I am former photographer and journalist based in Denver, Colorado. For the past 20 years, I’ve led marketing and communications efforts in higher education focused on strategic content creation, storytelling, and brand building.
I’ve held positions at Rice University, Loyola Marymount University, the University of Texas at Austin, and the National University of Natural Medicine, and previously served as an assistant professor of journalism and advertising at Marshall University. Before transitioning into higher education, I worked as a photojournalist for newspapers and the Associated Press in West Virginia, Florida, and Texas. A native of West Virginia, I earned a bachelor’s in journalism from Marshall University and a master’s in photojournalism from the University of Texas at Austin.
Beyond my professional work, I’ve pursued creative projects that explore identity, community and culture. In 2007, I founded Viva La Revolución de Appalachia, a grassroots awareness campaign celebrating regional resilience. In 2009, I created Soft Rock Renegade, a blog and archive highlighting West Virginia-related music and arts. From 2011-12, I co-produced Femme et vélo, a bicycle-and-vintage fashion photography collaboration in Austin with photographer Zachary Hunt and stylist Shari Gerstenberger.
Photograph by Michael V. Jensen