On October 10, 2024, the College of Communications & Information Sciences (C&IS) inducted its 23rd class into its Hall of Fame. The inductees were Dr. Elizabeth Aversa, Bob Cohn, Dr. Jesse Lewis and Christi Parsons. They were honored for bringing lasting fame to Alabama through the application of disciplines taught, researched and practiced in the college.
“In the C&IS Hall of Fame, we honor individuals who changed the world through their work in communication and information,” said Brian. S. Butler, Ph.D., dean of C&IS. “This year we are recognizing four amazing individuals who have overcome challenges to become leaders who transformed their professions, organizations and industries.
Dr. Elizabeth Aversa instituted UA’s School of Library and Information Studies’ (SLIS) first online program in 2005 during her time as director. She has led SLIS continually upward, with a respectable record of publication, community service, and professional association participation. She also founded the UA Opera Guild in 2013 and won the American Library Association’s 2013 Beti Phi Mu award.
Bob Cohn was a decorated journalist known for his work reporting on the Freedom Rides and other news during the Civil Rights movement. He later founded what is known today as Burson, Cohn and Wolfe, or BCW Global, an international communications firm. Cohn was honored posthumously.
Jesse Lewis is the founder of the Birmingham Times, former president of Lawson State Community College and founder of the first Black-owned PR and marketing agency in Alabama, known today as Agency 54, part of the Lewis Group. He has also been inducted into the Birmingham Business Hall of Fame in 2019 and into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame in 2023.
Christi Parsons has been a journalist for more than thirty years, reporting for CNN, LA Times and others. She currently works at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism as a faculty member and the director of Capital News Service’s Annapolis bureau. Previously, she acted as a White House correspondent for the Los Angeles Times and as president of the White House Correspondents’ Association.
The evening’s host was Eunice Elliot, a talented writer, actress and comedian. Elliot has had a dynamic career including work at TMZ, WVTM-13 in Birmingham, ESPN, the Tennessee Titans, stand-up comedy tours and in her own public relations consulting firm. Elliot is a C&IS graduate in journalism.
If you are interested in seeing the inductees or the past inductees of C&IS’ Hall of Fame, visit the C&IS event page.
For press of the event, visit the Hall of Fame media page.