Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies Completion Program

With more than 20 years of experience in public relations, marketing, media relations and internal communications, Wendy Zajack thrives on working to make complex topics easy to understand, exciting and relevant to broad audiences. She spent her corporate career working for large, global organizations building messaging for multiple audiences and using a variety of marketing channels. She now spends her time thinking about the intersection of education, communications and technology and how to thoughtfully deliver tailored, personalized and impactful curriculum to adult learners.

She joined Georgetown in 2016 as a faculty director and professor for a master’s level Integrated Marketing Communications program in the School of Continuing Studies. In 2017 she also became the faculty director for a visually oriented master’s program called Design Management Communications (DMC) program. Now she brings her extensive experience into the classroom and helps her students explore new and innovative ways to market and communicate in an increasingly crowded business environment.

She is an active blogger and Tweeter and enjoys speaking at industry conferences and universities about the power of branding and communications, personal branding, salary negotiation, business marketing trends, importance of ethics, online education, education technology as well as educating millennials and GenZs.

Wendy holds a B.S in Public Relations from the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University and a Masters in Business Administration from the New York University Stern School of Business. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Education from George Mason University focusing on online collaborative learning.

Dr. Emerald Christopher's research focuses on the socio-political position of Black women in the United States. Through an examination of Black women’s representation in popular culture, Dr. Christopher's research explores the translation of social and cultural representations of Black women into political institutions, policies, and practices. Her current research focuses on gender-based violence, specifically as it impacts Black women. Her work explores the ways in which gendered dynamics of racial injustice and racial dynamics of gender injustice transform to create a unique form of GBV experienced by Black women. Dr. Christopher received her Ph.D. in Language, Literacy, and Culture from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. She holds Master of Arts degrees in Education and Human Development and Women’s Studies from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Women’s Studies from the University of Delaware.

Brooke Smith engages learners in innovation and entrepreneurship at Georgetown University, the University of Maryland, and beyond through human-centered courses and workshops. She creates and facilitates those experiences using design thinking and lean startup to empower learners ranging from undergraduate students to graduate students to working professionals to become creative problem solvers. She also develops and coaches interactive workshops and programs for academic and public sector leaders like the Stanford d.school Teaching and Learning Studio, the Department of Health and Human Services, NASA, and USDA focused on applying human-centered design methods to their respective fields.

In a part-time role, Brooke does experiential course design and culture building at University Startups, a startup committed to creating opportunities for historically underserved students and life learners by teaching an entrepreneurship model. Beyond her formal roles, Brooke enjoys experiencing nature from the ground up to the sky through hiking, hammocking, and backyard birding. Brooke is an avid podcast listener seeking out podcasts that tell engaging, human-centered stories and loves bringing nature into her home through her laissez-faire approach to indoor gardening.

Brooke received her B.A. in Psychology and B.A. French from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She received her M.P.S. in Technology Entrepreneurship from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Dr. William Schlickenmaier is an Adjunct Lecturer in Georgetown University’s Department of Government, an affiliated member of the International Politics faculty in the Walsh School of Foreign Service, and an instructor in the School of Continuing Studies. He teaches classes on international relations theory and US foreign policy. His research interests include strategic competition, complex systems dynamics, constructivism, and the application of network models to political life.

He has a Bachelor’s of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown (2001), a Master’s of International Affairs from Columbia University (2003), and a doctorate in international relations from Georgetown (2020). He also serves as a senior analyst and program manager for the US Government and has served on the NSC staff and in the Pentagon. He lives with his wife (also a double Hoya) and their son in Falls Church, VA.