News and Media Relations Team | University Marketing and Communications

Stefanie Sidortsova

Stefanie leads UMC's communications team, including news and media relations, social media, and brand communications staff.
Her professional background includes experience in higher education administration and instruction, law, government relations, and writing and editing.
She enjoys hiking, writing, and spending time with family and friends.

The former Daily Mining Gazette journalist and editor hails from Houghton and has written for a variety of international, national and regional publications.
Specializing in feature writing, she co-creates, writes, and edits content for the University, from webpages and Michigan Tech Magazine stories to social media.
A novelist active in the Upper Peninsula Authors and Publishers Association, the Authors Guild member looks forward to writing more books—and to camping trips in her RV with husband Scott and Goldendoodle Max.

She has been a word nerd all her life.
She has copy edited for a family of county newspapers in the Lower Peninsula, and has proofread for a major outdoor recreation retailer.
She is a native Michigander and has lived in Western Nebraska and Colorado.
She enjoys being outside, petting her dogs, and hiking with her family.

"I’d much rather watch people do what they do than talk to them across a desk."
—John McPhee

Rick specializes in narrative nonfiction, literary criticism and the personal essay form. He's been fortunate to learn his craft from authors Judy Blunt, Chris Dombrowski, Rebecca Solnit, Melissa Febos and Edwin Dobb.
To support his writing habit, he has variously sold vegetables, taught middle school, tended bar, managed elder care services, and worked as a cellarhand in a local cidery, among other jobs.
Rick enjoys cooking, gardening, attempting to catch trout and cross-country skiing with his girlfriend Monica and their dog Jude.