Transylvania University shares its story with a number of audiences through the work of the Office of Communications. The team of professionals promotes Transylvania, its people, programs, and achievements through media relations, print publications, digital media, video, photography, and advertising. The associate vice president serves as spokesperson for the university and as media liaison.
Sarah Emmons
Associate Vice President for Communications and Public Relations
(859) 233-8120
Sarah provides leadership and executive responsibility for all communication components of the university including media relations, publications, website design and development, photography, video production, social media, crisis communication and issues management, community relations, and student media. Since coming to Transylvania in 1979, she has served as director of publications, director of public relations, sports information director, and publications writer, editor, designer, and photographer. She is the founding editor of Transylvania magazine and served on the president’s cabinet from 1994-2010. She holds a B.A in communications and journalism from Morehead State University and an M.A. in communications from the University of Kentucky. She loves all things Transylvania, biking the back roads of the Bluegrass, and training for triathlons.
Martha S. Baker
Director of Publications
(859) 281-3616
Martha oversees more than 300 publication projects every year, from Transylvania magazine to the academic catalog to postcards and e-newsletters. She enjoys discussing the merits of the serial comma, how to make plurals possessive, and the phenomenon of arbitrary capitalization. Martha spends her spare time in her back yard flower garden, at a cabin on Lake Cumberland, and touring the back roads in a 1927 Buick. Ask about her three grandchildren—but only if you have several hours to listen.
William A. Bowden
Publications Writer/Editor
(859) 281-3617
Bill joined the publications staff in 1997, bringing 25 years of experience as a newspaper reporter and magazine editor for a national trade association. In addition to his responsibilities for Transylvania magazine and many other publications office projects, he has a particular interest in Transylvania history and has written a number of articles in that subject area. The Louisville native earned a B.A. in English and journalism at Murray State University. He freely admits to tennis mania and an abiding devotion to his Martin guitar.
Mollie Eblen
Public Relations Associate
(859) 233-8120
Mollie grew up in Atlanta and has been living in Lexington since 1998. She holds a B.A. in English and a M.S. in library science from the University of Kentucky and has used her mad librarian skills to learn all she can about Transylvania's history since 2005. When she came to Transylvania, she discovered a key in her desk labeled 'tomb' and now introduces students to professors Rafinesque and Bonfils. She photographs campus events throughout the year, earning herself the title 'photo lady' from students, and writes news releases about student, faculty, and staff honors and accomplishments. She and her husband, Mike Wynn, once liked to travel, but now spend all of their money renovating their 1927 home in downtown Lexington's Kenwick neighborhood. The cat supervises.
John Friedlein
Editorial Assistant
(859) 233-3615
John recently joined the publications staff after working as a newspaper reporter for 13 years. While at the Elizabethtown News-Enterprise, he wrote a front-page column which included themes of nature, history, and folklore – and often veered toward the odd. His job at Transylvania includes writing articles for Transylvania magazine, taking pictures around campus and posting web info. A big fan of Japanese culture, he sells origami flowers and hand-carved hair sticks at art shows and boutiques. He earned his B.A. from the University of Louisville.
Barbara Grinnell
Graphic Designer
(859) 233-3618
Barbara has been Transylvania's graphic designer since she joined the staff in 1998. She designs all the print pieces produced by the publications department and helps other departments with signs, banners, ads, logos, e-cards, electronic displays, etc. She is a member of the small but proud Transylvania Mac community, and a reader and gardener in her non-work hours. Born in Miami, she also lived for many years in Philadelphia, where she earned a B.A from the University of Pennsylvania, and Berkeley, Calif., before moving to Lexington.
Mariana Shochat
Web Development Manager
(859) 281-3688
As a small college's web developer, Mariana wears many hats: designer, coder, navigation architect, database administrator, and project manager. When she comes across a rare chunk of spare time, Mariana likes to read and get her hands dirty with gardening. Japanese graphics, classic guitar music, clever humor, and Rainier cherries inspire her. Mariana was born in Ukraine, former USSR, where she earned her bachelor's degree. She has lived in the United States since 1995 and joined Transylvania's staff in 2003.
Sallie Showalter
Web Content Writer/Editor
(859) 233-8148
After decades of wandering the corporate wilderness, Sallie is delighted to find herself back on the campus of a small liberal arts university. Her job is to ensure that Transylvania's website is a fascinating place to visit, a place that you'll want to return to time and again to see what's new. If she calls looking for inspiration, please oblige her with an anecdote or a piece of trivia about your experience on campus. When her muse is AWOL, she scours the site for grammatical errors or—shudder—broken links. When not at work, Sallie seeks sunshine and excuses to play outside.
Brian Powers
Adviser, Radio TLX
Brian appears on campus to advise Radio TLX, the Transylvania student webcasting station. He advises the students on matters ranging from legal copyright standards and ethical behavior to equipment and technical issues. Brian works to make sure that Transylvania's newest form of media – webcasting – conforms to the highest standards of broadcast media while remaining enjoyable for the students involved. He holds a B.A. in political science from the University of Florida and a J.D. from the University of Kentucky, both of which he happily squanders by advising student webcasting and playing in rock bands. As well as being an attorney, a consultant, and a bassist, he also has been a multimedia designer, an adjunct college professor, a journalist, and a pizza delivery driver, and often all of the above at once. He enjoys playing music, arguing politics, and cuddling.
Tyler Young
Student Media Advisor
(859) 281-3674
Tyler took the role of student media advisor in 2012 after two years as a newspaper reporter and three years as publications assistant at Transylvania. He advises The Rambler student newspaper, Crimson student yearbook, and Transylvanian literary magazine. When he's not at Transylvania, you can most likely find Tyler watching Reds baseball, drinking coffee, or being a struggling musician as a bass player for bands around Lexington. He graduated from Asbury University with a double major in journalism and Spanish.
Transylvania University admits students regardless of age, race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, national origin, or any other classification protected by federal or state law or local ordinance.
300 North Broadway
