Chair and Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Studies in Communication Department

B.S.C (Ohio University)

M.A. (Marietta College)

Professor McNamara joined TSU in 2007 and completely restructured the Communication Department in an attempt to fit the needs of the 21st century. The process including moving and remodeling the Ford Building which now provides an ideal undergraduate learning environment for one of the most exciting programs on campus.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio and a U.S. Air Force veteran, McNamara brings more than three decades of media experience to Tri-State. He began his career as a staff announcer with The Armed Forces Radio/TV Network during the Vietnam War and also contributed stories as a reporter for The Stars and Stripes.

Over his professional career, McNamara has served in a variety of on and off-air roles including TV News Anchor and Sports Director; Assignment Editor and Producer; play-by-play and host of several coaches shows. His work has been recognized nationally with a number of awards including The Associated Press Best Documentary of the Year Award following the deadly floods in the Mid Ohio Valley in 1998 and also served as the News Anchor for an awarded-winning newscast at the local NBC affiliate that recorded some of the highest ratings ever in the history of the station.

Prior to joining TSU, Mike was a Professor at Marietta College teaching Introduction to Advertising; Principles of Public Relations; Introduction to Mass Communication; Writing for the Media; Sports Broadcasting; Sports Media and Promotion and a Freshman-Year Seminar Experience class focusing on the media. He also won the school's first ever Faculty Advising Award and produced and served as co-host for the award-winning The Campus Connection … a thirty-minute weekly public affairs program on WMRT.