Executive Director of Communications
(213) 821-4023

Emily Cavalcanti serves as executive director of communications for the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. She oversees the USC Dornsife communication staff and holds responsibility for managing the top levels of the USC Dornsife Web site and the development of numerous publications. Emily is also editor of USC Dornsife Magazine, which has won two gold and one silver CASE District VII Awards of Excellence since 2009, as well as a national CASE Circle of Excellence bronze for design in 2012. In addition to editing print and Web communications, and upholding USC Dornsife's editorial style and graphic standards, she writes magazine and Web articles. Before coming to USC Dornsife in 2008, Emily was director of publications at Pitzer College, a member of The Claremont Colleges. She has also worked for Princeton University Press and Princeton University's Writing Center. A native Chicagoan, Emily earned a B.A. in English literature from Elmhurst College and an M.A. in the humanities from the University of Chicago. She studied typography and graphic design at Parsons School of Design.

Graphic Designer
(213) 821-9393

Letty Avila serves as graphic designer, letterer and illustrator for the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. She assists in developing and producing many of USC Dornsife’s publications including USC Dornsife Magazine. Prior to joining the communications team in July 2012, Letty served as designer for Hershey Cause, Josephson Institute, L.A. Film Festival and Mensch Magazine. She earned a B.F.A from California State University, Fullerton.

Office Manager
(213) 821-6797

Letitia Franklin serves as administrative support to the USC Dornsife Office of Communication which includes managing vendor accounts, tracking the department's budget, overseeing student workers and other day to day office operations. She also works as coordinator of the USC Dornsife Magazine which is distributed twice yearly to more than 60,000 Trojan Family and friends.

Before coming to USC, Letitia had the privilege of working as the assistant to the vice president of development for a Los Angeles based non profit organization. Their mission is to help children and adults who are blind, visually impaired or multi-disabled achieve independence.

Senior Editor
(213) 821-2478

Pamela J. Johnson is an award-winning, 20-year journalist with stops at the Los Angeles Times, The Orange County Register, Orlando Sentinel, Santa Barbara News-Press and Los Angeles Herald Examiner. She has chronicled deadly hurricanes in Florida to wounded soldiers in Germany, interviewed newsmakers from Angela Davis and Gloria Steinem to Larry King, and covered beats including politics, crime, education, social issues and minority affairs. The California Bar Association and Brechner Center for Freedom of Information at the University of Florida have awarded her for investigative pieces. In 2011, she received a Gold Award in Excellence in News Writing from CASE, for five stories she wrote for USC Dornsife Magazine's science edition. She earned a bachelor's from San Diego State University and has taken courses toward a master's degree at USC. Joining USC Dornsife in 2005, Johnson oversees the written storytelling of USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, the university's largest school and academic heart.

Web Editor and Writer
(213) 821-2483

Laura Paisley manages content on the USC Dornsife website in addition to managing electronic communications and writing news and feature stories for USC Dornsife print publications and the web. Laura joins us from Chicago, where most recently she directed communications for the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, Ensemble-in-Residence at Columbia College. Prior to that, she worked at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music, marketing its concerts and music festivals. Laura began her career in publishing at Houghton Mifflin Company in Boston. Originally from northwestern Montana, she earned a B.A. in history at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN.

Senior Communications Specialist and Writer
(213) 821-9311

In her role, Michelle Salzman connects the media with USC Dornsife’s faculty experts and manages USC Dornsife's social media presence. She also writes articles for the USC Dornsife Web site and alumni magazine, and produces short videos for the Web. Previously, Michelle served as editor of Boston University School of Public Health’s news Web site, the BUSPH Insider. She has contributed to the Malibu Times, Under the Radar magazine and Beyond the Book, a K–12 educational leadership Web site. Michelle earned a B.A. in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an M.A. in writing and publishing from Emerson College.

Senior Video Producer
(213) 821-2480

In January 2008, Mira Zimet joined the USC Dornsife Communication department to produce and edit videos that bring to life the great work that goes on in USC Dornsife. These web stories range from the type of research students and faculty are conducting to the programs that make USC Dornsife such a unique place to study.

Before coming to USC, Mira served for over twelve years as an independent writer/producer on documentaries and educational videos. Some clients included: Discovery/Times, PBS, E! Entertainment, the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Los Angeles Times. In 2002, Mira received an Emmy nomination in the education category. Since 2009, Mira has received a gold, two silver and three bronze CASE VII Awards of Excellence in the video category. Additionally, in 2012 she received a bronze Telly Award (their second highest honor) in the on-line video education category. She has a B.A. in film and is currently working toward a Masters in Professional Writing.