Thomas Kunkel
Dean, Professor and President of AJR
Thomas Kunkel is dean of the College and president of American Journalism Review, a national magazine published by the College. At Maryland he has served as director of the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism, and as editor and director of the Project on the State of the American Newspaper. A writer and editor, Kunkel has spent most of his career in newspaper management. Most recently he was deputy managing editor of the San Jose Mercury News. Prior to that he worked for the Miami Herald, The New York Times and the Cincinnati Post, and he was editor and publisher of Arizona Trend magazine. When he was named executive editor of Knight-Ridder's Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer, he was, at age 29, the youngest top editor in company history. He has written or edited five books, including "Genius in Disguise: Harold Ross of The New Yorker."

Don Heider
Associate Dean, Associate Professor
Don Heider is an author, researcher and award-winning broadcast news journalist. Heider spent ten years working in TV news as a photographer, reporter, producer and manager. During his career Heider received five Emmy awards, a regional Edward R. Murrow, and a Tennessee Associated Press Award. He taught previously at American University, Ole Miss, and the University of Colorado.

Olive Reid
Associate Dean, Director of Undergraduate Programs
Olive Reid oversees undergraduate recruitment, orientation and advising at the College. She serves on a number of campus-wide committees, including the Provost's Commission on Advising and the Training Task Force. She teaches UNIV 100, which orients first-semester freshmen to the university and the journalism major.

Steve Crane
Assistant Dean
An alumnus of the College, Steve Crane now serves as the College's assistant dean. Previously he was Washington bureau director for the College's Capital News Service. Crane is a former deputy metro editor and statehouse reporter for The Washington Times. He also worked as a reporter for The Parkersburg (W.Va.) Sentinel and The South Prince George's (Md.) Independent.

Marchelle Payne
Assistant Dean, Executive Director of Maryland-District of Columbia Scholastic Press Association
Marchelle Payne-Gassaway has a joint appointment with the Philip Merrill College of Journalism and the University's Division of Letters & Sciences. In journalism she is the executive director of the Maryland-District of Columbia Scholastic Press Association. In Letters & Sciences, she serves as liaison for the Division of Letters and Sciences and assists students interested in becoming journalism majors.

Frank Quine
Assistant Dean
Frank Quine joined the University of Maryland’s College of Journalism in 1988 after 18 years with the executive staff of the American Press Institute (API), the newspaper industry’s management training center in Reston, Va. He has served as chief development officer of the College and is vice president of American Journalism Review, the national magazine on press and media performance published by the Merrill College.

Linda Ringer
Assistant Dean for Business Operations
Linda Ringer directs the College's business operations including budget details, payroll, tuition remission and other administrative business affairs.

Matthew C. Sheehan
Director of Public Affairs and Assistant to the Dean
Matt Sheehan is the communication director for the Merrill College. He is currently on academic leave from the Washington Post where he was an assistant news editor. An alumnus of the college and former Diamondback editor, he oversees the college's marketing and communication efforts, alumni relations, special events and special projects.

Clint Bucco
Director of Computer Services
Clint Bucco oversees the College's computer laboratories and the computers used in offices in the Journalism Building, and he provides software and technical support to the College's faculty and staff. He also maintains the local journalism servers and networks, including those for UMTV, American Journalism Review, Capital News Service and the College's affiliated journalism centers.

Penny Bender Fuchs
Director of Career Development and Internships
Penny Bender Fuchs heads the administration of student internships, career placement and scholarships. Fuchs, who has many industry contacts from her long journalism career, also teaches newswriting and handles the college's assessment program. Prior to joining the college, she spent 10 years covering Capitol Hill, primarily for Gannett News Service, the national wire for Gannett's 100 daily newspapers.

Sheila Young
Director of Development
Sheila Young, a former editor at The Baltimore Sun, is the Merrill College Director of Development. Holding a joint appointment with University Relations, Young is the college's primary fund-raiser working with individuals and institutions to provide scholarship, programing and building gifts.