People

Meet the people behind the Brand Hub.

Team of Experts

Jason Chambers

Jason P. Chambers is an associate professor in the Department of Advertising at the University of Illinois. A graduate of The Ohio State University, his work has been published in books and journals in the United States, Asia, and Europe. His published books include Madison Avenue and the Color Line: African Americans in the Advertising Industry and Building the Black Metropolis: African Entrepreneurship in Chicago . He is currently writing a book length biography of advertising legend Tom Burrell. Dr. Chambers’s opinions on diversity in adverting and multicultural marketing have been sought by a variety of media sources including Advertising Age, Adweek, the British Broadcasting Corporation, Forbes, Black Enterprise, The History Channel, the New York Times, National Public Radio, and USA Today.
jpchambe@illinois.edu

Jacob Fisher

Jacob (Ph.D., Communication, UC Santa Barbara) is an assistant professor in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising in the College of Media at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an affiliate of the Illinois Informatics Program. His research lies at the intersection of cognitive neuroscience and media psychology, using brain imaging, behavioral, and digital trace data to investigate how media influence how we direct our attention and pursue our goals.
jtfisher@illinois.edu

Shachar Meron

Shachar Meron is a Sr. Lecturer in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, where he teaches campaigns, strategy and copywriting. He is also Academic Director of Illinois' MS Strategic Brand Communication program, an online Masters program designed for working professionals. Shachar is also a partner at Bluegreen Branding, where he bridges the worlds of brand strategy and creative ideation to help business leaders shape their vision and launch campaigns. Over his 20-year career he has worked on 100+ brands with a focus on B2B, tech, financial, and communications.
meron@illinois.edu

Marisa Peacock

Marisa Peacock is a full time lecturer in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. She teaches Writing for Public Relations and Advertising Management Plan. She is also the Program Chair of Internships and Experiential Learning. Along with her teaching experience, she is the chief strategist for the Strategic Peacock, which she founded in 2010. As a social media strategist and consultant, Marisa helps organizations create and implement online strategies that appropriately target the right audience with the right information using the right media. Marisa received her Master of Arts in Liberal Studies in American Studies at Georgetown University and her undergraduate degree in psychology from Mount Holyoke College. She has presented at several marketing and media conferences, including the Home Furnishings Association, LavaCon, Luxury Travel Exchange, Association of Coupon Professionals, J. Boye, SocialSlam and Gilbane Boston.
marisacp@illinois.edu

Leona Yi-Fan Su

Dr. Leona Yi-Fan Su is an Assistant Professor in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising, and a faculty affiliate of the Institute of Communications Research, the Center for Digital Agriculture, and the Informatics Program. Her research examines the interplay between media and society, with a particular focus on how social media and new technologies influence human communication and social behaviors in scientific and health contexts. A key strand of her current research involves using data-driven approaches to develop marketing strategies that will help brands engage with consumers more effectively online.
lyfsu@illinois.edu

Mike Yao

Mike Yao is a Professor of Digital Media and the Head of the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising in the College of Media. He teaches a digital media & marketing course at the Gies College of Business as an affiliated professor of business administration. Mike's scholarly work focuses on digitally mediated social behavior and human-technology interaction. He is an Associate Editor of a flagship journal in communication research since 2018 and an editorial board member of two media journals for the past eight years, Professor Yao received his Ph.D. in communications in 2006 from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
mzyao@illinois.edu

Staff

Susan Muirhead

Associate Director

Susan is currently the Visiting Associate Director of the Hub for Brand Innovation and Advertising Technology in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising in the College of Media. Before this, she was a Producer and Account Executive at Technicolor Digital Cinema where she worked with motion picture studios to distribute hundreds of theatrical releases to cinemas around the world. She has also served as the Multimedia Content Coordinator for the non-profit Illinois Legal Aid Online and has been a part-time faculty member of the Cinema Art + Science department at Columbia College Chicago and the Department of Media and Cinema Studies at the University of Illinois.
muirhea@illinois.edu

Danielle Rowaiye

Social Media and Marketing Intern

Danielle currently works as the Social Media and Marketing Intern. She is a sophomore in advertising who helps with messaging and event promotion. She enjoys using her photography and design skills to develop creative content. She grew up in Lombard, Illinois with an older brother who is also in college and a younger sister who is her mini-me. She enjoys fashion, baking, and indoor cycling. She is also a big fan of finding and trying out new restaurants, so please send her your recommendations! Rowaiye2@illinois.edu

Mike Yao

Principal Investigator

Mike Yao is a Professor of Digital Media and the Head of the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising in the College of Media. He teaches a digital media & marketing course at the Gies College of Business as an affiliated professor of business administration. Mike's scholarly work focuses on digitally mediated social behavior and human-technology interaction. He is an Associate Editor of a flagship journal in communication research since 2018 and an editorial board member of two media journals for the past eight years, Professor Yao received his Ph.D. in communications in 2006 from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

mzyao@illinois.edu