2008-2009 MIL Fellows: About Liz O'Brien

2008-2009 MIL Fellows: About Liz O'Brien
the maricopa institute for learning

Photograph of Liz O'Brien Liz O'Brien serves on the Communication faculty, and is immediate-past chair of the Communication/American Sign Language/Theater & Film Department at Phoenix College. She earned a B.A. in communication from the University of Arizona in 1985 and an M.A in communication from the University of Maryland in 1989. She accepted her position on the communication faculty at Phoenix College in 1990 and continues to thrive on the interaction with her diverse, urban student population. She received her campus' Distinguished Teaching Award in 2000, and has been honored with several NISOD awards for teaching excellence. Public speaking is among her favorite classes to teach, and she is proud to be the author of A Speaker's Resource: Listener-Centered Public Speaking, a new textbook (2009) from McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Liz's creative outlets include producing and directing the Storybook Stagecoach, a Phoenix College performing troupe that brings storybooks to life on the stage for young audiences. Additionally, she is a professional watercolor artist and avid traveler. Liz lives in a historic home in Phoenix with her husband Steve Emrick, two cats ā€“ Masala and Haggis, a garden full of plants, and a pond full of fish.

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