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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Topics in the News:

Recent Media Appearances by Empire State University Experts

• 2/17/26: Ian Reifowitz, SUNY distinguished professor, appeared on France24 to discuss the political implications of the Epstein files. He was also a guest on Politics Done Right with Egberto Willies to talk about his recent book, “Riling up the Base: Examining Trump’s Use of Stereotypes through an Interdisciplinary Lens.” 
• 2/4/26: Gayle Stever, professor, was quoted in articles by Byrdie, NBC, and New York magazine. 
• 1/28/26: Program Director for Graduate Studies Shaun Richman was interviewed on the Drafting the Past podcast. His op-ed on the New York City nurses’ strike was also published by the Daily News.
• 1/20/26: Professor Cindy Conaway was interviewed by WNYT about Australia’s social media ban for kids and the implications in the US.
• 1/5/26: Ian Reifowitz, SUNY distinguished professor, spoke with ARC Rochester’s Political Pulse about the capture of the Venezuelan president.
• 12/30/25: Herb Covington, assistant professor, was interviewed by WNYT about the psychology behind New Year’s resolutions.
• 12/23/25: Julie Reback, assistant professor, was interviewed by WNYT about cardiac care.
• 12/16/25: Duncan RyanMann, professor, spoke about healthcare in interviews with WAMC, News 10 Rochester, and Hudson Valley One.
• 12/16/25: Njoki Mwarumba, assistant professor, was quoted in a Slate article about the new head of FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery.
• 12/13/25: Ian Reifowitz, SUNY distinguished professor, appeared on France 24 to discuss President Trump’s approval rating, recent election results, and other issues facing Republicans. He was also featured in a separate interview with the outlet about President Trump’s push to rename the Kennedy Center and other topics. 
• 12/10/25: Lisa Vollendorf, president of Empire State University, was featured in an Albany Business Review article about how Empire State University is adapting to meet the needs of learners. 
• 11/20/25: Melissa Wells, associate professor and director of teaching, learning, and faculty development, spoke on the EdUp Experience podcast about Universal Design for Learning. 
• 11/13/25: Cailyn Green, assistant professor of addiction studies, was featured on The Academic Minute for her open access group counseling workbook. 
• 11/6/25: Lisa Vollendorf, president of Empire State University, appeared on the NYC Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC) podcast episode and discussed how Empire State University removes barriers to access for all learners.
• 11/5/25: Ian Reifowitz, SUNY distinguished professor, appeared on Political Pulse in Rochester to discuss the 2025 election results.
• 11/3/25: Andrew Hurd, Assistant Professor, spoke with Look Media about AI safety. 
• 11/1/25: Melissa Wells, associate professor and director of teaching, learning, and faculty development, appeared on the EdUp Experience podcast to discuss online learning, AI practices, and more.
• 10/30/25: Luis Camacho, assistant professor and academic coordinator of the Spanish BBA, was interviewed by Telemundo 47 about Hispanic entrepreneurship in New York and the Spanish BBA program.
• 10/1/25: Ian Reifowitz, SUNY distinguished professor, appeared on The New Republic’s “The Daily Blast” podcast to provide insights into recent topics surrounding President Trump including crime and the military, as well as his early life in Queens. He was interviewed on Anthony Scaramucci’s podcast, “Open Book,” regarding his recently published book, “Riling up the Base.”  
• 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.