Midia Hassan became a nationally recognized figure in communications by first working for Rep. Edward Markey, Chairman of the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance, followed by a stint in the Clinton Administration working for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Today, Hassan is not only the Director of USC Annenberg’s Digital Social Media (DSM) program; she is also the Clinical Professor of its School of Communication. Her directorial role in the DSM program is particularly impressive considering it was the world’s first master’s program tackling leaderships issues surrounding social media and online communities.