In this episode of Payne on Politics, host Greg Payne sits down with the Emerson College Professor Adam Franklin-Lyons for an in-depth discussion about the Emerson-Blanquerna 9th Annual Global Summit, a remarkable event set against the awe-inspiring backdrop of the 70th Anniversary commemorative concert for Blanquerna University at Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. This episode delves into the Catalan context of the concert performance, highlights from the summit, and further showcasing the fusion of culture and education in these global networks.

Dr. Adam Franklin-Lyons is interested in almost anything Medieval.He first worked in archives in Catalonia and Valencia investigating famines in the Western Mediterranean. A monograph based on that work is under contract with Pennsylvania State University Press. Currently, he participates in the Travelers Lab at Wesleyan University. The Lab uses computer-based analysis such as GIS to study patterns of mobility and communication. The Lab also invites undergraduates to participate directly in the research of the Lab. As part of this project, Dr. Franklin-Lyons led a group of Marlboro faculty members funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities in developing an undergraduate curriculum combining data science and humanities methods of research in the classroom and in projects addressing social questions in the local community.

One of the biggest challenges today in education is the shortage of Black males in public school education. Explore the day-to-day challenges for Black male teachers who oftentimes are the only prevalent male figure for at risk youth in the public school system. 

Neil Harris is public school teacher with a specialty in special education and moderate disabilities at the elementary school level. Neil is a Boston Teacher Residency graduate who received his MA in education at UMass Boston and his BA at UMass Amherst.

Niko Emack graduated from Emerson College in 2018, where he majored in Political Communication and played soccer in the NCAA. He recently currently graduates from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he studied Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship.

Trey Fuccillo is an Emerson College junior studying Political Communication with minors in Pre-Law and Philosophy. He’s a lifelong resident of Marlborough, Massachusetts, and was recently elected their newest Ward 6 City Councilor. Prior to being elected, Trey worked at Marlborough City Hall and the Marlborough Community Development Authority. In 2022, he served as the Deputy Director of Campus Engagement on Governor Maura Healey’s gubernatorial campaign.

Chase Taylor is the Strategic Communications Director at VIVA Politics and a senior Political Communications Major at Emerson College. He has worked on over 30 campaigns as a speechwriter and communications staffer/director. But now, with Trey’s victory, he has successfully won his first campaign as the campaign manager.

Trey Fuccillo and Chase Taylor are two Political Communication students who just put years of campaign experience to the test. Meeting early in their time at Emerson, they became friends while working together on the Maura Healey for Governor campaign. They had often discussed the possibility of Trey running for office, but early in May, Trey made the decision to run for Ward 6 City Council in his hometown and hired Chase as his Campaign Manager. For the next six months, they ran a grassroots operation in Marlborough, Massachusetts – a city nestled between Boston and Worcester. Together, they achieved a decisive 68% to 32% victory on Election night. This win makes Trey one of the youngest electeds in Massachusetts.

Danell is an Emerson College alum and former professor in the Communication Studies department. Tune in to hear Danell share what Emerson means to her, and how the Communication Studies department continues to enrich the tradition of being the 1st School of Communication in the U.S. 

Twice an Emmy Award-winning television executive producer, Lu Ann Reeb, Emerson College Chair of Journalism, is a longtime broadcast journalist and an entrepreneur, who has launched online media companies. Reeb is founder of Boston Media Group, creating innovative digital and traditional media strategies for clients in various industry sectors. Reeb also founded Legal Talk Network, LLC, an online media and information network for the legal profession, which was acquired by a California firm in 2012. 

The two Department Chairs discuss Lu Ann's incredible career along with what the future might hold for Emerson College and the creative communicators that study there.