Steve Gorelick is Professor in the Department of Film and Media Studies at Hunter College of the City University of New York. He received M.A. degrees in media studies and higher education administration from Columbia University and a Ph.D. degree in sociology with specializations in criminology and media studies from The Graduate Center of the City University of New York. His major research interest is media coverage of crime and violence and social catastrophe, with special emphasis on the impact of catastrophic events on communities, media institutions and the fabric of social life.

Dr. Gorelick also held a variety of senior administrative positions in higher education. Most recently, he served as Vice President for Institutional Advancement at The Graduate Center of The City University of New York, a position in which he was responsible for media relations, political and government affairs, marketing, development, and public relations.

He also has advised local governments and federal agencies on crisis communications — including the FBI and the Food and Drug Administration — on the special challenges of communicating with key public constituencies during and after high profile acts of crime, violence, disease, and natural disaster.

He is affiliated with John Jay College of Criminal Justice’s Academy for Critical Incident Analysis, an interdisciplinary group of scholars, media professionals, and government officials examining the public’s ability to cope with high-profile critical incidents.

Dr. Gorelick has also served as a consultant to the research division of NBC News.

He now serves on the Advisory Council of the Dart Center on Journalism and Trauma at the Columbia University School of Journalism, a global network of journalists, journalism educators and mental health professionals dedicated to improving media coverage of trauma, conflict and tragedy.
His columns and essays have appeared in The Christian Science Monitor, the Washington Post, the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Los Angeles Times, the International Herald Tribune, and the Chicago Tribune.

In March 2005, Dr. Gorelick was invited to visit Spain as a delegate to The Club of Madrid’s International Summit on Terrorism and Democracy, where he spoke about the challenges faced by democratic institutions during high profile incidents of violence and catastrophe. In 2007, he was named a Fulbright Scholar by the German Fulbright Commission.