FIND A COMMUNICATION EXPERT
Department of Communication Studies
University of Nebraska-Lincoln 2010-2011
Updated May 2010
The Department of Communication Studies is ready to serve as a resource to the media and community. Our four main areas of expertise are: Instructional Communication, Interpersonal & Family Communication, Organizational Communication, and Rhetoric & Public Culture. We have listed our areas of expertise below, short bios, and contact information.
Our media contact person is: Dawn O. Braithwaite (dbraithwaite@unl.edu, 402-742-6910, 402-540-8414). You may contact our experts directly or she will help you locate one.
Dawn O. Braithwaite, Ph.D., Willa Cather Professor and Chair
Department of Communication Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Specialization: Communication in personal and family relationships
Expertise Key Words
Communication during relationship and family change and challenges
Family routines, traditions and rituals
Privacy and Communication
Nontraditional Families (stepfamily, post-divorce, voluntary (fictive, chosen)
Conflict Communication
Communication of people with disabilities
Group and team communication
Contact information:
Email: dbraithwaite@unl.edu
Work Phone: 402-472-2070
Home Phone: 402-742-6910
Mobile Phone: 402-540-8414
Website(s): http://comm.unl.edu/faculty/dbraithwaite.shtml
Address: Department of Communication Studies, 433 Oldfather Hall
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0329
Research Credentials:
Dawn O. Braithwaite (Ph.D., University of Minnesota) is a Willa Cather Professor of Communication at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Chair of the department. Her research focuses on how those in personal and family relationships communicate during times of transitions and stress. She studies how nontraditional families become a family, gain acceptance, and how they communicate inside and outside the family to deal with challenges such as managing privacy, conflict, changing routines and rituals.
She is the author of over 80 articles in journals and chapters in scholarly books. She and co-authors published five books, including: Engaging Theories in Interpersonal Communication Engaging Theories in Family Communication, Casing Interpersonal Communication: Case Studies in Personal and Social Relationships, Handbook of Communication and People with Disabilities. She received the National Communication Association’s Brommel Award for Outstanding Scholarship/Service in Family Communication and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Arts & Sciences Award for Outstanding Research and Creative Achievement in the Social Sciences. Dr. Braithwaite is a Past President of the Western States Communication Association and received the association’s Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Braithwaite is the Past President of the 8,000-member National Communication Association in 2010.
Jody Koenig Kellas, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Department of Communication Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Specialization: Communication in personal and family relationships
Expertise Key Words
Narratives and accounts
Family and marital storytelling
Sense-making
Individual and relational well-being
Relationship dissolution
Contact information:
Email: jkellas2@unl.edu
Work Phone: 402-472-2079
Home Phone: 402-570-9063
Mobile Phone: 402-570-9063
Website(s): http://comm.unl.edu/faculty/kellas.shtml
Address: Department of Communication Studies, 428 Oldfather Hall
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0329
Research Credentials:
Jody Koenig Kellas (Ph.D., University of Washington) is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She specializes in relational communication, family communication, and narratives of personal relationships. Her research focuses on the communicative ways in which people make sense of their relationships, including negotiating post-dissolutional communication, facework, attributions in marital relationships, as well as the interaction processes, identity negotiation, and relational qualities associated with individual and collaborative storytelling in families.
She has published her research in several book chapters as well as in Communication Monographs, Human Communication Research, The Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, and The Journal of Family Communication. Her research has been awarded several Top Four Paper awards at national and regional conferences and she received the Central States Communication Association’s Outstanding New Teacher Award in 2007. She served as the Chair for the Interpersonal Communication Interest Group of the Western States Communication Association and is currently the Chair of the Family Communication Division of the National Communication Association.
Kathleen J. Krone, Ph.D., Professor
Department of Communication Studies University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Specialization:
Organizational Communication
Expertise Key Words:
Organizing for social change
Cultural approaches to organizational change
Dialogic communication
Cultural approaches to leadership
Conflict and mediation
Contact information:
Email: kkrone1@unl.edu
Work Phone: 402-472-6922
Home Phone: 402-489-8491
Website(s): http://comm.unl.edu/faculty/krone.shtml
Address: Department of Communication Studies 426 Oldfather Hall
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0329
Research Credentials:
Kathleen J. Krone (Ph.D. The University of Texas-Austin), is Professor of Organizational Communication in the Department of Communication Studies. She has studied the use of upward influence tactics in organizations, patterns of influence in leader-member relationships, and the experience and expression of emotion in the workplace. She currently is studying managerial conflict in Sino-American joint ventures, stakeholder turning points in community consensus building, and leadership and organizing processes in transnational feminist networks.
She has published over 30 articles and book chapters in outlets such as Management Communication Quarterly, the Journal of Applied Communication Research, and the Handbook of Communication Science. She recently co-edited the multi-volume reference Organizational Communication with Professor Linda Putnam (published in 2006), and currently is serving as Forum Editor for the journal Management Communication Quarterly. She is a past Chair of the Organizational Communication Division of the National Communication Association.
Ronald Lee, Ph.D., Professor
Department of Communication Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Specialization: The study of contemporary American political discourse and culture.
Expertise Key Words:
Politics
Poverty
Communication
Public Discourse
Rhetoric
Race
Religion
Contact information:
Email: rlee1@unl.edu
Work Phone: 402-472-2255
Home Phone: 402-484-8332
Mobile Phone: 402-540-0260
Website(s): http://comm.unl.edu/faculty/rlee.shtml
Address: Department of Communication Studies 437 Oldfather Hall
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0329
Research Credentials: Ronald Lee (Ph.D., University of Iowa) has been on the faculty at UNL since 1991 and is the Chair of the department. He publishes work dealing with contemporary American political discourse. His research projects have dealt with the rhetorical construction of presidential legacies, the discourses of poverty, the mythical use of American place in national politics, the evolving standards of journalistic coverage of religion, and the use of race in post-civil-rights era political discourse.
Kristen Lucas, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Department of Communication Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Specialization: Organizational communication
Expertise Key Words
Blue-collar work and organizations
Mining (especially mining culture)
Communication in working-class families
Gender communication (especially in organizations)
Workplace dignity
Socialization into work and careers
Workplace communication
Contact information:
Email: klucas3@unl.edu
Work Phone: 402-472-6924
Mobile Phone: 402-570-2060
Website(s): http://comm.unl.edu/faculty/lucas.shtml
Address: Department of Communication Studies, 436 Oldfather Hall
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0329
Research Credentials:
Kristen Lucas (Ph.D., Purdue University) is assistant professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research focuses on career discourses, particularly as they relate to dignity in the workplace and blue-collar work.
She has published in Management Communication Quarterly, Journal of Applied Communication Research, Women’s Studies in Communication, Western Journal of Communication, and the International and Intercultural Communication Annual.
Damien Smith Pfister, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Department of Communication Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Specialization: Rhetoric and Culture
Expertise Keywords:
Digital media
Public address and argumentation
Political campaigns
Network cultures
Attention in a media-saturated world
Contact information:
Email: dpfister2@unl.edu
Work Phone: 402-472-0646
Mobile Phone: 412-979-2645
Website(s): http://comm.unl.edu/faculty/pfister.shtml
Address: Department of Communication Studies, 439 Oldfather Hall
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0329
Research credentials: Damien Pfister (Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh, 2009) recently joined the faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He researches the impact of digital media on public deliberation and culture. His dissertation explored how blogging has challenged traditional patterns of communication during political controversies and campaigns.
He has had his research published in Controversia (anthologized in Discourse, Debate, and Democracy), Argumentation and Advocacy, and Social Epistemology. His current research projects include a book manuscript called Networked Rhetorics about the early blogosphere.
Bill Seiler, Ph.D., Professor
Department of Communication Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Specialization: Communication in instructional and business settings
Expertise Key Words:
Technology and instruction
Interviewing (employment, information gathering)
Importance of communication training
Customer Service Communication
Personalized systems of instruction
Communication Apprehension—speech anxiety, fear of speaking in public
Difficult communication situations
Contact information:
Email: bseiler@unl.edu
Work Phone: 402-472-2197
Home Phone: 402-488-1593
Mobile Phone: 402-440-6841
Website(s): http://comm.unl.edu/faculty/seiler.shtml
Address: Department of Communication Studies, 430 Oldfather Hall
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0329
Research Credentials:
Bill Seiler (Ph.D. Purdue University) is a professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he has taught since 1972. He has an adjunct appointment in the UNL Teachers College as professor of Curriculum and Instruction. His expertise is in the areas of classroom communication, business and organizational communication, psycho-linguistics, statistics, and interviewing.
Dr. Seiler has authored three textbooks including Communication in Business and Professional Organizations, Communication for the Contemporary Classroom, and his third book, Communication: Making Connections, is now in its 8th edition, Communication: Making Connections is one of the best selling books in the communication discipline. He is the author of numerous journal articles and book chapters as well. He was a consulting editor with McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, one of the largest publishers of college and university textbooks. Seiler has been honored as an Outstanding Educator of America, Outstanding University and College Teacher by the Nebraska Communication Association, received the Outstanding Young Alumni and Distinguished Alumni Awards from the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater. His latest award was the 2003 Floyd Oldt Boss of the Year Award, which is a University-wide award for his leadership, supervision, and interpersonal relations skills.
Jordan Soliz, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Department of Communication Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Specialization: Family relationships; Relationships between different social groups (e.g., ethnic, religious)
Expertise Key Words:
Grandparent-grandchild relationships
Interracial/interethnic families
Biracial/multiethnic identity
Interfaith families
Communication and aging
Intergenerational communication
Interracial/interethnic relationships
Contact information:
Email: jsoliz2@unl.edu
Work Phone: 402-472-8326
Home Phone: 402-309-9449
Mobile Phone: 402-309-9449
Website(s): http://comm.unl.edu/faculty/soliz.shtml
Address: Department of Communication Studies, 425 Oldfather Hall
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0329
Research Credentials:
Dr. Jordan Soliz (Ph.D., University of Kansas) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His research focuses on how individuals in personal and family relationships manage differences based on their social identities such as age, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc. He is also currently working on research investigating how our attitudes toward others and civic/community engagement is developed or fostered in the family.
Dr. Soliz has authored numerous scholarly journal articles and book chapters in this area and has received awards for his scholarship. He is past Chair of the Communication and Aging Division of the National Communication Association and incoming Chair of the Interpersonal and Small Group Division of the Central States Communication Association.
Charles Braithwaite, Ph.D., Chief Advisor, Great Plains Studies, Research Professor. Lecturer, Department of Communication Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Specialization: International and intercultural communication
Expertise Key Words:
International Communication
Nonverbal Communication (“Body Language”)
American Indians; Pakistan; Turkey; Russia; Costa Rica
Contact information: Dr. Chuck Braithwaite
Email: cbraithwaite2@unl.edu
Work Phones: 402-472-6178
Home Phone: 402-742-6910
Mobile Phone: 402-450-2457
Address(es): Department of Communication Studies
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0329
Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0245
Research Credentials:
Dr. Chuck Braithwaite (Ph.D. University of Washington) is the Chief Advisor for Great Plains Studies, and is a Fellow of the Center for Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is also the editor of the Great Plains Quarterly and serves as a Graduate Fellow in the Dept. of Anthropology and the Dept. of Communication Studies. Dr. Braithwaite specializes in cultural and intercultural communication, and teaches courses on interviewing, nonverbal communication, and communication in international organizations.
Dr. Braithwaite is currently Director of the Global Classroom Project, which links UNL classes via internet video conferencing to classrooms in Turkey, Pakistan, Russia, Spain and the Republic of Yemen. Dr. Braithwaite’s international experience includes serving as a North Vietnamese interpreter, and studying international business communication along the U.S./Mexican border. He has a special interest in Native American higher education, and has conducted research with the Navajo, Omaha, Santee, and HoChunk. He was named a Master Teacher by the Western States Communication Association.
Aaron Duncan, Ph.D. Director of Forensics
Communication Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Specialization: Coach of the speech and debate team; political communication
Expertise Key Words:
Public Speaking
Speech and debate
Oral interpretation of literature
Political communication
Media coverage of elections
Contact information: 410 Oldfather Hall
Email: aduncan3@unl.edu
Work Phone: 402-472-6920
Mobile Phone: 402-450-7830
Website(s):http://comm.unl.edu/faculty/duncan.shtml
Address: Department of Communication Studies, 410 Oldfather Hall
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0329
Research Credentials:
Aaron Duncan (Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln) is the Director of Forensics for the UNL forensics team, which placed 9th in the nation in 2010 and7th in 2009 out of over 100 college and universities at the American Forensics Association National Individual Events Tournament (AFA-NEIT). Aaron’s research specializes in political communication and cultural studies. His research focus is political communication, gambling, and media interpretations of political events.
He coached students to over 50 outrounds at the AFA-NIET in the last two years. Received M.A. in rhetoric from Kansas State in 2003 and a bachelor’s degree in political science and communication studies from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 1999. While a student at Nebraska Wesleyan University, Aaron placed in the final round of the AFA-NIET national tournament multiple times including: 2nd place in impromptu speaking (1999), 4th place in impromptu speaking (2003), 6th place in extemporaneous speaking (2002), 4th place in extemporaneous speaking (2003), and 3rd place in after dinner speaking (2003).
Dr. Karen King Lee, Professor of Practice
Department of Communication Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Specialization: The study of rhetoric and religion and the uses of argumentation and debate in our culture
Expertise Key Words:
Religion
Argumentation
Debate
Social change
Advocacy
Contact information:
Email: klee7@unl.edu
Work Phone: 402-472-0676
Website(s): http://comm.unl.edu/ugrad/index.shtml
Address: Department of Communication Studies, 441 Oldfather Hall
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0329
Research Credentials: Karen King Lee (Ph.D. University Iowa) has been a senior lecturer at UNL since 1993. She has a bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University and a master’s degree from Baylor University. She teaches courses in debate, argumentation and public speaking and has published research on the pedagogy of debate as well as work looking at the uses of argumentation in the construction of religious and social discourse.
Carly S. Woods, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Department of Communication Studies & Women's and Gender Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Specialization:
Rhetoric and Culture; Gender and Communication
Expertise Keywords:
Political Communication
Argumentation and Debate
History of Communication
Gender and Sexuality
Communication and Identity
Contact information:
Email: cwoods3@unl.edu
Work phone: 402-472-0650
Home phone: 412-867-7249
Website(s): http://comm.unl.edu/faculty/woods.shtml
Address: Department of Communication Studies, 440 Oldfather Hall
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0329
Research credentials: Carly Woods (Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh) joined the Communication Studies department in 2010. She studies representations of gender, race, class, and sexuality and how historically marginalized speakers and groups negotiate those differences in political culture. Her current research projects explore the history of women in debate and public controversies at the intersections of gender, biomedicine, and identity.
Her work has been published in KB Journal, Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, and Contemporary Argumentation and Debate.
Dr. Phyllis M. Japp, Emeritus Professor
Department of Communication Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Specialization: Health Communication, Communication Ethics, Communication and Media, Environmental Communication
Expertise Key Words
Health Communication
Popular Culture
Health and Politics
Contact information:
Email: pjapp@unl.edu
Work Phone: 402-472-5735
Address: Department of Communication Studies, 432 Oldfather Hall
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0329
Research Credentials:
Phyllis M. Japp (Ph.D. University of Nebraska-Lincoln) and Emeritus Professor. Her current research projects include images of health professionals in entertainment, personal stories as public argument, ethics of story telling, and story analysis.
She is the editor of three recent books (2005-6) on narrative and health, communication ethics and popular culture, communication and environmental rhetoric.
