Kristin Comeforo Receives Donald W. Davis UIS Award

Kristin Comeforo, associate professor of communication and graduate program director in the School of Communication, College of Arts and Sciences, is the 2022 recipient of the Donald W. Davis University Interdisciplinary Studies (UIS) Award.

The award is presented annually to faculty members who are highly effective interdisciplinary teachers and scholars, have made significant contributions to the UIS program, and are true advocates for interdisciplinary education. 

Comeforo is a digital storyteller who guides her students in the use of digital media to help illuminate for them such topics as the economic and ethical intersection within the LGBTQ community as it relates to mainstream advertising and marketing.  

One of her goals is to assist young scholars in building bridges between their personal experiences and current events and theories. Her particular style of bringing a syllabus to life consistently engages her students, who gain a comprehensive interdisciplinary understanding of the importance of media communications in helping to explain, advance, and deal with real-world issues such as racism, sexism, and classism as presented through advertising, digital and social media, branding, and other platforms. 
 
Prior to coming to UHart, Comeforo, whose PhD is from Rutgers University, taught at Berkeley College in New York City. She also spent several years as a marketing communication professional outside the academic environment, giving her a valuable perspective from all sides of the media spectrum.  

Comeforo typically assigns a final project that requires students to create digital learning platforms of their own, and many students have reported that the videos they absorb in class make them reflect more on their own privileges and oppressions, and often empower them to make social changes on their own.  

“On the whole, I have observed students engage more strongly with video content—and exhibit more motivation and excitement for their final projects,” Comeforo explains. Her colleagues call it a forward-looking approach to interdisciplinary education. 

In addition to her doctorate, Comeforo has an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona and a bachelor’s degree in management studies from  the State University of New York at Geneseo.  

Comeforo, who has had several of her case studies published, is looking forward to continuing her research, writing, and teaching on challenging topics—in her unique and absorbing ways.