Our Leadership

Founding Executive Director

Matthew Nyquist is the Founding Executive Director of the WIFI Film Festival as well as a writer and director from Lindsborg, Kansas. He has been obsessed with making movies since he began directing using the family camcorder in kindergarten. 

Nyquist has extensive experience in many aspects of filmmaking from his time in Hollywood ranging from indie to studio productions. He was mentored in producing work with Fred Roos (The Godfather Part II, Star Wars) and in sound by Dane Davis (The Matrix, Suicide Squad) after getting his MFA in film and TV production from the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. 

Recently, Nyquist has been working on projects such as Dare to be Different which was shown at TriBeCa. Matthew is also a tenured associate professor of film in the Department of Mass Media at Washburn University.

Managing Director

Maria Stover is currently the chair and a professor in the Department of Mass Media at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, where she has taught since 2003.

Stover's scholarly work focuses on women in politics in Eastern European countries and she is most known for her book, an edited collection called Media and Women in Politics: Perspectives from nations in Transitions .

Stover is an active leader at Washburn and has spearheaded several departmental initiatives focused on alumni, educating future students, and fundraising for the department through grant-writing and scholarship donor recognition and outreach.

Stover holds a Ph.D. in Mass Communication and Media Arts from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Illinois, an M.A. in Mass Communication and Media Arts, and a B.S. in journalism with a double minor in political science and history from the same institution.

Public Relations Director

Kristen Grimmer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, where she has taught since 2016. She teaches public relations and media writing classes in the Department of Mass Media. Grimmer's scholarly research is focused on what the media teaches young adults, particularly in areas of gender and sexuality. 

Grimmer has developed several departmental initiatives with chair Maria Stover that focus on alumni relations. These include the alumni email newsletter, scholarship donor recognition and outreach and the department's annual keynote speaker and alumni networking event that takes place every spring. She also has written several grants with Maria Stover to secure funding for the department to improve students’ access to technology in the classrooms.

Grimmer holds a Ph.D. in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, an MSJ from the same institution, and a Bachelor of Arts in mass media from Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas.

Print Director

Regina Cassell is a senior lecturer in the Department of Mass Media and is also the Director of Student Media at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, where she has taught since 2003.

Cassell's work at the university has included the Kaw Yearbook, the Mass Media Messenger – an alumni magazine, and the Washburn Review, the school newspaper that is published weekly. She has been a strong advocate for Washburn’s student publications that she believes teach valuable skills through hands-on experience. All three publications have won awards at the national and state level. You can email massmedia@washburn.edu to be added to the newsletter mailing list.

Cassell is also known for her work with alumni and her focus on continuing relationships between mass media graduates and the department. Cassell holds an MSJ from the University of Kansas at Lawrence, Kansas, and a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Northwest Missouri State University.

Content Director

Sam Finch is a lecturer in the Department of Mass Media at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, where he teaches film and video classes.

Previously, Finch lived in South Korea where he taught English as a second language for several years. Finch's experience living abroad lends him a unique perspective which he uses in his scholarly research on minority stereotypes in the media and he recently published a thesis titled, How Evaluations of Contact Affect Stereotypical Perceptions of Asian American Men.

Having worked as a videographer and post-production video editor, Finch brings his real-world skills and passion for filmmaking to the classroom every day where he teaches aspiring filmmakers video production, screenwriting, and video editing.

Finch holds a Bachelor of Arts in Telecommunications from Michigan State University and a Master’s in Film Theory and Criticism from Central Michigan University.

Office Coordinator

Tracy Horacek is the office coordinator for the Department of Mass Media at Washburn University.

Horacek has several years of experience in running an office and her expertise in administration now keeps the department running smoothly. In addition, she brings a global perspective to her job, having lived in the Baden-Wurttemberg region of Germany for many years before moving to Topeka, Kansas. 

Festival Photographer

Christina Noland graduated Washburn University Institute of Technology in 2017 with a certificate in graphic design and graduated from Washburn University with a BA in Mass Media in 2023 with an emphasis in advertising and public relations.

During her time at Washburn University, Christina carried multiple roles across campus as a marketing intern, graphic design assistant, managing editor and creative director. Her last year as an undergrad was spent as Editor-in-Chief of Washburn Student Media’s Indigo Magazine and Kaw Yearbook, a duo-responsibility position that expanded her skillsets in problem-solving, leadership and project management.

Christina has lived in Topeka all her life and is dedicated to using her talents in strategy and visual storytelling to bring positive change to the community she calls home. An award-winning designer, journalist, and photographer, she currently works at Compass Marketing & Advertising Partners as one of their Creative Strategists.

Content Director

Jess Seidel is the Content Director for the Department of Mass Media at Washburn University. She organizes the judging and film schedule for the WIFI Film Festival.

Seidel is screenwriter, having written the short film Until It's Gone. She also co-wrote the short film For the Sins of Midnight. She is currently the writer and director for the 2024 short film, The Getaway, which is being produced in the Advanced Film Production class at Washburn.

Seidel will graduate in May 2024 with her Bachelor of Art degree in mass media, with a concentration in film and video and a minor in anthropology. She will be attending the University of Southern California next year to pursue an MFA in Writing for Screen and Television.

Digital Marketing and Public Relations Strategist

Karli Bayliss is the Digital Marketing and Public Relations Strategist for the 2024 WIFI Film Festival. She creates, organizes, and manages content and engagement for the festival’s social media pages.

Bayliss is a senior mass media major in advertising and public relations and is also the marketing manager for Student Media at Washburn University where she leads the organization's marketing team, manages its social media accounts, and designs advertisements and spreads for the Indigo Magazine.

Digital Marketing and Public Relations Strategist

Abby Davis is a Digital Marketing and Public Relations Strategist for the festival. With a passion for digital design, she focuses on ideating and creating promotional content including signage, the festival program, social media graphics, and video, among other things. 

Davis also works for Advisors Excel as a Web Intern and will graduate in May 2024 with her Bachelor of Arts degree in mass media, with a concentration in advertising and public relations and a minor in business.

Digital Marketing and Public Relations Strategist

Charlize Easter is a Digital Marketing and Public Relations Strategist for the festival where she focuses on assisting with press releases, arranging visits with local radio and TV shows, facilitating interviews with journalists, and creating promotional designs and content ideas. Easter also works for Advisors Excel as an account management intern and has recently become a member of Phi Kappa Phi. 

Easter will graduate in May 2025 with her Bachelor of Arts degree in mass media, with a concentration in advertising and public relations, along with a minor in Spanish and also in communication studies. She plans to pursue a career in book publication advertising and receive her SIELE certification. 

Film Director

Malachi Lewis is the Film Director and head of the film team for the WIFI Film Festival.

Lewis is a senior mass media student at Washburn University with an emphasis in film and video and his work includes editing the 2023 Washburn University film "For the Sins of Midnight." He has also been hired to edit the upcoming 2024 Washburn University short film "The Getaway."

Blake Hopper

Darria Dennison

Ethan Jackson

Leah Jamison

Francesca Kelley