Heterodox University Comms / Marketing

Over nearly 15 years in university communications and marketing, I've seen how pressures from within and without try to bend a university into an ideological monolith where one orthodoxy or another dominates. The way we respond and communicate as institutions and as individual scholars can make or break public trust and confidence in the university. It can kill or cure free, robust teaching and scholarship.

I'm a 2025-26 Fellow of the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement. My research explores how university communications and public relations have helped universities grapple with political pressure for more than a century and how we are rising to the pressures faced today.

I give workshops and presentations about:
* How to make viewpoint diversity and open inquiry part of your university brand, and why you should.
* How universities have met challenges with political interference in the past, and what we need to do to navigate the current crisis.
* Why professional training is central to a university's mission ― but also the very reason we should teach the liberal arts.
* How university communications can help (or harm) viewpoint diversity on campus.
* How to communicate research in ways that foster trust across the political spectrum.
* How to build trust with audiences through storytelling.
* Communicating complex ideas, even with people who disagree.
* How journalism lost America's trust and could gain it again.
... plus numerous other topics on higher ed communications, public relations, social trust, and the meaning of life.

I'm a co-chair of the HxA Campus Community at the University of South Carolina. I also worked in journalism for several years and have contributed articles to Discourse Magazine, the Jefferson Education Society and more.

Engagement as an HxA Member:
Presented at HxA Virtual Event, Summit, or Conference
Featured in HxA Member Story
Guest on HxA Podcast
HxA Writers Group Member or Veteran
Active Moderator of an HxCommunity
Active HxA Campus Community Co-Chair
Author of essay in inquisitive magazine or HxA's blog
Former or Current Faculty Fellow at HxA's Segal Center for Academic Pluralism
Speaker's Title and Institutional/Organizational Affiliation: Communications Director, University of South Carolina
Event Type:
Lecture/Presentation
Fireside Chat
Book Talk
Film Screening + Talk
Professional Development Workshop
Podcast
Speaking Topics - List up to 5 specific topics or titles, each separated by a semicolon: How to make viewpoint diversity and open inquiry part of your university brand, and why you should; How universities have met challenges with political interference in the past, and what we need to do to navigate the current crisis.; * How to communicate research in ways that foster trust across the political spectrum.; How journalism lost America's trust and could gain it again.; Why professional training is central to a university's mission ― but also the very reason we should teach the liberal arts.
Blackout Dates (Dates speaker is unavailable, Days/Month/Year): Flexible
Distance Willing to Travel: Any/No Limits to Travel Radius
Scholarly Area: Other
Modality of Event : In Person and/or Virtual
Willingness to be recorded: Willing
Speaking Fee (Not including travel/lodging expenses): Under $1,000 USD
Recent Appearance (1 of 5) -title, host institution, year: Become an Honest Broker: Communication Strategies to Restore Trust in Research, Heterodox Academy Conference, 2025
Recent Appearance (2 of 5) -title, host institution, year: The Open Minded University Brand, Heterodox Academy Conference, 2024
Recent Appearance (3 of 5) -title, host institution, year: "Strategic Storytelling," University of South Carolina, 2023
Recent Appearance (4 of 5) -title, host institution, year: "Make Time for Procrastination in 2023," Nir and Far Podcast, 2023
Recent Appearance (5 of 5) -title, host institution, year: "Social Media During Social Distance," University of South Carolina, 2020