Ian Zabarte, '01 BA Communication Studies, was appointed as a member of the Licensing Support Network Advisory Review Panel of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in November.

Jasmine Crighton, '06 MA Journalism and Media Studies, recently received two advisor of the year honors from national media organizations for her work at Western Illinois University. She received the Jeff Tellis Outstanding Advisor Award for College Television from the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System. This award recognizes outstanding leadership, dedication, and service to college television stations. She is news coordinator of NEWS3, the student-produced television newscast at Western Illinois. She also was recognized as Advisor of the Year by the National Broadcasting Society (NBS) for her work with WIU’s NBS chapter. Previously, she received an Emmy for outstanding technical director for a March 2008 broadcast at FOX5 KVVU. In 2017, Crighton was elected to the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Mid-America Board of Governors. She also serves as recording secretary for the Illinois News Broadcasters Association. Before moving to Western Illinois, she taught broadcasting at West Liberty University and worked as the producer of WTOV9's morning show in Steubenville, Ohio. She lives in Macomb, Illinois.           

Aaron S. Manfredi, '05 BA Criminal Justice, '14 Master of Public Administration, is the founder/executive director of Asperger's Training, Employment & Life Skills. He's placed 163 adults with autism and other high-functioning disabilities into competitive employment. He is a former Clark County juvenile probation officer and Clark County School District middle school teacher/varsity football coach. The Desert Storm veteran also is a community advocate for at-risk youth, homeless youth, autism, and homeless veterans. He is running for the office of Clark County public administrator. His hobbies include adult softball, cooking, traveling, advocating, and attending UNLV sports games. He is the father of one adult son, Bailey Manfredi.  

Chynna Greene, '14 BA Journalism and Media Studies, is a reporter and anchor at the CBS affiliate Local 8 News WLVT in Knoxville, Tennessee. She was awarded an Emmy and an Associated Press award for her roll in reporting during the Gatlinburg wildfires that took place in November 2016 in East Tennessee.

Brad Weiss, '00 MA Communication Studies, who uses the name Brad Carson for professional purposes, was selected as one of the Top 20 Mid-Market Program Directors in America by a panel of media executives assembled by Barrett Sports Media. Carson's station, 92.9 FM ESPN/WMFS-Memphis, was selected as a Top 20 Mid-Market Sports Radio Station in America by that same panel. From 1998 through 2000, he was an on-air DJ for Mix 94.1 in Las Vegas using the name "Brad Kelly" and has been on air in Illinois; Atlantic City, New Jersey; and Memphis, Tennessee. He currently voicetracks radio shows in Indianapolis and Madison, Wisconsin, for Entercom-Radio. He and and his wife, Stacy, live in Germantown, Tennessee, with their son, Jake.

Sarah "Sarita" Cabrera, '81 BA Communication Studies, is vice president/managing broker of Watson Realty Corp.'s Longwood office in the North Orlando area of Florida. This is the fifth brokerage that Sarita has managed or owned in the past 15 years. Prior to launching her successful real estate career, she co-owned a CRM company in Tampa, Florida, and also worked for more than 13 years in communications and marketing for Bloomberg BNA (formerly known as the Bureau of National Affairs) in Washington, D.C. She says her degree and coursework at UNLV in communications, public relations, business, marketing, and market research have been instrumental in her success. Her interests include traveling nationally and internationally, attending performing arts programs, and taking classes and seminars. She and her college student son, Ian Lage, live in Oviedo.