Faculty & Staff Directory

Brittany Thaler, Technical Director, earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Penn State. Her previous credits for technical direction include the Altoona Junior and Senior High drama programs, Hollidaysburg Area Children’s Theatre, and Hollidaysburg Jr. Theatre; her lighting credits include Central Cambria High School, Bishop Guillfoyle High School, Great Commission Schools, Penn State Altoona, the Blair County Arts Foundation, and other assorted local productions. She also engaged in union work for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and sound and lighting for Freelance Audio.

Dr. Trumpbour teaches both theory and production classes. He has published two books, “The New Cathedrals: Politics and Media in the History of Stadium Construction” (Syracuse University Press, 2007), and “The Rise of Stadiums in the Modern United States: Cathedrals of Sport” (Routledge, 2010). He has written articles in scholarly journals and has been interviewed by national and local media sources. He has spoken in many venues including invitations to speak at Harvard Law School, AEJMC, and SABR. He periodically serves as a guest columnist for the Altoona Mirror and does occasional freelance work, including serving as field-producer on NFL broadcasts. He is active in several scholarly organizations, including AEJMC and NASSH. Dr. Trumpbour serves as vice chair for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication's Council of Divisions and was past head of AEJMC's Cultural and Critical Studies Division. He has worked at CBS in New York and has taught at Western Illinois University, Southern Illinois University, and Saint Francis University. He earned a Ph.D. from Penn State University’s College of Communications.