My grant proposal, “’Pumping Up’ Survey Research: Boosting Participation in Texas State University’s Total Wellness Program” with Dr. Tricia Burke, was funded from Texas State University’s Research Enhancement Program. With this funding, we will conduct qualitative interviews to explore the role that coworkers play in influencing participation in our wellness program, as well as how people’s sense of identification with the University might affect their wellness choices. By studying the communication processes surrounding this workplace health initiative, this research aims to increase employee participation rates and improve people’s health behaviors.

I received the 2015 Rising Star Award from the Training & Development Division of the National Communication Association! I am grateful to be part of this division and look forward to my continued involvement in the years to come.

My paper coauthored with Jeffrey Treem (first author), Casey Pierce, and Paul Leonardi, “Bringing Technological Frames to Work: How Previous Experience With Social Media Shapes the Technology’s Meaning in an Organization,” was published in the Journal of Communication. This study revealed meaningful differences in how employees viewed the anticipated and subsequent implementation of an enterprise social media platform, and our findings emphasize how interpretations of technology may shift over time and across contexts.

Dr. Larry Browning and I were presented with the Organizational Communication Division’s “Article of the Year” award at NCA! We are thrilled that our piece, “Retelling Stories in Organizations: Understanding the Functions of Narrative Repetition,” has been so well received. We hope that you read it and pass it along to others, as we often do with stories.

Today I graduated from the University of Texas! It was such a special day, and I’m so grateful for all the support from my family, friends, and mentors. Hook ’em!

I was selected as the Outstanding Communication Adjunct of the Year at St. Edward’s University. I’m honored the Communication faculty chose me for this award! 

I am excited to share that I successfully defended my dissertation! I am so grateful to all my committee members for their great suggestions and insightful comments.

I have written a book chapter, “Human resources development in a technology-infused workplace” with Dr. Keri Stephens that has been accepted for publication in the Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology (3rd ed.). 

I am excited to share that I have accepted a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor Position at Texas State University. I am thrilled to be joining their esteemed Department of Communication Studies next fall. 

I received a Career Development Grant from the UT College of Communication’s Career Services. The $500 grant will help me travel to the National Communication Association (NCA) annual convention in Washington, DC. Many thanks to Career Services for your support!