Executive Committee

Director

F. Evan Nooe

Evan is an Assistant Professor of History and Historian for the Native American Studies Center at the University of South Carolina Lancaster. He is a scholar of the American South focusing on Native American history, historical memory, and tourism. Evan’s current work examines portrayals of Florida history at popular and heritage tourism sites in the state. As Director, Evan is honored to serve our growing DisNet community as we create our happy place in academia!

Treasurer

Charlotte Durham

Charlotte is a PhD student at the University of Leeds. Her wider research interests involve feminism, research methods, digital, data-driven and datalogical systems, embodiment and everyday life, and biopolitics, such as how Disney’s everyday, hyper-mediated environment is entangled in affect, data, and space. It’s her job to manage DisNet’s finances and ensure that money is spent responsibly. If you have any questions about fees or finance, please get in touch!

Secretary

Hannah Helm

Hannah is an early career researcher and sessional lecturer at the University of Salford. Hannah researches feminist, anti-sanist, and anti-ableist representations of women in children’s literature, fairy tales, and Disney film, and she has been appointed as DisNet’s secretary, meaning she will be helping with the planning, running, and minuting of all of DisNet’s meetings behind the scenes!

Head of Communications

Matthew Ari Elfenbein

Matthew is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies and Jewish Studies at Florida Atlantic University. A proud FAU Owl, he earned both his B.A. and Ph.D. at FAU and completed his M.A. at NYU’s Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies at Tisch. His teaching and research focus on Hollywood history, Disney studies, and screendance, especially in relation to cartoon animation. He also serves as Head of Communication for the Disney, Culture, and Society Research Network, leads Career Exploration initiatives, and has organized graduate and professional conferences. Beyond academia, Dr. Elfenbein stays active in the FAU community, performing improv, supporting local film productions, and, of course, watching films.

Email Matthew at
communications@dis-net.org with any inquiries or information for the Network.

Head of Mentoring

Heather Holian

Heather is Professor of Art History and the Associate Director of the School of Art at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. She is a specialist on the art, artists and artistic production of Pixar’s third decade. Heather leads the DisNet mentorship program to support our DisNet members. If you are interested in mentorship, please email hlholian@uncg.edu

Head of Events

Emily Aguiló-Pérez

Emily is Professor of English (Children’s Literature) at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Her research and teaching focuses on children’s books, media, popular culture, and toys, and she often examines the representation of Latinxs in these– including those produced by Disney. Her role as Head of Events for DisNet is to coordinate virtual (and hopefully some in-person) events and activities, such as book launches, so if you a new book or have any ideas for events, feel free to contact me! 

Open Seat

Rebecca Rowe

Rebecca is Assistant Professor of Children’s Literature at East Texas A&M University and founding editor of the International Journal of Disney Studies. Her research focuses on how adaptations, both professional and fan-made, change character identities due to cultural, media, and audience differences. It’s her job to help the rest of the Executive Committee with various projects, such as the DisNet bibliography. If you ever want to pitch in on the bibliography, feel free to reach out!