Academic Director

John Miles Foley, Ph.D.

Visit Dr. Foley's website 

John Miles Foley, Ph.D. holds the W. H. Byler Endowed Chair in the Humanities, and is the Curators’ Professor of Classical Studies and English at the University of Missouri, where he serves as Founding Director of the Center for Studies in Oral Tradition, and as Founding Editor of the international journal, Oral Tradition. He designed and established the world’s first Center for e-Research, which promotes interdisciplinary collaboration in digital and internet media. Author of 17 books and more than 150 articles on the world’s oral storytelling traditions, Foley is an internationally known speaker and lecturer and a member of honorary academic organizations in China, Russia, Finland, and France. He has been awarded fellowships by the Guggenheim Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies, the Fulbright Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Program Coordinator

Whendi Cook Broderick, Ph.D.

Whendi is a gifted educator who is passionate about using Oral Traditions in the service of social justice.  She brings together story, song and critical theory in creating new meaning and cultural transformation.  As Creator and Director of The Khenuta Project, she collaborates with others to promote peace through written and oral art forms.  Her work in emancipatory action research focuses on action learning as a critical intervention for liberation.  Her areas of expertise include popular education, creative arts education, outdoor education and service learning.   Whendi’s work as a cultural creative and change agent has brought her from the Theatre of the Oppressed Laboratory in New York to the International Festival of Tolerance at Terezín in the Czech Republic.  She has performed, lectured and conducted workshops at Maryland Institute College of Art, Westminster College, Lipscomb University, Castleton State College, Wesleyan University, and Connecticut State Universities.

Program Coordinator

Robin Moore, M.A.

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A professional performer, author, and workshop leader, Robin Moore was voted “Storyteller of the Year” by Storytelling Magazine and has shared his stories with more than one million people. Since 1981, he has presented more than 5,000 educational offerings that include storytelling performances, writing workshops, and family programs based on the rich folklore of Pennsylvania, where he grew up.  He was named Pennsylvania School Librarian’s “Author of the Year” and has taught his innovative approach to "Awakening the Hidden Storyteller" at many institutions, including The University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, and Omega Institute.  Author of several award winning books published by HarperCollins, Random House, and Simon & Schuster, Robin is best known for The Bread Sister of Sinking Creek, the first in a series of historical fiction novels about women on the PA frontier.  He holds a Master of Arts in Oral Traditions from The Graduate Institute.  “Robin’s ability to portray characters with the subtle use of voice and gesture as well as his talent for involving his audiences is second to none on the East Coast. He ranks with the best of today’s professional storytellers.”—Dr. Kenneth Goldstein, Chairman, Department of Folklore, University of Pennsylvania.

Visiting Faculty include but are not limited to:

Barbara Baumgartner, Ph.D.

Lauren Kempton, Ed.D.

Lee-Ellen Marvin, Ph.D.

Connie Rockman, MLS

Tanya Lee Stone, MS

Valerie Tutson, MA

Mary Pope Osborne