About Me

I am an Associate Professor and Fellow in strategic communication and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. My research focuses broadly on CSR communication and specifically on how CSR develops and maintains relationships between corporations, employees, and communities. I am particularly interested in deciphering what is the rightful place for corporations in society from the perspective of corporations and members of society.

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Before becoming a researcher and professor, I held numerous communication and PR positions in the private and nonprofit sectors. My professional experience gave me a front row seat into the ways corporations uphold (or not) their social licenses to operate.

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My academic career, as a student and professor, has been spent at land grant universities. I believe strongly in the ethos of land grant universities to provide quality education to a diverse group of people and conduct research that will improve the lives of all people. I acknowledge that the universities from which I obtained my education and career opportunities are built upon the homelands of Native peoples of Washington state, Indiana, and Minnesota and I am committed to increasing access to all aspects of higher education for all people.

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As you can see from the adjacent photo, I am a devotee of the Minnesota State Fair and getting my picture with both Fairchild and Fairborne was a dream come true. Beyond eating Sweet Martha's cookies and all things at the Fair, I enjoy spending time in my garden, hanging out with Louie, my Bernese Mountain dog, traveling to National Parks, watching movies and playing pickleball.