Your browser does not support JavaScript
skip directly to Main Content Navigation Search A-Z Index Ask the Bulldog Find People Top Story Breadcrumbs Footer
Spring Classes Begin
January 16, 2024
Presidents' Day Weekend
February 16-19, 2023
Spring Recess
March 24-30, 2024
Request Information
Communication Studies
Meet the Faculty & Staff

Charles RopeBriana Avila
Title: Assistant Professor
Degrees: Communication Studies AA-T, College of San Mateo; Communication Studies B.A. and M.A., San Francisco State University
Teaching Experience: Since 2016
Career Highlights: I love watching students thrive and succeed in ways they didn’t know possible.
Hobbies: I am an animal lover and a rescue dog mom. I love going on road trips, exploring new places, plane watching, photography, and drinking copious amounts of coffee.
Quote: "To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Frederick BerryFrederick Berry
Title: Assistant Professor
Degrees: B.A. and M.A., San Francisco State University
Career Highlights: At the end of a semester, a handshake from some of my students and maybe some saying "I learned a lot from your class."
Hobbies: Learning new and interesting things about other cultures and the world we live in.
Quote: "Do not tell the crocodile he has bad breath until you have crossed the river." – African Proverb
BlankRuth Gildea
Title: Assistant Professor
Degrees: B.A., SJSU; M.A. SFSU
Teaching Experience: Since 2010
Career Highlights: Watching public speaking students blossom before my eyes. Teaching Communication and Sexual Identity. Inspiring students to major in Communication Studies. Serving as Assistant Director of Dragons & Dresses & Ducklings—Oh My! a performance for and about families; weaving together stories from eight children’s picture books with lesbian, gay, and transgender characters to highlight the commonplace characteristics of family: love, diversity, and acceptance.
Hobbies: Cars, music, and people.
Quote: "There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." 
– Edith Wharton
BlankFermin Irigoyen
Title: Professor
Degrees: B.A. and M.A. California State University Hayward; Ed.D. Sacramento State University
Teaching Experience: Since 1999
Career Highlights: Stay tuned...
Hobbies: Reading, Gardening, and Watching Sports
Quote: "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded." – Yogi Berra
Yaping LiYaping Li
Title: Professor
Degrees: B.A. Shandong University (China), M.A. and Ph.D. Indiana University
Teaching Experience: Since 1984
Hobbies: Reading philosophy, religion, and history; walking
Quote: "So inner happiness is the fuel of success."
Karen ReedKaren Reed
Title: Assistant Professor
Degrees: B.A., Augustana College and M.A. California State University, East Bay
Teaching Experience: Since 1991
Career Highlights: I created the first speech telecourse at CSM and a course in Healthcare Communication.
Hobbies: I am a SF Giants fan, have a black belt in retail therapy, and am a voracious reader!
Quote: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
Charles RopeLeif Rogers
Title: Adjunct Professor
Degrees: A.A., College of San Mateo; B.A. and M.A., San Jose State University
Career Highlights: Teaching diverse students, and facilitating intercultural dialogues.
Hobbies: Traveling, hiking, running, and learning about different cultures.
Quote: "To make a positive impact in the lives of students" – 
Charles RopeCharles Rope
Title: Assistant Professor
Degrees: A.A., College of San Mateo; B.A. and M.A., San Francisco State University
Teaching Experience: Since 1997
Career Highlights: Teaching Interpersonal Communication and Small Group Communication
—my two favorite classes.
Hobbies: I enjoy traveling to tropical locations and making dinner with friends. Running and hiking are at the top of my list.
Quote: "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." – Dr. Seuss
Jacqueline SwanJacqueline Swan
Title: Instructional Aide II
Responsibilities: Leading orientations of the COMM lab; helping students with computers, printers, recording rooms, and borrowing materials; overseeing COMM lab and upholding policies and procedures
Years at CSM: Since 2014 (though I worked in the Multimedia Lab in Spring of 2005!)
Education: B.A., Environmental Sustainability & Social Justice, San Francisco State University
Other Interests: Singing karaoke obsessively, communing with nature and animals, bicycling everywhere, haunting houses, meditating