest in the role of technology in development brought her to CCT, where her scholarship has focused on technology and globalization, media for social justice, representation and intercultural communication. She is currently in the south of Ecuador (Vilcabamba) filming a documentary about the effects of foreign immigration and the resulting rising land prices on the local community.

Patricia Fancher earned her Bachelor's degree from Columbia College in Columbia, South Carolina where she majored in both Music and Communication. Her focus in CCT has been in cultural studies with an emphasis on film and visual communication. After completing her Master's degree, Patricia plans on continuing her research in a doctoral program in media studies.

Jed Brubaker's background involves professional and academic work in the social sciences, marketing, technology, and the arts. He received a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Utah. His current research interests included identity and anonymity, Internet culture, and the commoditization of identity in the marketplace.

Looking Back, Looking Forward

Finally, gnovis wishes a fond farewell to our three exiting staff members: Dora Danylevich, Jessica Vitak, and Nicole Guerra. We'll miss you all!

Last year was arguably gnovis' best year yet, highlighted by two very successful issues and a third issue (our special election-themed issue) that will be arriving in just a few weeks. We also successfully introduced our critical blog and have seen a growth in readership of both the blog and the journal. However, 2007/2008 was still a building year, and we are all excited to see our efforts mature in the 2008/2009 academic year, and to forge stronger links with CCT's student body, faculty, and curriculum.

We thank everyone who applied to join this year's staff and remind you that there many ways to contribute to gnovis, including peer reviewing, blog writing, submitting papers, and podcasting. Be on the lookout for future announcements, throughout the year, but also feel free to approach anyone on our staff if you want to get involved.

Best wishes in the new academic year,
Brad Weikel
Managing Editor, gnovis