Jess Block Nerren, a full-time lecturer of communication studies at Cal State San Bernardino, was selected as one of only 50 Kopenhaver Center Fellows nationwide by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).

The award is given to primarily tenure-line faculty and is sponsored by the Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver Center for the Advancement of Women in Communication at Florida International University and the AEJMC Commission for the Status of Women.

“I’m incredibly excited and honored to be part of the eighth cohort of Kopenhaver Fellows and I am thankful for CSUSB for guiding to me to the point where I am worthy of this honor,” said Nerren, who is a doctoral candidate in the CSUSB Ed.D. program. “As a full-time student and faculty member, I have gained so much from the brilliant individuals I find myself fortunate to teach and learn with at CSUSB every day, and none of this would be possible without them.”

Nerren attended the virtual “Women Faculty Moving Forward (WFMF) Workshop: 100 Years from Suffrage to Academic Leadership” AEJMC pre-conference for Kopenhaver Fellows only, as part of the AEJMC national conference on Aug. 5. The fellowship included esteemed speakers and moderators, including Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver, dean emeritus at Florida International University.

The annual workshop with accomplished academics helps junior women faculty move forward in their careers through mentoring, networking and preparing for tenure and promotion as well as administration and leadership positions. As a member of the eighth annual cohort of women faculty, an exemption was made to include Nerren as a faculty member currently in a non-tenure-line role with CSUSB.

“Attending the Kopenhaver event as a fellow at AEJMC was a truly enriching and fulfilling experience,” Nerren said. “I felt surrounded by encouragement, leadership, resources and more.”

The Kopenhaver Center was created to empower both women professionals and academics in all the fields of communication, in order to develop visionaries and leaders who can make a difference in their communities and their profession.

“Being identified for the AEJMC Kopenhaver Fellowship means that folks at the highest levels of leadership in communication saw me as a potential future leader in communication and I am deeply honored by their selection,” Nerren said. “I am excited that I will continue to be able to be connected with this incredible group of individuals throughout the year and throughout my career.”

Visit the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication website and the Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver Center for the Advancement of Women in Communication website to learn more.