It all Begins with Good Communication…
Thats the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication’s motto at Arizona State University, where I received my PhD in interpersonal communication in May of 2018. I then served at Utah Tech University for seven yeats where I serve as an Assistant/Associate Professor, Assessment Coordinator, Director of The Interpersonal Communication Curriculum, and interim chair between 2021-2022. Beginning in the Fall of 2026, I gained employment at Texas State University, where I teach for their Accelerated Online Learning Program
My area of interest is interpersonal communication with a focus on relational development and trajectory. I use quantitative methods to help paint a better picture of the ways that people can develop, maintain and (if necessary) terminate their relationships.
I student a phenomenon that I refer to as dyad-network accommodation (DNA). Essentially, I ask “What would have happened with Romeo and Juliet, had they tried to make it work?” The Capulets and Montagues would have likely influenced that relationship. The studey of how Romeo and Juliet communicate with/about those networks (and the member sin them) is my primary research objective,
I’m not sure when I started to love the academic life so much, but if I had to pick a time period it would be when I moved to Arizona. I cannot stress enough how helpful, loving, and supportive all of the friends that I made at ASU were and are to me. They taught me to humble myself and to be okay with vulnerability. Most of all, they made me a more empathetic soul. I try to pass that on as a mentor and a teacher.
In the years since graduating from ASU I’ve maintained my passion for research, and I’ve been fortunate enough to mentor and even publish with my undergraduates! Teaching has and will always be my great joy and passion (aside from wiffleball), and my time at UT gave me a ton of meaningful new life lessons to improve as a teacher, scholar, and person. I have just started my time at TXST, but I am giddy with excitement to harness my creativity and attention to an all-online program!