Faculty

Dr. Sybril Brown, affectionately known as “Dr. Syb,” is a Vanderbilt-educated, Harvard-trained, two-time Emmy award-winning multimedia journalist, author, international speaker and lecturer. Currently, Dr. Syb is a tenured professor of journalism at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Dr. Syb is a master teacher with experience on and off line as well as across institutional types teaching at public, private, two- and four- year institutions and at predominantly black and white campuses.  In 2012, she was among three finalist for Belmont’s highest teaching honors. She has created numerous courses including: Digital Citizenship, Entrepreneurial Media, Social Media Reporting and Covering Diverse Populations. 

A respected journalist, Dr. Syb began her career working behind the scenes at ABC in Milwaukee, CBS in Chicago, and was a former general assignment reporter, fill-in anchor and fill-in talk show host at the CBS affiliate in Nashville. The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) named Dr. Syb the 2015 Journalism Educator of the Year and she was a recipient of the NABJ Region 3 Achiever Award in 2014. Most recently she was recognized as: the 2015 Educator of the Year by The Tennessee Tribune, the 2015 Diversity Leader of the Year by the Nashville Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners and she received the 2015 Trailblazer Award for Excellence in Journalism Education from community organization Everything Underground. 

With extensive experience in traditional and social media fields spanning more than 15 years, Dr. Syb is the author of two books: Innovate: Lessons from the Underground Railroad, an examination of the UGRR and the Internet as among America's most effective, innovative and disruptive networks, and The Color-Full Alphabet Book, a Dr. Seuss-like book pairing positive images of children of color with encouraging words.

Dr. Syb earned her Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Vanderbilt University, her M.Ed. in College Student Personnel from Loyola University of Chicago and her B.A. in Broadcast and Electronic Communication from Marquette University.

Jennifer Duck is a two-time Emmy award winner and assistant professor of media studies at Belmont University. She is also the education co-chair and serves on the Board of Governors for the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Midsouth chapter. Prior to her work with Belmont University, Jen was a producer for Anderson Cooper 360 and Katie Couric’s syndicated show in New York. Additionally, she worked as a talent and development producer for Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) in Los Angeles. 

Jen began her career at ABC News in Washington, D.C. During her time with ABC, she traveled around the world aboard Air Force One as White House producer covering President George W. Bush and reported from the campaign trail as President Barack Obama and Senator John McCain canvassed the country in 2008. She earned her stripes as a local reporter and anchor at the NBC News affiliate in Bakersfield, California. Jen has also worked with non-profit organizations to spread awareness about important social issues. She produced educational campaigns for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and produced a live event for the David Lynch Foundation. 

Jen received her bachelor's degree from Miami University, her master's degree from Murray State University, and her doctorate degree from Clemson University. Jen’s research focuses on online disinformation and the rhetorics/politics of identity. With a lifelong passion for storytelling, Jen continues to write, edit, and produce podcasts and documentaries. She gets some of her best inspiration from her students as well as her husband, two daughters, and three dogs.

Dr. Lee is Associate Professor of Journalism at the Department of Media Studies at Belmont University. She earned her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Educational Psychology / Instructional Technology from Kent State University; a Master of Education in Computer Education and Technology from Ohio University; and a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Engineering from Hong-ik University in Seoul, Korea.

She has more than 10 years of professional experience in visual communication, working for major metropolitan newspapers including the Louisville Courier-Journal, the Tennessean, the New York Times and Long Island Newsday. Her teaching areas include digital storytelling, visual communication, motion graphics, introduction to video and audio production, and mass media and society.

Dorren Robinson has been an instructor in the Media Studies department at Belmont since 2005. Before coming to Belmont, Robinson was a reporter at The Tennessean for 15 years. She has B.A. in journalism from Western Kentucky University and a M.A. in mass communication from Murray State University. She teaches Mass Media and Society, Foundations of Journalism, Media Writing I and II, Journalism Workshop and media-related study abroad courses. She also continues to freelance write and edit.