UWA IMC FACULTY
Greg Jones, associate professor of digital communications, came late to education as a career, having spent most of his life as an entrepreneur. He began his professional career as a director of circulation and marketing for four newspaper groups in the Southeast.
Since then, he has owned a full-service advertising agency, served as webmaster for dozens of companies, created and published Southern Flyer Magazine and Cross-Walk Newspaper, and owned a host of brick-and-mortar and online companies, offering everything from customized children’s books and toys to custom-imprinted specialty items. He delights in bringing his real-world business acumen and experience to his students who find his mistakes both hilarious and instructive.
He holds a bachelor of arts degree in English from the University of West Alabama, a master of arts in teaching from Mississippi State University, and a master of fine arts degree from Full Sail University in media design.
Once, according to legend, he moved above the Mason-Dixon Line, but he returned home for the barbecue. Greg and his wife Jennifer, a talented business partner in her own right, live in Meridian, Miss., and have four children and one grandchild. They hope to have more grandchildren soon.
Dr. Tina Naremore Jones, Executive Director of the Division of Economic and Workforce Development, first came to the Livingston University (now the University of West Alabama) as a freshman in 1987. Jones earned both her B.A. and M.A.T. degrees in English from Livingston University (now the University of West Alabama). Her Ph.D. in American Literature is from the University of Southern Mississippi.
While obtaining her degrees, Jones discovered a love of journalism and writing. She has worked with the Western Star newspaper in Bessemer, Alabama, and served as the faculty advisor for UWA’s weekly student newspaper, The Life for 12 years. She was the co-editor with Dr. Joe Taylor of the anthology Belles’ Letters: Contemporary Stories of Alabama Women, and one of four editors for Tartts: Incisive Fiction from Emerging Writers, which is now in its eighth anthology. In 2010, Jones served as the chair of the 175th anniversary committee for UWA and edited Bridging Time: 175 Years at The University of West Alabama.
Now in her 28th year as a faculty member at UWA, she holds the rank of professor in English. Jones serves president for board of directors for the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation and the Alabama Black Belt Heritage Area. She is a president of the Sumter County Fine Arts Council and is a member of the board of directors for the Alabama Folklife Association, the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation and Black Belt Treasures. She also sits on the advisory board for the Alabama Department of Archives and History, where she chairs their scholarship committee.
Audrey Poole, is an assistant professor of communications in the IMC program at UWA. She teaches classes in graphic design, interior design, and professional speaking. Poole is originally from Germantown, TN, and earned her Bachelor of Science in Interior Design with a Minor in Art from the College of Architecture, Art, and Design at Mississippi State University in 2009.
Poole worked as an Interior Designer for a residential architecture and design firm in Birmingham, Alabama from 2010-2014. Poole moved to Sumter County in 2012 and married her husband in 2013. Poole began working for UWA in 2014 in the Division of Online Programs as a Communication Specialist and worked as an Online Academics Advisor, and Associate Certification Officer until August 2022.
Poole earned her master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from UWA in the Spring of 2022 and began working as an associate professor of Communications in August of 2022. Poole also does freelance interior design as a side gig. Audrey enjoys spending time with her husband and two children in her free time, traveling, gardening, interior design, and all things farm animals.
Amanda Gilliland, M.Ed. and M.A. Was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska around music and stage. After her failed attempt to qualify for Alaska’s Star Search representative, she relocated to Alabama where she completed High School and received her Bachelors of Science Degree in Business Administration, Marketing from Samford University in 2003. After marrying a College Football coach, Amanda began to pursue a career in Higher Education Administration and has worked for the Graduate admissions office at Georgia Southern as their Communications and Training Coordinator, and then at Kennesaw State as an Administrative Processing Manager. During this time, Amanda received her Masters of Education in Higher Education Administration and relocated to Livingston, Alabama. She later received her M.A. in Integrated Marketing Communications from UWA.
Amanda has been an instructor of Professional Speaking at the University of West Alabama since 2016. She and her Husband, Brett have a son, Rece (10) who is excessively sarcastic and a daughter, Ella (6) who they fondly call savage, and they all call Livingston home.
Brandon Walker was raised in Columbia, Mississippi in a family of teachers, artists, and musicians. He was interested in music and technology from an early age, and received a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in songwriting and audio production from the University of Alabama in 2007. In 2008, he completed a certificate program in digital audio and video production at Pyramind in San Francisco, CA, where he received 7 industry certifications in a variety of professional software production packages. He has over a decade of experience working in live and studio settings for audio and video production across performance, corporate, and higher education settings. He has produced nationally televised ad campaigns, mixed and mastered records for touring bands, and produced segments for an Emmy award winning television show. In 2017, Brandon completed an M.S. in Interactive Technology, and began a PhD program in Higher Education Administration in 2018, that he is set to complete in May, 2022
Brandon joined the faculty of UWA in the fall of 2018, where he serves as an Instructor of Digital Communications in the Integrated Marketing Communications program. He specializes in teaching television production, advanced editing, documentary filmmaking, and podcasting. He and his wife Emily Walker have two children, Abigail (8) and Benjamin (6).
Caleb James Smith came to UWA from a small town in French Camp, Mississippi, where he previously worked as a disc jockey for three years in high school at WFCA, a southern gospel radio station. He attended UWA as a student after winning second place in the radio reporting contest at the 2017 IMC3 competition. While in the IMC program, he went on to win the 2018 Best of the South, third place for radio reporting at the Southeast Journalism Conference. He also won the 2020 Lambda Pi Eta Award for doing great work inside and outside of class.
Caleb is a new hire straight out of the IMC program as of August 2021. He completed his Bachelor of Science in IMC: Sports Communication December of 2020 and proceeded to complete his Master of Arts in IMC the following December of 2021. Caleb now works as the media technician for the IMC program, maintaining and upgrading equipment and computers as needed. He also acts as a lecturer of digital communications as of January 2022, starting with teaching podcasting, with more classes to come as he settles into his role.