TAA announces 2013 Council election results

Five TAA members have been elected to the TAA Council, the association’s governing board. The newly elected Council positions include Steven E. Barkan, as Vice President/President Elect; Mike Kennamer, Secretary; Mark Lerner, Treasurer; and new council members John Russo and Susanna Weiss. All terms begin July 1, 2013. The officer positions serve two-year terms while the council positions serve three-year terms.

Steven Barkan

Barkan is a professor of Sociology at the University of Maine and a past president of the Society for the Study of Social Problems. He has authored or co-authored more than 30 journal articles and book chapters and eight textbooks in his fields of interest in criminology, sociology, and law and society, with publishers such as Flat World Knowledge, Pearson, and Wadsworth/Cengage. Two of his textbooks, Criminology: A Sociological Understanding (Pearson), and Sociology: Understanding and Changing the Social World (Flat World Knowledge), have received TAA’s Textbook Excellence Award (Texty), and Barkan has additionally received the TAA President’s Award. He served as chair of his department for seventeen years.

Mike Kennamer

Kennamer is currently the Director of Workforce Development at Northeast Alabama Community College. He has written a number of textbooks, workbooks, instructor resources, video scripts, and Internet content for the healthcare field and has had several academic articles published in higher education journals. Taylor and Francis Group recognized Kennamer, along with co-authors, Katsinas, Hardy, and Roessler, for authoring the most downloaded article in the Community College Journal of Research and Practice in 2010. He serves on a number of advisory committees and boards, and frequently speaks at professional conferences.

Mark Lerner

Lerner has 30+ years each of collection and sales management experience with a training and HR background. He has excellent organizational, auditing, communication, and computer skills; is QuickBooks experienced; and is General Manager for a company with responsibilities including invoicing and contracts. Lerner also has full life cycle desktop publishing experience, and is a published author and presenter. He is presently a Regional Director for a non-profit organization and member of two executive boards. His past treasurer's experience is through school and non-profit organizations.

John Russo

Russo is currently an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, where he has served in both faculty and administration for the past 14 years. Prior to joining Wentworth, he held several positions in government and the private sector in a variety of fields including public health, epidemiological research and financial services. Russo is currently working on a database textbook and has contributed to three other major Computer Science textbooks. He is actively involved in distance education, teaching both hybrid and online courses.

Susanna Weiss

Weiss is a regulatory scientist at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland. Her research has been widely published in journals such as Journal of Public Health, Clinical Trials, Progress in Communication Sciences, Information and Behavior, Judicature, Justice System Journal, to name a few. Her book, News Cameras in the Courtroom was named an “Outstanding Academic Book” by Choice magazine; her corporate communication research received an award from the International Association of Business Communicators. She has received fellowships/research awards from the Ford Foundation, Kaltenborn Foundation, Poynter Institute, Annenberg Program for Communication Policy Studies, and the Advertising Education Foundation.