Theresa is an award-winning teacher, widely-published media literacy expert, and creative maker. She brings a unique blend of credentials and the inquisitive spirit of media literacy to all she does.
Theresa is a teacher, scholar, and expressive artist living in the mountains of western North Carolina. Her primary role is Professor of Media Studies at Appalachian State University. Her areas of specialization include digital and media literacy, curriculum/instructional design, educational technology, and the arts.
Beyond Appalachia, Theresa is active in the field of media literacy nationally, engaging in scholarship and leadership to advance understandings of the complex intersections between communications, media, and literacies across multiple contexts.
Before teaching in university, Theresa was a middle and high school visual arts teacher. In her art classroom, she incorporated learning and doing in the arts using a communications lens as often as possible. Her classroom was an early example of a media literacy infused curriculum.
A teacher and scholar by day, Theresa is also a creative maker who creates using a range of mixed media. You can find her work for purchase at regional art shows and exhibitions as well as at Woolworth Walk Gallery in Asheville, NC. Along with making art, she teaches visual journaling, mixed media, and other expressive arts workshops for Craft Enrichment, a university-coordinated community craft program, and the Watauga Arts Council.
