Board of Directors
Sarah Projansky, Ph.D.
Director
Sarah Projansky joined the WIISE Board as a founding Director in 2018. She is the author of two award-winning books: Spectacular Girls: Media Fascination and Celebrity Culture and Watching Rape: Film and Television in Postfeminist Culture. She is a strong advocate for LGBTQIA rights and disability rights, and she has volunteered for anti-sexual and domestic violence organizations, as well as in public K-12 schools. Her current research interests include the relationship between Title IX and sexual violence, including both media coverage and Title IX coordinator best practices; and the role of gender and race in the film franchise industry. Dr. Projansky is professor of gender studies and of film & media arts at the University of Utah, where she served a five-year term as senior associate dean for faculty & academic affairs in the College of Fine Arts. She earned a B.A. with honors from Wesleyan University with a double major in psychology-sociology and art (film studies) and a Ph.D. in communications and film studies from the University of Iowa. Sarah grew up in upstate New York, and lived in Iowa, California, and Illinois before settling in Utah.