Faculty/Staff Information

Humanities Division Chair, OFFICE BELL 315

Professor, Communication Studies

Native Texan happily replanted here in Oregon.

2007 BA in Communication, University of Texas at San Antonio;

2009 MA in Communication, Texas State University;

2012 PhD in Health Communication, George Mason University.

My updated CV is posted on the bulletin board outside my office.  🙂

Updated Training:

Certificate in Emotional Skills and Competencies, Evaluating Truthfulness and Credibility, Emotional Intelligence Academy, Manchester, U.K. November, 2018

Certificate in Evaluating Truthfulness and Credibility, Emotional Intelligence Academy, Manchester, U.K. November, 2018.

Certified trainer/teacher, Emotional Skills and Competencies, and Evaluating Truthfulness and Credibility, Emotional Intelligence, Academy, Manchester, U.K. November, 2019.

Fundamentals of Online Teaching Track, Catalyst/LX Pathways, July/August, 2020.

Accessible Instruction for Deaf College Students During COVID-19 and Beyond, National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes, October, 2020.

OER Spring Course, April, 2021.

OER Review Workshop, May, 2021.

Red & Blue Zone LGBTQIA+ Training, May, 2021.

Equity & Open Education Faculty Cohort, Summer 2021. (Applied)

 Honorary Affiliations

Alpha Chi National College Honor Society

Golden Key International Honor Society

Lambda Pi Eta Honor Society

Mortar Board National College Senior Honor Society

Sigma Kappa Upsilon Honor Society

Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society

Honors

2021                Nominated for Advisor of the Year

2019                WOU Faculty All-Star Award

2018                WOU Faculty All-Star Award      

2017                 Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society Inducted

2016                Faculty Appreciation Night, Women’s Basketball Team

2015               Invited guest, Chi Alpha Sigma Athlete Honor Society Induction

2014                Nominated, NRHH of the Month, Student nominated award for outstanding contribution to the WOU Residential community

Invited guest speaker and panelist, Texas State University Communication Week, San Marcos, Texas

2012                Post Doctoral Fellow - Senior Research Specialist I  Curtis W. and Ann H. Long Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Missouri - Columbia         

                        Top Paper, Family Communication Division, National Communication Association

                        Outstanding Excellence to the DCHC Conference Award, Department of Communication, George Mason University

                        Dissertation Completion Grant Award, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, George Mason University

2011                Finalist, National Cancer Institute, Cancer Prevention Fellowship, one of 25 selected nationally

2011               Fellow, Health Communication Doctoral Fellows Seminar, sponsored by the Kaiser Permanente Cancer Communication Research Center and the National Cancer Institute, one of 15 selected nationally

                        Outstanding Doctoral Student Award, Department of Communication, George Mason University

                        Extra Mile Award, Department of Communication, George Mason University                     

 Invited guest speaker, Texas State University Communication Week, San Marcos, TX

2010                President, Communication Graduate Student Association, George Mason University (elected) 

                         Center for Global Education Global Perspectives Scholarship, George Mason University

                        Dean’s Challenge Doctoral Student Award, Department of Communication, George Mason University

2009-2012       National and International Travel Scholarships Recipient, George Mason University

2009                Finalist for Outstanding Graduate Student Award, Department of Communication, Texas State University - San Marcos

2007-2009       National Travel Scholarships Recipient, Texas State University – San Marcos

2007                Outstanding Senior Student University Life Awards Nominee, University of Texas at San Antonio

2007                Who’s Who of American Universities and Colleges

2006                International Education Scholarship, Université du Québec à Montréal

International Communication Association

National Communication Association

         Family Communication Division

         Health Communication Division

         Interpersonal Division

Eastern Communication Association

         Health Communication Division 

Association for Business Communication  

American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine

• Interpersonal Communication
• Foundations of Health Communication
• Relational Communication
• Nonverbal Communication
• Group Discussion and Leadership
• Family Communication
• The Dark Side of Family Communication.
• Nonverbal Deception Detection
• Classes I teach in Summer Session 1: Relational Com, Family Com, and sometimes Foundations of Health Com.

End of Life.

Nonverbal Communication. 

Health Communication. 

Climate Change Communication.

Young Caregivers.

COM 531 in conjunction with COM 431 Nonverbal Deception Detection

• nterpersonal Communication
• Foundations of Health Communication
• Relational Communication
• Nonverbal Communication
• Group Discussion and Leadership
• Family Communication
• The Dark Side of Family Communication.
• Nonverbal Deception Detection
• Classes I teach in Summer Session 1: Relational Com, Family Com, and sometimes Foundations of Health Com.

Nonverbal.  Young Caregivers. Death and Dying.

Qualitative scholar examining the narratives around the end of life. Currently, working on a cooperative project with the University of Kentucky School of Social Work on young hospice caregivers, a project regarding nonverbal communication and the differently normed as well as interviewing facilitators from the contemporary Death Cafe/Death Positive movement.