Staff and Advisory Committee

Phillip Arceneaux, Ph.D.

Dr. Arceneaux is an Associate Professor of Strategic Communication in the Department of Media, Journalism and Film whose research, public engagement, and teaching sit at the intersection of public relations, political communication, and international affairs. 

His scholarship examines how communication shapes public opinion, organizational reputation, political behavior, and international relationships in an increasingly digital and interconnected world. His research focuses on public diplomacy, strategic narratives, organizational storytelling, and agenda-building, with particular attention to how governments, organizations, and public institutions use strategic communication to influence stakeholder perceptions, advance policy objectives, and build trust. Drawing from public relations, political science, international relations, and diplomatic studies, his work contributes to ongoing conversations about communication, democracy, diplomacy, and technological change. 

As a public policy specialist, Dr. Arceneaux’s issues of interest include foreign policy, national security, and elections. Beyond academia, he has consulted on public relations and strategic communication initiatives across the U.S. diplomatic, defense, and intelligence communities. He has also served as a research consultant for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Partnership for Countering Influence Operations and the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Project on Prosperity and Development. 

Dr. Arceneaux is an active member of the International Communication Association, the International Studies Association, the Public Diplomacy Council of America, the Public Relations Society of America, the Political Public Relations Research Lab, and the World Affairs Council of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

John Forren, Ph.D.

A native of Pataskala, Ohio, Dr. Forren holds a bachelor's degree with College Honors from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in political science from Johns Hopkins University. Before coming to Miami in 1997, he taught at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, East Carolina University and the College of William and Mary. He currently serves as an associate professor in Miami's Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences and is a faculty affiliate of the Department of Political Science and the Department of Justice & Community Studies. He has served as the executive director of the University’s Menard Family Center for Democracy since its inception in 2019. Dr. Forren's research and teaching interests lie in the fields of American government and politics, constitutional law and history, public policy-making and civic engagement. In that vein, he has published on a range of issues including the development of federal and state statutory protections for civil liberties, the use of media in political campaigns, state-level trends in civic participation, the impact of college-based civic engagement programs, the evolution of legal policy in the lower courts and the federal government’s role in protecting Native American religious liberties. He has also co-authored two of the National Conference on Citizenship's Ohio Civic Health Index Reports and served from 2013-15 as the Academic Director of the U.S. State Department’s Study of the U.S. Institutes on Civic Engagement at Miami University.

Nathan French, Ph.D.

Bryan Marshall, Ph.D.

Professor Marshall's teaching and research focuses in the areas of Congress, congressional-executive relations, and quantitative methods. His recent articles appear in Social Science Quarterly, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Presidential Studies Quarterly, Journal of Theoretical Politics, American Politics Research, and Conflict Management and Peace Science. Marshall has a forthcoming book, The Committee, co-authored with Bruce Wolpe (University of Michigan Press). The Committee takes you inside the House Energy and Commerce Committee to give a first-hand glimpse into the rough-and-tumble politics of cap-and-trade, healthcare reform, BP oil spill aftermath, and the debt ceiling crisis. In addition, Dr. Marshall served as APSA’s Steiger Congressional Fellow (2008-09) working for the House Majority Whip, the Honorable Jim Clyburn.

Sara Arter, Ph.D./R.N.

Sara has a general background in critical care nursing caring for adult and pediatric patient populations. Most of her clinical background has been focused in pediatric, cardiac care, working in a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit since 2008. Sara believes nurses are key to improving the health of our communities and should be leaders in transforming our healthcare system. This belief guides her service work. She serves as a member of the Ohio Nurses Association Health Policy Committee influencing legislation pertaining to the health of Ohio residents. She also serves as President of the Omicron Omicron-at-Large Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society. At Miami, she serves on the Regional Honors Program Committee, and interdisciplinary group working to improve the honors experience on the regional campuses. Sara’s research interests focus in two distinct areas: Nursing education and Pediatric health. In nursing education, Sara is interested in improving the effectiveness of teaching strategies, specifically with the use of simulation and video games. In pediatric health, Sara is currently examining long-term health outcomes of children with prenatal opioid exposure and identifying gaps in follow-up medical and social care of this vulnerable population.

Jenny Minier, Ph.D.

Jenny Minier is currently the Julian Lange Professor of Economics and Chair of the Economics Department. Her research is primarily in economic growth and international trade, and has been published in top economics journals including the Journal of Monetary Economics, American Economic Review Papers and Proceedings, and The Review of Economics and Statistics. Professor Minier was a Fulbright Scholar in Belgium on a research grant in 2012, and has served as a Co-Editor of the Southern Economic Journal and as an economics review panelist for the National Science Foundation. She was previously on the faculty at the University of Kentucky, where she directed the Ph.D. program in Economics for three years and the Center for Business and Economic Research for one year. Prior to that, she was on the faculty at the University of Miami (FL). Her Ph.D. is from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her undergraduate degree is from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota.

Karla Guinigundo, M.A.

Karla brings 22 years experience in international higher education administration, including academic program management, partnership development, contracts and agreements, international recruiting, grant writing and project execution, budget and HR management, study abroad, and fellowship/scholarship advising. Specialized knowledge in U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of State grant programs and Fulbright Student and Scholar initiatives. Asia area specialist, particularly Southeast Asia.

Lauren Poythress

Lauren Poythress is the Director of Federal Relations based in Washington, D.C. As Director of Federal Relations, Lauren advocates for Miami University at the federal level on Capitol Hill with members of Congress and their staffs. Previously, Lauren was a Senior Associate at FGS Global in their Government Affairs Division and completed internships on Capitol Hill, in both the House and Senate. Lauren graduated cum laude from Miami University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts, double majoring in Psychology and Black World Studies. At Miami, Lauren was active in the Government Relations Network, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. – Lambda Mu Chapter, Miami's National Black Law Student Association Pre-Law Chapter, was a Student Court Justice, and was the inaugural president of the Bridges Scholars Organization.