Experts Guide

Adjunct Professor
Expertise: Political strategy, Communications, Legislative affairs, Finance, Public leadership
Larissa Martinez is Founder and President of Women’s Public Leadership Network (WPLN). In this role, she uses her two decades of experience as a political strategist to help women across the country get involved in politics and be effective leaders. Larissa has worked on campaigns at every level, mainly for women candidates and she is the co-author of a children’s book, “My Mommy Is a Candidate.” A political entrepreneur, Larissa also founded WPLN Action, Catalyst PAC, the Lion Leadership Fund…
Adjunct Professor
Expertise: Literary studies, Chicanx Latinx studies, Central American studies
Rubén Martínez, a native of Los Angeles and the son and grandson of immigrants from Mexico and El Salvador, is a writer, teacher and performer. He holds the Fletcher Jones Chair in Literature and Writing at Loyola Marymount University and is the author of several books, including Desert America: A Journey Across Our Most Divided Landscape and Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail. He is the host of the VARIEDADES performance series. His most recent production, "Little Central…
Associate Professor
Rebecca Mason is originally from Nova Scotia, Canada, where she completed her BA and MA in philosophy at Dalhousie University. In 2015, she received her PhD in philosophy from Northwestern University. She specializes in metaphysics (especially social metaphysics), feminist philosophy, and social and political philosophy. She also has interests in epistemology and philosophy of language, especially where these intersect with her areas of specialization.
Adjunct Professor
Cowell Hall 220
Associate Dean of Faculty, Research, and Impact
Malloy Hall 305
Dr. Courtney Masterson teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on topics including diversity and inclusion; work and well-being; research methods; and community-engaged learning. As a teacher, she strives to create an engaging learning environment that enables students to cultivate knowledge and develop personally and professionally. This includes providing students opportunities to partner in meaningful ways with the University’s surrounding community.  Courtney is also an active researcher…
Adjunct Professor
Expertise: Biostatistics, Health informatics, Public health
Fumika Matsushita earned a Master of Public Health Degree in Community Health Education and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Education from San Francisco State University. She started her career as a research associate at the Center for the Study of Adversity and Cardiovascular Disease (NURTURE) in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at UCSF. Several years later, she became a research data analyst for CDC Chronic Kidney Disease surveillance system in the Division of General Internal…
Adjunct Professor
Expertise: Nursing, Healthcare policy
Krystie Matthews has almost a decade of experience in various healthcare settings. Dr. Matthews is devoted to quality improvement in healthcare through her various roles in the community. Her area of interests are improving nursing and healthcare work culture and quality improvement. She is committed to the development of strong graduating nurses, that will bring excitement and fresh perspectives to healthy nursing environments.
Professor
Kalmanovitz Hall 214
Expertise: Rhetorical theory and its usefulness in studying popular culture
Ted Matula earned his PhD in Communication from The Ohio State University, specializing in rhetorical theory and its usefulness in studying popular culture. In addition to public speaking and written and oral communication, he teaches courses on popular culture, free speech, and communication ethics. His research has been published in Communication Studies and Popular Music and Society.
Adjunct Professor
Kalmanovitz Hall 202
Nicole Mauro earned her BA in Communications Arts in 1992, and her MAW in fiction in 1996, both from USF. After receiving her MFA in poetry from Mills College in 1999, Nicole began teaching at USF, where she has mainly taught intermediate and advanced rhetoric, as well as a First Year Seminar course titled Intersection: Sidewalks, and Public Space. She has published poetry and scholarly articles in numerous publications, and is the author of six chapbooks, and two books of poetry, The…
Director, Zief Law Library and Assistant Professor
Professor Mawhinney has been a librarian at USF since 2010 and was named director of the Zief Law Library in 2023. In addition to overseeing all aspects of library operations, she provides research assistance to students and faculty, teaches legal research to first-year students, serves as a research advisor to the domestic and international student externship programs, and manages the library's research assistant program, which provides research support to the law faculty. Professor Mawhinney…