Megan Chao

Megan Chao serves as a Part-Time Lecturer at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, where she has taught documentary production since 2010. She acts as faculty adviser and series producer for the student-led "Impact" documentary series broadcast on Spectrum News 1, while chairing the Asian Pacific Islander Faculty and Staff Association (APIFSA) and holding leadership roles in industry organizations.

Her academic credentials include:

• Master's degree in Broadcast Journalism from USC Annenberg
• Bachelor's degrees in Biology and Nonfiction Creative Writing from the University of California at Riverside

Chao's research integrates Documentary Production with critical social themes including Diversity and Inclusion, Social Justice, and Sustainability. Her work examines urban-nature intersections through projects like PBS SoCal's "Earth Focus" and explores systemic issues in juvenile justice via Netflix's "Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story", demonstrating applied scholarship in Entertainment, Health, and Science communication.

She actively mentors students through the "Impact" documentary series while advancing industry standards via her Television Academy Board of Governors role and Producers Guild of America committee leadership. Organizational contributions include co-chairing the Television Academy's Activities Committee and Documentary and Nonfiction Committee, with focus areas spanning Awards administration, Bylaws development, and AI policy frameworks.