RTF Staff
In addition to the staff listed below, RTF is fortunate to receive the support of the Moody College technical staff. For information, please see https://moody.utexas.edu/technology/staff.
Administrative Staff
Rachel Walker
Administrative Manager E-mail: rachel.walker@austin.utexas.edu New to the department as of January 2017, Rachel Walker assists the Department Chair, managing all of the administrative functions of the Department. She is responsible for the instructional budget, course scheduling, human resource management, department scholarships and internships, faculty promotion and award nominations, and miscellaneous projects of all kinds. Rachel also works closely with the communications coordinator to develop department publications and large-scale events and acts as a liaison with the College's academic advisors for academic planning and course management. Rachel earned her B.A. in English from the University of Texas. An avid music fan, she can often be found in the front row of a live show around Austin. She lives in a log cabin east of town and loves fussing over her chickens, ducks, cats, honeybees and Great Pyrenees dogs.
Office: CMA 6.120D
Phone: 512-471-4058
Bert Herigstad
Administrative Associate/Office Manager E-mail: bert.herigstad@austin.utexas.edu Bert has been with the Department of Radio-Television-Film since the fall of 1997. He is the office manager and handles many routine administrative tasks. Bert is most proud of meeting a troubled student or faculty member and leaving them with hope.
Office: CMA 6.120
Hours: M-F 7:45am -4:45pm
Phone: 512-471-4191
Gloria Holder
Senior Administrative Associate, TIPI E-mail: gholder@utexas.edu For 19 years, Gloria served as the accountant and purchaser for the Department before retiring in 2015. Prior to RTF, Gloria worked in UT’s Payroll and Purchasing Offices. Currently she is working part-time for the Technology and Information Policy Institute (TIPI). Gloria has a husband, a daughter, and three dogs. She enjoys hanging out with her family and loves to read, watch TV & movies, and go for long walks. She is an avid fan of “The Walking Dead” and “The Game of Thrones.” Her favorite movies are To Kill a Mockingbird, Aliens, & The Incredibles. She’s also quite fond of watching New Orleans Saints football, hanging out on the patio at Opal Divine’s, and grabbing dinner and a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse.
Office: CMA 5.102
Hours: Tu-Th
Phone: 512-471-1525
Trish Morrison
Senior Program Coordinator, Technology and Information Policy Institute (TIPI) E-mail: trish.morrison@austin.utexas.edu
Office: CMA 5.102
Phone: 512-471-5826
Lee Sparks
Media Librarian/Administrative Assistant E-mail: Lee.Sparks@austin.utexas.edu Lee, a 1997 Summa Cum Laude graduate of RTF, has served as the RTF Media Librarian since 1998. In addition to serving the RTF Graduate and Faculty communities, he coordinates RTF film and video class screenings and is the RTF Media Library purchasing agent. Lee also manages faculty travel, visiting speaker arrangements, reimbursements, pro card purchases, and vendor payments. Recreationally, Lee is an avid consumer of American comic books and hates the pretentious term 'graphic novel.' When not enjoying genre films from other countries, he cleans up after his cats.
Office: CMA 6.168
Hours: M-F 10 am-4 pm
Phone: 471.1906
Wendy Stuessy
Financial Administrator E-mail: Wendy.stuessy@austin.utexas.edu Wendy serves as a full-time accountant and purchaser for all the department accounts.
Office: CMA 6.120B
Phone: 512-471-4136
Mona Syed
Graduate Coordinator E-mail: msyed@austin.utexas.edu Mona joined the RTF department in October 2016 as the Graduate Program Coordinator. She supports approximately 160 graduate students across the department’s MA, MFA and PhD programs, and helps students navigate their degree requirements and connects them with campus resources to ensure their academic success and well-being. Mona is responsible for managing student records, tracking student progress, coordinating student employment, processing scholarships and travel awards, overseeing registration, planning events for the various program cohorts, addressing students concerns and keeping students informed about the Graduate School’s policies and procedures. She works closely with the Graduate Advisors and with the Media Studies and Production area heads on matters related to student fellowships, admissions and recruitment, student professional development and student year-end reviews. Prospective students interested in learning more about the RTF graduate programs are welcome to contact Mona with questions. Mona earned her undergraduate degree in Government from Smith College and a Master of Science in Education from Indiana University, Bloomington.
Office: CMA 6.116
Phone: 512-471-3532
Elana Wakeman
Communications & Programs Coordinator E-mail: ewakeman@austin.utexas.edu Elana manages all content updates for the RTF website, coordinates the summer camps and workshops, manages social media outreach, and produces promotional materials for departmental events. She comes to RTF after working as Publications Manager at UT's Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk and earning her M.F.A. in film production from Florida State University. She also holds a B.A. in English from Duke University.
Office: CMA 6.104
Phone: 512-471-6617
Roxy New
Undergraduate Academic Advising Coordinator
E-mail: roxy.new@austin.utexas.edu
Office: BMC 2.502
Phone: 512-475-6374
Roxy New joined Moody College in June of 2017 as an advisor for Communication Studies, and transitioned to her position as Academic Advising Coordinator for RTF in February 2019. Prior to her time at UT, she spent three years working in undergraduate student advising at the University of Oklahoma, where she received her B.A. in Social Work and her M.S.W., Master of Social Work. She is currently serving as the Co-Coordinator of Moody College Orientation and the Co-Coordinator of Moody College Honors Day.
In her spare time, you can find Roxy attending a weekly showing at the movie theater, exploring the Austin food scene with friends, or spending time outside with her cat.
Tessandra Lancaster
Undergraduate Academic Advisor
E-mail: tessandra.lancaster@austin.utexas.edu
Office: BMC 2.504
Phone: 512-475-6374
Tessandra Lancaster has been an Advisor in the Moody College since 2016, first for Communication & Leadership and now for RTF. She received a B.A. in Philosophy and an M.A. in College Student Development from St. Edward’s University. She currently serves as Chair for the Pride and Equity Faculty/Staff Association (PEFSA) here at UT and sits on the Board of Directors for a local non-profit organization.
Some of her many interests include camping, reading, playing video games, attending music festivals, and meditating. She especially enjoys connecting with RTF students about the kinds of media they have been personally affected by.
