Professional Communication

Josh Hamzehee is a performance artist and scholar who explores the power dynamics in social inequalities through spoken word and remixed performance techniques. He also serves as Professor of Communication Studies and Director of the Forensics Speech, Debate, and Performance Team at Santa Rosa Junior College.

Through his energetic and humorous teaching style, Dr. Hamzehee has helped thousands of students develop their performance skills in a creative and supportive environment. He has been honored with a number of teaching awards, including the Outstanding New Teacher Award from the Iowa Communication Association. As the former Co-Director of the University of Northern Iowa Forensics Team, he coached the speech team to a Top 10 finish in national competition. 

Dr. Hamzehee’s compelling creative projects have toured nationally, including Burnt City: A Dystopian Bilingual One-Persian Show, Baton Rouge SLAM!: An Obituary for Summer 2016, The Deported: A Reality Show!, and CONVICT: The Age of Incarceration. His academic work has been published in journals like Text & Performance Quarterly, Liminalities: A Journal of Performance Studies, and Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal. He holds a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from Louisiana State University.

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As Professor of Communication Studies at Los Angeles City College, Dr. Shae Hsieh combines their passions for communication, performance, and educational leadership. They use storytelling and action research to build communities and address inequities both inside and outside the classroom. 

Before becoming a professor, Dr. Hsieh served in the U.S. Marine Corps and deployed in the first years of Operation Iraqi Freedom—receiving two Navy Achievement Medals for their service. Due to the discriminatory Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, they were forced to hide their queer identity. Ultimately, they chose to return to civilian life to be with their partner. 

Now, Dr. Hsieh shares their personal story on their mission to rehumanize work. Through their calm, reflective approach, Dr. Hsieh empowers students to share their stories and bring their authentic selves to their careers. Dr. Hsieh holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from California State University, Los Angeles, and is a contributing author of the book Storying a Reflexive Praxis for Pedagogy: Concept, Method, and Practices.

Gretchen Eng is an adjunct professor in the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. She has also developed training curricula for major organizations, such as Google, GrubHub, and The University of Chicago's Booth School of Business. As a trained singer and comedian, she brings a playful teaching style and helps students develop confidence in their professional communication.

Eng has been active in the Chicago improv scene for 15 years—from producing shows at Second City, to performing with The Armando Diaz Experience, to teaching improv at the iO Theater and Devil’s Daughter Improv. She has performed and taught all over the world, including the Barcelona Improv Group's BIG IF 5, the 16th Annual Würzburger Improtheaterfestival, and the Improvember Festival in Munich.

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