Our Team

Dr. Danny Parker

Director

Danny Parker is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at Cornell University. An ethnographer, her research examines the role communication ecologies play in the reproduction of poverty and the development of political identity. She interrogates how structural conditions, from carceral state economics to news coverage of poverty-related issues, threaten equal access to democratic institutions and belief in democracy for poor communities. Her research also explores how personal stories of struggle within those structural conditions travel through interpersonal networks and become collective narratives that influence individual and collective identity and decision making. Danny is deeply committed to the communities she studies and aims to integrate their wisdom and knowledge into scholarship that informs the administration of governmental and social institutions. Her work has implications for government policy, non-profit organizational structure, news production, and journalism education.

Community Outreach Specialists

Thomas (Butch) Andreas

Community Outreach Specialist

Butch is a peer outreach worker at Madison Street Medicine and support staff at Dairy Drive, a transitional housing encampment for people who struggle with chronic homelessness in Madison, Wisconsin. Butch has also served as the Vice President of Occupy Madison, a non-profit cooperative housing community focused on sustainable living and community integration for people that have experienced long-term housing insecurity. He has training in conflict de-escalation, emergency medicine, and brokering

relationships between resource providers, and people suffering from severe mental health problem. Butch’s work is informed by having spent 22 years living outside which lends critical insight to the daily operations and long-term goals of the organizations with which he partners. His presence and engagement during outreach cultivate trust and a sense of inclusion among clients and he honors the privilege of that trust with his commitment to improving the welfare of those he encounters.

Siddiqua DeShazer

Community Outreach Specialist

Siddiqua DeShazer is a skilled Outreach Specialist with extensive experience in community engagement, crisis intervention, and trauma-informed advocacy. At the Center for Communication Addressing Poverty (CAP Lab), they focus on building strategic partnerships, facilitating stakeholder collaboration, and ensuring that research is grounded in the realities of poverty and systemic barriers.

With certifications in Adult Mental Health First Aid, Sociocracy Leadership, Nonviolent Communication, and Crisis Response, Siddiqua brings a strong foundation in harm reduction, peer support, and data-driven community engagement. Their work includes program development, policy advocacy, and direct intervention, particularly in underserved and unhoused communities.

Siddiqua’s expertise in sociocratic governance, digital systems management, and resource coordination ensures CAP Lab’s outreach remains efficient, scalable, and impactful. Through evidence-based practices and real-world applications, they help bridge the gap between academic research and community-driven solutions, strengthening CAP Lab’s mission at every level.

Graduate Student Fellows

Abby Qin Youran M.A.

Graduate Fellow

Abby Youran Qin is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She researches political communication in the twofold context of social networks and physical surroundings, with a special focus on the causes of local news decline, the importance of local journalism to democracy, and the future of local media preservation. She hopes to contribute to building healthy information environment for disadvantaged individuals and communities through research, teaching, and public-facing work.

JD Duncan B.A.

Graduate Fellow

JD Duncan (they/ he) is a research master’s student in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication who studies media, gender and the far-right. Their ongoing research explore how gender inclusivity is framed in right-wing media, the influence of emotion on fostering support for anti-feminist viewpoints, and the impact of purity culture and rhetoric promoting sexual abstinence on the lived experiences of Christians. JD’s research is rooted in the belief that discourse does not occur in isolation; rather, the voices heard, the perspectives absent, and the ideas repressed have consequences for individuals and society.

Wil M. Dubree M.A.

Graduate Fellow

Wil Dubree is a Ph.D. student at UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He studies local information ecologies and the profound influence of local journalism in maintaining an informed and just society. Embracing the principles of open science, he strives to enhance the accessibility and availability of research data, methods, and findings, making knowledge more accessible to all.

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