Faculty

Sara Wigal is an Assistant Professor of Cinema, Television and Media and Director of Publishing at Belmont University. Through the Publishing program, she equips students with necessary skills and knowledge to enter the ever-changing world of book and magazine publishing. She has trained under literary agents, magazine editors, and a major publishing house’s marketing department, finally working in literary PR, beginning as an assistant and working her way up to a Senior Manager role. Wigal has been published by Library Journal, The Tennessean, Publishers Weekly, and Writer's Digest, and was a featured interview in the Writer’s Digest “Guide to Literary Agents” 2019 edition. She speaks frequently at conferences on a range of topics related to Publishing, such as author branding, digital platforms for authors, and the business of books.

Wigal is the Fundraising Chair for the Next Chapter Society which supports the programming made possible by the Nashville Public Library Foundation. She is the founder of the Nashville Publishing Meetup, which connects local publishing professionals. When she doesn’t have a book in hand, you can find Professor Wigal snuggling with her two dogs, dancing salsa, or doing DIY projects on her cottage home. Most booklovers cannot pick a favorite book, but Wigal’s most re-read title is Wuthering Heights.

Ronald P. Stroop is a native of Nashville and was a guest lecturer in the Music Business program at Belmont University in the mid-1980’s. He has seen Music City and Belmont grow and expand their influence and vision throughout the world over the years. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Samford University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. The career path has included a legal practice of corporate and business law with a specialty in entertainment, music, copyright, trademark, right of publicity and intellectual property law. Representation included all types of clients from artists, songwriters, artist managers, recording and publishing companies and movie and television producers of several network and cable shows. Entrepreneur ventures, consulting services and most recently managing contract negotiations, administration and intellectual property matters for a book publishing company has brought him full circle in 2011 to an adjunct position at Belmont teaching Copyright Law, Entertainment Law and Licensing, Survey of Music Business and Senior Capstone classes.

These years at Belmont University have been rewarding and I am enjoying the experience with a professional and knowledgeable faculty along with first class students and am excited to join them in continuing the vision of providing the entertainment industry with excellent future leaders.

Jennifer Chesak is an adjunct instructor who teaches  PUB 2100 Copyediting, PUB 3010 Nonfiction & Technical Editing, MDS 1500 Mass Media & Society, and various Media Studies elective courses at Belmont. She earned her Master of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University's Medill School and draws on nearly two decades of experience as a journalist and editor across the fields of broadcast, print, and online. Currently she is a freelance medical journalist, editor, and fact checker with bylines in several national publications. Her work has appeared in Washington Post, Prevention, Healthline, Verywell, The Daily Beast, Runner's World, Greatist, and more. Her coverage focuses on COVID-19, chronic health issues, and the scientific evidence around health and wellness trends. She also serves on the Medical Integrity Team at Healthline.

In addition to reporting, she works as a freelance manuscript editor and operates a business in which she helps authors prepare their manuscripts for independent publishing or sending to a literary agent. Chesak earned her editing chops on staff at a magazine publishing firm, where she eventually became the managing editor. She has since worked in a freelance capacity for more than a decade and has helped more than 100 authors take their manuscripts from early draft to polished final. She is also the managing editor for the literary magazine SHIFT and enjoys teaching evening and weekend writing workshops for Nashville’s nonprofit literary center, The Porch Writers’ Collective. In her free time, Chesak is an avid reader, runner, and gardener. Her first book will be published in 2023.

With over 17 years of successful sales experience, Jessica is an outgoing, relationship focused businesswoman who is eager to see others find and utilize their highest potential. She is the Senior Director of Retail Trade Sales at HarperCollins Christian Publishing in Nashville where she has worked for seven+ years. With a strong history of managing sales teams and selling to key/major accounts, Jessica has experience working with a breadth of clients from Fortune 500 companies to small privately owned companies. She graduated from Grove City College with a B.A. in communication and sociology. At Belmont, she teaches PUB 3400 Book Marketing & Sales.