Experts at Empire State University

Empire State University experts are available to provide commentary and analysis on topics in the news. For help finding an expert, contact the Office of Communications at 518-581-5334 or email us at sunyempirenews@sunyempire.edu.

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Recent Media Appearances by Empire State University Experts (Last Six Months)

• 9/23/25: CAARES staff (Director Noor Syed, Assistant Director Lauren Allen, Training Coordinator Aley O’Mara) appeared on Talk of the Town, Radio Catskill, CNY Central, WENY News, and NNY 360 to discuss recent research surrounding autism.
• 9/17/25: Ian Reifowitz, SUNY distinguished professor, appeared on Political Pulse in Rochester discussing the prosecution of hate speech. On September 24, he appeared on 13 WHAM ABC’s Political Pulse to discuss President Trump’s recent remarks on international conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.
• 9/16/25: Gayle Stever, professor, explained the psychology of parasocial relationships through the lens of Charlie Kirk’s passing in a Cronkite News article.
• 9/16/25:Lisa Vollendorf, president of Empire State University, joined JP Novin, podcast host, on the Plexuss Presidential Podcast to discuss how the university serves as the innovation hub of the SUNY system.
• 9/4/25: Julie Gedro, dean of the College of Business, spoke on WAMC’s 51% segment about the end of remote work and how it affects women.
• 9/2/25: Ian Reifowitz, SUNY Distinguished Professor, was interviewed on France 24 about President Trump’s deployment of troops to Chicago.
• 8/26/25: Ian Reifowitz, SUNY Distinguished Professor, spoke on Fox Rochester’s Political Pulse segment regarding President Trump’s latest executive orders.
• 8/25/25: Julie Gedro, dean of the College of Business, was interviewed by WAMC Northeast Public Radio about return to office mandates and how they are affecting employees.
• 8/13/25: Njoki Mwarumba, assistant professor of emergency management, was featured on WAMC Northeast Public Radio to discuss emergency response during wildfire season.
• 8/7/25: Nan Travers, director of the Center for Leadership in Credentialing Learning, was cited as “the fairy godmother of all credentialing” in Inside Higher Ed’s podcast, “Voices of Student Success: Encouraging Innovation in Credit for Prior Learning,” about the challenges and opportunities in expanding credit for prior learning assessment at Utah Valley University 
• 7/24/25: Xiomara Giordano, assistant vice president for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and chief diversity officer, was featured in a podcast episode of EDUP Xcelerated Excellence titled “Leaving No Community Member Behind at SUNY Empire State University Through DEI.” 
• 7/8/25: Kim Stote, associate professor and program director of Nutrition and Dietetics, was interviewed by Fox News about her findings on the effect of replacing commonly consumed fruit with berries.
• 7/6/25: Njoki Mwarumba, assistant professor, shared insights on the role of disaster management for events like the floods in Texas for a CBS 6 article on July 6. She was also featured in WNYT’s coverage, which talked about how the Capital Region uses emergency management to plan for future disasters.  
• 7/2/25: Duncan RyanMann, professor, provided expert commentary on the impacts of President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” on health care. He was featured on ARC Rochester, News 10 Rochester, CBS 6 Albany, LOOK Media, Talk of the Town, NCPR, and WAMC.
• 6/29/25: Brian Frederick, assistant professor, was quoted in a CBS 6 story about the impact policy changes are having on the availability of resources for the LGBTQ+ community. 
• 6/28/25: Gayle Stever, professor, was quoted in an Observer article about the public’s fascination with a suspected relationship between two professional athletes.
• 6/24/25: Ian Reifowitz, SUNY distinguished professor, ARC Rochester: SUNY Empire State prof talks lsrael-Iran war
• 6/19/25: Ian Reifowitz, SUNY distinguished professor, ARC Rochester: Political Pulse: Interview on U.S. involvement in Iran-Israel conflict
• 6/16/25: Njoki Mwarumba, assistant professor, Spectrum News 1: How Canada Wildfires Impact NY Air Quality
• 6/16/25: Ian Reifowitz, SUNY distinguished professor, ARC Rochester: Political Pulse Interview: National Guard in LA lawsuit
• 6/10/25: Ian Reifowitz, SUNY distinguished professor, France 24: Court injunction: ‘No legal justification for Trump to send troops without California gov request’
• 5/29/25: President Lisa Vollendorf, WROC Rochester: ‘We Come to You’: College Students Consider Alternatives to Traditional 4-Year Program Model
• 5/27/25: President Lisa Vollendorf, City & State New York: The 2025 Trailblazers in Higher Education
• 5/7/25: President Lisa Vollendorf, Times Union: Women of Excellence: Lisa Vollendorf builds connections, embraces growth at Empire State University
• 5/1/25: Jason Russell, professor, Talk of the Town: SUNY Empire Professor Jason Russell explains Trump Influence on Canada’s Election Results and Tariff War
• 4/29/25: Gayle Stever, professor, Cosmopolitan: Why Do We Love to See Celebrity Couples Breakup?
• 4/24/25: Aley O’Mara, CAARES training coordinator, WHAM: Empire State University hosts interactive game on disability rights
• 4/22/25: Himanee Gupta, professor, Radio Catskill: Sowing Sustainability: Professor Champions Local Food and Wisdom This Earth Day
• 4/22/25: Daniel Fogarty, assistant vice president of Enrollment Management and Marketing, BusinessWire: Cloud Range and Cyviz Collaborate to Elevate Cybersecurity Curriculum in Higher Education through IBM’s Cyber Campus
• 4/22/25: Gayle Stever, professor, Yahoo Entertainment: Elizabeth Hurley and Billy Ray Cyrus’s relationship caught social media by surprise. Why we can’t resist talking about the unlikely match.
• 4/16/25: President Lisa Vollendorf, Presidents Forum: Modernizing Pell Grants for Today’s Workforce
• 4/14/25: President Lisa Vollendorf, Chat with Pat: Federal Impacts on Veteran Students, Students with Disabilities, and Diversity
• 4/7/25: Jason Russell, professor, on Look Media Resource
• 4/3/25: Aley O’Mara, CAARES training coordinator, WNYT: SUNY Empire’s CAARES program aims to support neurodivergent students