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. 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 to 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.

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 over 50,000 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 Writer and Assistant 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 and Los Angeles Herald Examiner. She has chronicled deadly hurricanes in Florida to wounded soldiers in Germany and interviewed newsmakers from Gloria Steinem to Larry King. 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 joined USC Dornsife in 2005.

Web Editor
(213) 821-2483

As USC Dornsife's web editor, Laurie manages the USC Dornsife Web site, creates and sends e-mail newsletters, writes articles, and publishes the many stories written by members of the USC Dornsife Office of Communication. Prior to joining the Trojan Family in 2009, Laurie served as the web editor for food and lifestyle Web site Gayot.com. She earned her B.A. in creative writing from Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania.

Media/Social Media Specialist
(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.

Staff Writer
(213) 740-7894

Before joining the Trojan Family in 2011 as staff writer for USC Dornsife, Ambrosia served as California Regional Editor for Sea Magazine and staff writer for The Log newspaper. She has contributed to Patch, and covered education for the Imperial Valley Press. She has also served as copyeditor for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, as well as a reporter/copyeditor for the Highlanders, the paper’s community news publication. Ambrosia earned a B.A. in Journalism from University of La Verne, and an M.A. in communications from California State University, Fullerton.

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. Additionally, Mira has received a gold, a silver and two bronze CASE VII awards in the video category. She has a B.A. in film and is currently working toward a Masters in Professional Writing.