Category: The 2024 Rock Stars

Joe Dennis: A Man of Many Hats

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Dr. Joe Dennis, Chair of the Department of Mass Communications at Piedmont University, has impressive experience as a radio host, journalist, professor and father, each role providing numerous opportunities and obstacles. 

“I looked at college as a time to reinvent myself, and I wanted to be a big fish in a little pond as opposed to a small fish in a big pond,” Dennis said.

Joe attended North Central College, a private liberal arts college in Naperville, Illinois. Dennis was attracted to North Central because they had an exceptional radio program, an interest of his since childhood. Dennis became a professional disc jockey and emulated the energy of the radio show hosts he had listened to as a child. Joe still utilizes his high energy to this day as he is the public address announcer for the University of Georgia hockey team.

“I think if you are a journalist, and especially if you are a news journalist or a community journalist, you will develop empathy,” Dennis said. “It is undeniable, because you are put in situations, and you see things that you would likely never see.”

Joe is referring to a series he worked on at the Walton Tribune that covered slum-lording, which went on to win a Georgia Press award for Best Community Service. The story was told through the lens of a child who lived in a slumlord’s home. Dennis said that the environment was disgusting, filled with rats crawling into the home and fly traps hanging from the ceiling. Joe took pictures of the small child playing and the photos created an enormous amount of sympathy, spurring the Monroe City Council to address slumlording and pass bills to potentially fix the problem.

“You know, being a dad is actually how I got out of journalism,” Dennis said.

Joe and his wife Carla were shopping for their newborn son on a Sunday afternoon when the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) called. The GBI was conducting massive drug busts and invited Dennis to come along, providing a location and telling him, “You’re not going to regret it.” Being part of a drug bust was a life-changing experience, but Joe wasn’t sure if he could continue to be a journalist while building a family. That is when he began teaching. 

Dennis taught undergraduate and graduate courses at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. What makes UGA special to Joe is the network of students, the close knit community, and the connections each student possesses for the future.

Joe has played many roles throughout his lifetime, but he continues to stand by the advice, “Don’t let fear get in the way of a good opportunity.”

Averi Caldwell

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, college campuses were empty and lonely.  This is the environment in which Averi Caldwell started her journey as a journalist, making it difficult as interactions with people were limited. But that didn’t stop her from pursuing her passion.

“Don’t be afraid of hearing no, whether it’s asking for an interview or applying for something,”  Caldwell said.“If they tell you no, at least you tried, that’s the worst that will happen. Sometimes I will even go back and ask again.”

Now Caldwell is a very accomplished journalist with many pieces published in The Red and Black as well as The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She grew up south of Athens in a small town called Griffin and graduated from the University of Georgia in 2023 receiving a bachelor’s degree in journalism with minors in English and Spanish. Now she is working towards a master’s in journalism and mass communication also from the University of Georgia. In the future she hopes to become an author.  

Despite Caldwell being more of an introvert, that doesn’t stop her from going out to get the information she needs to write. The setback with the COVID-19 pandemic made it more difficult, but Caldwell said. The Grady College  of Journalism and Mass Communications helped her stay connected. Having a sense of community during a time of loneliness was very important. 

“I didn’t really leave my apartment much,” she said. “But looking back, I probably would have gone out a little more on and tried to break into the industry a little earlier.”

Caldwell followed in the footsteps of her favorite author Rainbow Rowell, a Goodreads Choice Awards Best Young Adult Fiction writer. She loves to read and growing up always wanted to be a CIA agent. In eighth grade she read many mystery books. Her favorite was a book by Rowell, “Carry On.” After learning that Rowell graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in journalism, Caldwell was intrigued to explore the journalism field. 

 With the tool of being bilingual, Caldwell  can translate for people who do not speak English. She worked for The Red and Black for eight months, serving as the Social Media Director during the 2022 election.. She was the only one in the office who spoke Spanish, and believed that it was very important that people were educated on what was happening in the election. Journalists often face criticism during elections, with partisanship being high during recent election cycles. Being social media director, Caldwell witnessed this firsthand, but it didn’t impact her view of humanity.

“It might be naive, but I don’t think people are bad,” Caldwell said. “I think all people are good and circumstances in life, push people to be a little mean, or make bad decisions.”