Director of iCamp
Dr. Laquana Cooke is an Associate Professor of Digital Rhetoric at WCU. She is a digital media scholar, instructor and designer whose work has been exhibited and presented at national conferences and game expositions. She has over 10 years of experience in developing and facilitating media and STEAM-based programs for nonprofits, secondary, and higher education sectors. In addition to directing iCAMP, Dr. Cooke serves as one of the project’s media experts on game design and development. Dr. Cooke is on Sabbatical until May 2024.
Audio Production
Dr. Jeremy C. McCool is an Assistant Professor of Digital/Global Media. McCool has a background working as a radio personality and has taught several courses at both IUP and West Chester University including Media Technology, Radio Production, Public Speaking, Introduction to Communications, Media, and Culture, and a course he developed called Digital Storytelling. McCool’s research and writing revolve around media representation and socially conscious hip-hop messaging. He is also a children’s book author.
During Dr. Cooke’s sabbatical, Dr. McCool is serving as interim director of iCamp, along with Dr. Randall Cream.
Game Development
Brought to WCU with expertise in Digital Humanities and New Media, Cream has studied games for much of his career, designing and developing the Humanities Gaming Institute: Serious Games for Research and Pedagogy.
During Dr. Cooke’s sabbatical, Dr. Cream is serving as interim director of iCamp, along with Dr. Jeremy McCool.
Video Production
Ariel Taylor is a Philly-based media maker, a womanist, left-handed, and a Gemini. Ariel serves as the Youth Media Coordinator at Philly CAM. Ariel’s work at Philly CAM encourages students and community members to own themselves and recognize the nuances of their own voices. Ariel’s work centers on collectivity and authenticity for BIPOC creators in systemically white spaces.
Digital Journalism
Earl Hopkins is an award-winning arts and culture reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer, focusing on the institutions, trends, and trailblazers shaping the city. Before landing at The Inquirer, Earl wrote for the Austin American-Statesman and The Columbus Dispatch. His podcast Outside The Margins, focuses on pop culture, with interviews of hip-hop artists, athletes, and comedians, and entertainers. Earl is an active member of the NABJ and Society of Professional Journalists.
Social Justice
Dr. Michael Burns is an Associate Professor of English with specialization in Composition/Rhetoric and African American Rhetoric(s). Since 2023, he has served as the Chair of the English Department. In his spare time, he edits kernel objects for his sons’ Linux machines.