I pride myself in being a builder. A builder of bridges to address the gap between industry and academia, but also new programs, relationships, and initiatives that support the social media and strategic communication profession.
I have written several books, including my award winning books social media book Social Media for Strategic Communications: Creative strategies and research based applications, published with SAGE. This book most recently was awarded a 2019 APEX print book award. In addition, I have published my research extensively in the areas of social media, public relations, and crisis communications. Along with research, I also try to inspire and brainstorm creative applications for this research not only to the scholarly community, but also for businesses and agencies in public relations.
In addition to writing books, I have been able to serve as a consultant to brands such as Adobe, Hootsuite, Facebook (now Meta), Breeders' Cup, GM, and many more on topics related to social media strategy, influencer marketing, and social media education and training.
I am also a Full Professor in Strategic Communications at the University of Louisville as well as an adjunct instructor for the Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) Graduate Online Program at West Virginia University. I am actively involved in researching in public relations, reputation management, social media and crisis communications.
As of July 2022, I am the Director of The Bird’s Nest, the University of Louisville’s first student run agency in strategic communication.
I also am passionate about educating, mentoring, and teaching the future professionals in the field of public relations, strategic communications, social media and crisis communications.