Community Advisory Board

David DesRoches is the director of community programming at Quinnipiac University, where he oversees a network of university podcasts. He is also an adjunct journalism professor, and he hosts the journalism-critique podcast Baffled with David DesRoches, which was a finalist for a 2022 People’s Choice Podcast Award. He has been a journalist for over a decade, reporting for NPR, the Center for Investigative Reporting, the Sundance Institute, and dozens of other media outlets. He’s earned over two-dozen awards, including twice being named New England’s “Reporter of the Year” and being added to Connecticut Magazine’s “40 Under 40” list in 2015. He’s also a vice president for the Connecticut Foundation for Open Government, where he advocates for the public’s right-to-know.

Nicole is a long-time Hamden resident who has worked in finance and banking industry for over 16 years. She currently works as a Business Relationship Support Specialist. Nicole is a business owner, entrepreneur, and passionate community leader. Volunteering, teaching financial literacy and supporting community forums is a major focus for her. Nicole actively participates with organizations such as Junior Achievement, and City-Wide Parent Team, among others. She seeks to be a voice in the community raising awareness on the topic of financial literacy, budgeting and credit education.

D’Lisa has a passion for teaching and learning, which guides both her career and her listening habits. An avid trivia buff, she’s always on the hunt for new knowledge, and is a voracious consumer of history, biography, science, and business podcasts. As the Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs in the Quinnipiac School of Business, she helps students continue their path for life-long learning, and often seeks new ways to infuse creativity into the business curriculum. A nearly life-long listener of A Prairie Home Companion and Car Talk, her favorite podcast of the moment is BBC Radio’s You’re Dead To Me. She earned her PhD in Business from Mississippi State University, and her MBA and BAH from Drury University.

Carly is a fourth-year student studying Journalism and International Business at Quinnipiac University. She is expected to graduate with her master's in business administration in May 2024. She focuses on business and entertainment journalism but is well-rounded in all fields. Originally from Warren, N.J., her passion for journalism emerged from her involvement and activities growing up. When she isn’t in class, you can find her at WQAQ 98.1, where she serves as the current general manager.

The daughter of a Ghanaian immigrant and a first-generation college student, Mercy is a self-proclaimed "inner-city kid who went to college.” After working in the public and non-profit sectors, spearheading communications strategies in a variety of industries, she launched The Narrative Project to offer high-quality communications for organizations who seek to do good in the world.

She’s a professor of digital journalism at Southern Connecticut State University; a professor of journalism and public relations strategy at Quinnipiac University; the Vice President of Communications for Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists, and an Editor/Columnist with the Connecticut Mirror. She obtained a Bachelors in Journalism and a Masters in Public Relations from Quinnipiac University.

Born in Spain and based in Los Angeles, Andrés currently directs Quinnipiac University’s QU in LA program, which prepares students for careers in entertainment and media. He has directed multiple successful short films that have played in more than 200 film festivals around the globe including Cannes, Sitges, Cleveland and South by Southwest, winning more than 40 international awards including the DGA for best Latin short.

Andrés is also an executive producer at 7EQUIS, which produces the hit podcasts Trash Tuesday, Tiger Belly, and Bad Friends, staring comedians Bobby Lee and Andrew Santino. As producer of Bad Friends, he appears on the show where he’s known as Fancy B.

Andrés has a BA in Mass Media Communication from Universidad Complutense of Madrid and an MFA in film from Columbia University.

Chris is the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University. He previously spent 17 years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he started its business journalism program. He is the author or coauthor of ten books, including the textbook Show Me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication. He has won awards for business journalism teaching and has taught business journalism on five continents.

Gwen is a Meriden mom and grandma, and she is the founder and president of the Connecticut Parents Union. She is an equity in education and social justice advocate and is a community relations consultant with a national reach. In 2017, Gwen launched an “Urban Experience in Family And Community Engagement (F.A.C.E.)—helping Teachers Transition into Diverse Classrooms and Community” workshop series. She has also played a role in the passing of key legislation around parents’ and children’s’ rights.

Gwen is a graduate of Springfield College with a bachelor’s of science in human services. In addition, she holds a construction management certification from Central Connecticut State University.

Don serves as the Vice President for Equity, Inclusion, and Leadership Development at Quinnipiac University. He is a tenured associate professor in the department of sociology in the College of Arts and Sciences and an Associate Professor of Medical Sciences in the QU Frank H. Netter, MD, School of Medicine. He teaches courses on Race, Education, Popular Culture, and Social Research Methods, including the university’s first course dedicated to the sociological study of hip-hop culture. His scholarly focus is on race, social justice, urban education, hip-hop culture, and formerly incarcerated citizens’ reentry experiences. He earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in Sociology and M.S. in Cultural Foundations of Education from Syracuse University and a B.A. in Psychology from Hartwick College. He also hosts a podcast with his son called Bridge da Gap, which is a series of intergenerational conversations about cutting-edge topics.

Becky is the senior director for Integrated Marketing Communications at Quinnipiac University. She has more than 15 years of wide-ranging experience executing measurable marketing campaigns for fast-paced companies. Her expertise is in brand positioning, campaign development and leadership, navigating long-term plans, driving awareness, traffic and revenue, and leading multiple, highly complex global initiatives.

Bethany is vice president for strategy and community relations and chief of staff at Quinnipiac University. Previously, she served as a senior associate dean, chief of staff and senior adviser to the dean of the faculty of arts and sciences at Yale University. Before that, she worked at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Bethany brings a range of strategic higher education leadership and expertise to her role at Quinnipiac, where she is responsible for working closely with the senior management team to direct the formulation and execution of the university’s strategic plan; coordinate institutional research; oversee community relations; and serve as the primary liaison to the board of trustees. She earned a bachelor of science and a master of public administration from the University of Rhode Island, and a doctorate in education, with a focus on higher education administration, from Johnson and Wales University.