GERALD JOHNSON
Executive Director for Innovation and Partnerships
Originally from Montana, Gerald spent many years thawing in Houston working in publishing. He arrived at TSM in 2014 as director and has since transformed it into a thriving student media powerhouse. When he’s not ideating at work, you can catch him shopping at Costco or completing another DIY home improvement project.
EMILY COHEN
Director for Marketing, Agency and Advertising Operations
Emily loves helping clients make connections with Longhorns. A proud UT graduate with a B.S. in Advertising, she brings decades of marketing, PR and event experience. Outside of managing all things advertising and public relations, Emily is out seeing live music with her husband, traveling, and living her best crazy cat lady life.
WILL PARCHMAN
Director
Will is from Austin and a graduate of Baylor University, where he first got his start in student media. During his 15-year career in sports journalism, he’s written for The Athletic, Major League Soccer and more. He pivoted to sales and training and successfully led UT Arlington Student Publications before joining TSM in 2023.
MARLIES AREVALO
Manager for Advertising and Revenue/Product Strategy
A University of Houston graduate, Marlies enjoys strategizing how to reach target audiences through customized campaigns at UT Austin and Texas A&M. Her experience spans decades in newspaper and radio. She’s a mother of two humans, two dogs and a cat. She loves everything outdoors!
CHANCE WEICK
Media Account Executive
Chance has extensive experience in both sales and running events. He studied advertising and photography at the University of Alabama. A world traveler, he’s hiked the Dolomites in Italy and lived in Germany for a year with his best friend. His favorite local bakery is ThoroughBread in Austin.
DANNY PATTERSON
Account Manager
Danny is a native Texan from Houston and a Longhorn by blood and marriage. He’s worked in the media industry for over three decades and has a passion for customer service, creative marketing and making lasting connections. An avid sports fan, he watches the Astros, the Longhorns and the Texans regularly.
TILLIE POLICASTRO
Senior Graphic Designer
A Greenwich Village native, Tillie is the artistic and creative beautifier of TSM. She’s been laying out spreads and creating graphics here since 2007, and is still going strong making sure our design needs are met. Outside of TSM, she also sells eclectic parasols through her company Hoopla Parasols.
FRANK SERPAS
Assistant Director for Business and Media Operations
Frank is a true TSM longtimer. He got his start working as TSTV’s station manager while completing his graduate studies in biomechanics. He has a strong engineering background, with a mechanical engineering degree from Georgia Tech and a master’s in engineering from UT.
PETER CHEN
Print Adviser
Peter has 20 years of newspaper experience, mainly as a photojournalist, but also as a reporter, photo editor and a multimedia journalist. He has also taught for two years at the college level. He was born in Taiwan, has lived in a few states and is the father of two. His one claim to fame is he was THE Goofy at Disneyland, once.
DAVID SCHNEIDER
Managing Director of Bevo Video Productions
David has worn many different hats in entertainment — everything from working ABC talk shows to directing live music (including Elton John, The Goo Goo Dolls, Lauryn Hill). He still loves his previous homeland, Philadelphia, but enjoys teaching, advising and directing at his new home at UT.
MATT LENNON
Producer at Bevo Video Productions
He’s an accomplished filmmaker with a B.A. from Middlebury College in Vermont and an M.F.A in Film Production from UT. Also a lecturer for the Radio-Television-Film department and a crew member at Soundcrafter, a post-production audio facility in Austin. His dog has more Instagram followers than him.
JORDAN KNUL
Broadcast Adviser
A multi-disciplinary creative, Jordan has worked in music and television for over a decade as a producer and audio engineer. His name is synonymous with major brands such as ESPN, APPLE TV and Universal Music Group, to name a few. Outside of work, you can find Jordan fishing for monster bass, roller skating, and searching for new restaurants.
KATEY PSENCIK
Managing Director of The Drag Audio
Katey joined The Drag full-time in 2021 after working in newspapers, TV, digital media and nonprofit marketing. In her free time, Katey cheers on Longhorn sports, listens to way too much Taylor Swift and plays with her dogs, Oso and Mav. She’s also an adjunct lecturer in UT’s School of Journalism and Media.
EMILY QUIGLEY
Editor of Texas Connect Magazine
Emily is a lecturer in the School of Journalism and the associate director of the Moody Writing Support Program. Emily worked for 19 years at the Statesman. She was the assistant features editor, working with reporters and writers to craft stories about food, movies, art and more while also writing for the entertainment website, Austin360.
JASON LIHUANG
Digital Operations
Although he studied computer science at UT, his real passion was editing and helping run The Daily Texan. Once Jason graduated, he was saved from a life of coding by Gerald, who welcomed him into TSM to do some programming but also a lot of other stuff (e.g., writing these bios).
