Graduate Admission Ambassadors
Graduate students in the Department of Communication come from a variety of backgrounds and pursue diverse research agendas. The profiles below provide a sense of the scholarly interests and recent achievements of the students in our program. Each student on this page serves as ambassador for the Department of Communication and is willing to answer questions that cannot be found on the Web site. To contact a student, click on his/her photo.
Lucinda L. Austin
Year/Standing: Second Year Ph.D.
Concentration: Public Relations
Advisor: Dr. Linda Aldoory
Lucinda is interested in health and risk communication as it affects organization-public relationships, public relations campaigns, and publics. She teaches "COMM 351: PR Techniques," and has taught “COMM 107: Oral Communication: Principles and Practices.” Lucinda has works part-time for a firm offering communication and health marketing research and support to government and non-profit organizations, and has served as a graduate assistant for the Center for Risk Communication Research. She received her M.A. at the University of Maryland and her B.S. degrees at Radford University.
Recent Work:
Aldoory, L. A. & Austin, L. L. (forthcoming). Public Relations and Health Communication: Partners in Improving Health Outcomes. In A. M. Dorsey, K. I. Miller, R. Parrott & T. L. Thompson (Eds.) Handbook of Health Communication. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Austin, L., Mitchko, J., Freeman, C., Kirby, S., & Milne, J. (2009). Using Framing Theory to Unite the Field of Injury and Violence Prevention and Response: Adding Power to Our Voices. Social Marketing Quarterly, 15(S1), 36-54.
Jennifer Bly
Year/Standing: First Year M.A.
Concentration: Rhetoric and Political Culture
Advisor: Dr. Trevor Parry-Giles
Jennifer is interested in studying the rhetoric of globalization, nationalism, cultural identity, and corporate production through various media outlets. Her research program is informed by globalization studies, cultural studies, branding studies, and media studies. She teaches "COMM107: Oral Communication: Principles and Practice." She received her B.A. from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania.
Rowena L. Briones
Year/Standing: Second Year M.A.
Concentration: Public Relations
Advisor: Dr. Linda Aldoory
Rowena's research interests include health and risk communication (particularly women's health), gender and diversity in public relations, social media, and feminist scholarship. She is currently a full time graduate assistant for the Center for Risk Communication Research and is the Philanthropy and Fundraising Chair for COMMGrads, the Communication Department's graduate student association. Rowena received her B.A. in Communication Studies (with minors in Marketing and Theatre & Drama) from The College of New Jersey in 2008.
Recent Work:
Briones, R. (2009, August). Effective emergency preparedness: Applying agenda-building and framing to the American Red Cross’ communication practice. Poster presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Annual Conference, Boston, MA. (Third Place Award for Visual Presentation)
Briones, R., Keefe, B., & Becker, K. (2009, April). PSA effectiveness: How the partnership for a drug-free America’s PSAs affect individuals across various factors. Paper presented at the Eastern Communication Association Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA. (Top Three Papers)
Theresa A. Donofrio
Year/Standing: Second Year Ph.D.
Concentration: Rhetoric and Political Culture
Advisor: Dr. Shawn J. Parry-Giles
Theresa is interested in the manifestations of therapeutic rhetoric in the wake of communal crises and tragedies. Her research program is informed by collective memory studies, trauma studies, and media studies. She is the Honors Humanities Doctoral Teaching Fellow for “ARHU205: Modes of Knowing and Doing in the Arts and Humanities” and serves as the assistant to the graduate director. She received her M.A. at the University of Maryland and her BA. at Miami University.
Recent Work:
Donofrio, Theresa A. “Ground Zero and Place-Making Authority: The Conservative Metaphors in 9/11 Families’ ‘Take Back the Memorial’ Rhetoric.” Western Journal of Communication 74 (2010): forthcoming.
Donofrio, Theresa A. “Jackson's Moral Drama: Synecdochic Logic and Abstraction in the Opening Statement at the Nuremberg Trial.” A paper presentation at the annual convention of the National Communication Association, Chicago, IL. November 2009.
Elizabeth Gardner
Year/Standing: First Year Ph.D.
Concentration: Rhetoric and Political Culture
Advisor: Dr. James F. Klumpp
Elizabeth researches the rhetoric of reform and religion at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. In particular, she is interested in urban reform efforts during the Progressive Era and the current fight to abolish modern-day slavery. Elizabeth has taught COMM107: Oral Communication: Principles and Practice, and she is currently the teaching assistant for COMM250: Introduction to Communication Inquiry. She received her B.A. at Houghton College.
Recent Work:
Gardner, Elizabeth. "The People's Shining Republic: Bryan, Progressives, and Imperialism." A paper presentation at the annual convention of the Eastern Communication Association, Philadelphia, PA. April 2009.
James Gilmore
Year/Standing: Third Year Ph.D.
Concentration: Rhetoric and Political Culture
Advisor: Dr. Trevor Parry-Giles
James studies the relationship between religion, culture, and politics, with a special interest in the rhetoric of the Christian Right, ultimately geared toward a career working toward the promotion of a progressive Christian political theology. He is also the technical assistant at the department's Media Center, with over five years' experience working in instructional and audiovisual technology. He holds a Master of Arts in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary, a Master of Arts in theatre from Bowling Green State University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Calvin College.
Recent Work:
Gilmore, James G. "The Congregation of the Spectacle: The Rhetorical Functions of Large-Scale Video Displays in Megachurches." Paper presented at annual convention of the National Communication Association, November 2008, San Diego, CA.
Gilmore, James G. "Muggers or Friends? Tragic and Comic Framing in the Construction of Political Opponents." Paper presented at triennial convention of the Kenneth Burke Society, July 2008, Villanova University, PA.
Katie Irwin
Year/Standing: First Year M.A.
Concentration: Rhetoric and Political Culture
Advisor: Dr. Kristy Maddux
Katie received her B.A. in Communication from the University of Maryland and is currently pursuing an M.A. in Communication with an emphasis on Rhetoric and Political Culture. Her specific interests include the intersection of feminism, the media, and politics. Katie is currently teaching “COMM107 – Oral Communication: Principles and Practice” and is the Undergraduate Studies Representative for COMMGrads.
Ahnlee Jang
Year/Standing: Fifth Year Ph.D.
Concentration: Public Relations
Advisor: Dr. Elizabeth Toth
Ahnlee Jang earned her B.A. from the Nanjing University (Chinese Language) and her M.A. from the University of Southern California (East Asian Languages and Cultures) and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. with emphasis in public relations. She is interested in applying social network perspective to understand organizations and publics. Her current research includes examination of activist groups’ social capital, public relations strategies in religious organizations, and the communication/networking behavior of publics in relation to culture.
Recent work:
Jang, S., Jang, A. & Yoo. J. H. (2008, November). Understanding the link between attachment communication efficacy in situations that increase uncertainty in close relationships: The mediating role of relational uncertainty. Paper presented at the annual conference of the National Communication Association, San Diego, CA.
Xie, X., & Jang. A. (2007, November). Are Asians really okay with contradictions? Using dissonance to explain cultural differences in responding to contradictions. Paper presented at the annual conference of the National Communication Association, Chicago, IL.
Ben Krueger
Year/Standing: Fourth Year Ph.D.
Concentration: Rhetoric and Political Culture
Advisor: Dr. Robert N. Gaines
Prior to moving to Maryland in 2004, Ben earned his bachelor's degree in speech communication at Northern Arizona University. Broadly conceptualized, Ben specializes in the rhetoric of social change, particularly with regard to issues of religion, war, and sexuality. Ben's dissertation focuses on the rhetorical activities Rev. William Sloane Coffin, Jr. in the Vietnam antiwar movement. Ben also serves as an editorial assistant for the journal Argumentation and Advocacy, currently edited by University of Maryland professor Dale Hample.
Recent Work:
Krueger, Ben. "Evil That Good May Come: A Rhetorical Analysis of the Moral Theory of Thomas Aquinas." Paper presented at the NCA/AFA Summer Conference on Argumentation, Alta, Utah. August 2007.
Krueger, Benjamin C. "Trial By Faith: The Rhetorical Defense of William Sloane Coffin." Paper presented at the annual convention of the National Communication Association, San Diego, CA. November 2008. (Public Address Division).
Abbey Blake Levenshus
Year/Standing: Second Year Ph.D.
Concentration: Public Relations
Advisor: Dr. Linda Aldoory
Abbey's research centers on government public relations, the intersection of faith, values and politics, and the impact of the Internet on government and political communication. Her professional experience includes serving as Communication Director for a U.S. Representative, a political technology company, and an information technology management consulting firm in Washington, D.C. Abbey has taught courses in public speaking, public relations, and oral communication. She received her M.A. at American University and her B.A. at DePauw University.
Recent Work:
Liu, B. F., & Levenshus, Abbey B. (2007). “Testing the government communication decision wheel: Toward a new theory of government public relations.” Paper accepted for presentation at the 2008 annual conference of the International Communication Association, Montreal, Canada. Manuscript submitted to Communication Theory.
Tiffany Lewis
Year/Standing: Second Year Ph.D.
Concentration: Rhetoric and Political Culture
Advisor: Dr. Kristy Maddux
Tiffany is interested in the rhetoric of early female politicians and suffragists in the American West. She received her M.A. at the University of Montana and her B.A. at the University of Washington. She is currently a teaching assistant for "COMM 324: Communication and Gender."
Recent Work:
Lewis, T. Abigail Scott Duniway’s frontier myth: Connecting progress in the west to woman’s suffrage. National Communication Association, Public Address Division. To be presented in Chicago, IL, November 2009.
Lewis, T. Seattle’s municipal housekeeper: Bertha Knight Landes’s entrance into politics. National Communication Association, Feminist Division. To be presented in Chicago, IL, November 2009.
Sean Luechtefeld
Year/Standing: First Year Ph.D.
Program: Rhetoric and Political Culture
Advisor: Dr. Trevor Parry-Giles
Sean's research program includes examinations of political rhetorical responses to economic crisis and news media coverage of political elections and events. He teaches “COMM230: Argumentation & Debate." He received his M.A. at Wake Forest University and his B.S. at the Florida State University.
Recent Work:
Luechtefeld, Sean D. "Discourses of change(.gov): Promoting Participation in Politics." A paper presentation at the annual convention of the National Communication Association, Chicago, IL. November 2009.
Luechtefeld, Sean D. "The Rhetoric of the Gay Rights Debate: Metaphor and News Media's Constructions of the Gay Rights Movement." A paper presentation at the annual convention of the Eastern Communication Association, Philadelphia, PA. April 2009.
Leysan Khakimova
Year/Standing: Second Year Ph.D.
Concentration: Public Relations
Leysan is a student in Public Relations track and is interested in Public Diplomacy and Arab Ethnic Identity. She has a BA in Arabic Language and Literature from the Kazan State University in Russia, and a Masters degree in Intercultural Communication and Conflict Management from the University of Kansas. Prior to her graduate studies she has worked as a Marketing Manager in the hospitality business. Leysan has taught a course on Oral Communication (COMM107) and is currently an Assistant Director of the Basic Course (COMM107). She also serves as a mentor of the Russian cluster at the Language House, a Living and Learning program at the University of Maryland.
Jade Olson
Year/Standing: First Year M.A.
Concentration: Rhetoric and Political Culture
Advisor: Dr. James Klumpp
Jade is interested in environmental, feminist and public space rhetorics. Lately she has been doing research on feminism and the animal rights movement, as well as commuter culture and the mediated public construction of bicyclists. She received her B.A. in Rhetoric and Media Studies from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. She is a teaching assistant for COMM 107: Oral Communication: Principles and Practice.
Recent Work:
Olson, Jade. "Fault and Asphalt: A Burkean Analysis of Blame Construction in Portland's Commuter Culture War." Paper presented at the annual convention of the Northwestern States Communication Association, April 2009, Coeur d'Alene, ID.
Olson, Jade. "A Road by Any Other Name: Rhetoric, Whiteness and Power in the Interstate Avenue Renaming Controversy." Paper presented at the annual convention of the Western States Communication Association, February 2009, Phoenix, AZ.
Sejal Patel
Year/Standing: Fourth Year Ph.D.
Concentration: Social Influence & Persuasion and Intercultural Communication
Advisor: Dr. Monique Mitchell Turner
Sejal has been researching the concept of trust within culture from an emic perspective. She is also interested in how trust affects information seeking behaviors and the implications of these behaviors on health-related decision making processes. Sejal is a teaching assistant for COMM 482 - Intercultural Communication and is past President of COMMGrads, the graduate student organization in the Department of Communication. She is currently serving as the Graduate Representative for the Departmental Assembly. Sejal received her M.A. and B.A. degrees from Rutgers University.
Recent Work:
Patel, Sejal. "When Expectations of Trust are Violated in Relationships: A Cross-Cultural Study of the Effects of In-group/Out-group Membership and Negative Expectancy Violations on Trust." A paper presentation at the annual convention of the National Communication Association, San Diego, CA. November 2008.
Patel, Sejal. "Are Dichotomized Cultural Studies Missing Something? Exploring Hybrid Cultures in Trust and Intercultural Negotiation." A paper presentation at the annual convention of the National Communication Association, Chicago, IL. November 2007.
Katie R. Place
Year/Standing: Fourth Year Ph.D.
Concentration: Public Relations
Advisor: Dr. Elizabeth Toth
Katie examines public relations ethics, power and gender. Her research program often employs ethics theories, feminist theory and situational theory of publics to assess public relations management issues. She teaches COMM 232: Writing and Editing for Public Relations and COMM 351: Public Relations Techniques. She received her B.A. in Communication and French and her M.A. in Communication/English from Virginia Tech.
Recent Work:
Place, Katie R. “What’s Guiding the Profession? An Examination of Public Relations Ethics.” Presented at Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) International Conference, Detroit, MI, October 2008. (Awarded Betsy Plank Graduate Research Paper Award)
Place, Katie R. “Public Relations Practitioners and Power Control: How They Make Meaning of Power in an Organization.” Presented at National Communication Association Conference, Chicago, IL, November 2007. (Awarded Top Three Student Paper in Public Relations)
Janna L. Raudenbush
Year/Standing: First Year M.A.
Concentration: Public Relations
Prior to coming to Maryland for her M.A., Janna received her bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from The College of New Jersey. She teaches COMM 107-Oral Communication: Principles and Practices. As a first year, she is currently developing her research interests but has researched various fields including health communication, journalism coverage on AIDS in Africa, communication about family roles, and sports public relations.
Recent Work:
Raudenbush, Janna L., Conn, A., & Miele G. “Nationwide newspaper coverage of the No Child Left Behind Act: A community structure approach.” Paper presented at the annual convention of the National Communication Association, November 2008, San Diego, CA.
Raudenbush, Janna L. “Stay-at-home fathers.” Paper presented at the annual convention of the New Jersey Communication Association, April 2008, Manhattan, NY.
Adam S. Richards
Year/Standing: First Year Ph.D.
Program: Persuasion and Social Influence
Adam's research interests involve the interaction between physiology, cognition, and affect in the persuasion process. His previous research has focused on social cognition and interpersonal communication. He holds degrees in Communication from the University of Montana (M.A.) and Wake Forest University (B.A.). He is a teaching assistant for "COMM 402: Communication Theory."
Recent Work:
Richards, Adam S. "Dyadic Perceptions of Forgiveness Episodes." A paper presentation at the annual convention of the Western States Communication Association, Phoenix, AZ, February 2009.
Richards, Adam S., Buttweiler, Brittney, & Olson, Amanda. "Evaluating the Effect of Communicated Methamphetamine Approval on Individual Perceived Risk of Methamphetamine Use: A Diffusion of Innovation Approach." A paper presentation at the annual convention of the Western States Communication Association, Phoenix, AZ, February 2009.
Alyssa A. Samek
Year/Standing: Third year Ph.D.
Concentration: Rhetoric and Political Culture
Advisor:Dr. Shawn J. Parry-Giles
Alyssa analyzes the rhetorical complexity of social movement, campaign, memorial, and media discourse. Some of her current projects investigate rhetorical notions of the mediated gendered and ethnic body in politics, the intersection of citizenship, nationalism, militarism, gender, and sexuality, and the recovery of lesbian public discourse during the 1970s and 80s. She serves as the assistant to the Center for Political Communication and Civic Leadership. She received her M.A. from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado and her B.A. from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Recent Work:
Samek, Alyssa A. "Political Skin: (Un)Covering the Presidential Candidates," Feminist Media Studies 8, no. 4 (2008).
Samek, Alyssa. "Strategic Confession and Ironic Voice: Revisiting Rhetorical Resistance to the Military's Ban on Lesbians and Gay Men." A paper for presentation to the Western States Communication Association, Organization for Research on Women and Communication, Phoenix, AZ, February 2009.
Robin Scholz
Year/Standing: Second Year Ph.D.
Concentration: Rhetoric and Political Culture
Advisor: Dr. Kristy Maddux
Robin is interested in the public construction and negotiation of one’s multiple (and often conflicting) identities. Her research program is informed by GLBT and women’s studies. She teaches “COMM107—Oral Communication: Principles and Practices.” She received her M.A. at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and her B.A. at the University of Wisconsin- Madison.
Recent Work:
Scholz, Robin L. (2007, September). “Rethinking homosexual identity theories: A case study of GLBT Mormons’ homosexual and religious identity formation and negotiation.” Paper presented at the 2008 Eastern Communication Association Annual Conference, Pittsburgh, PA.
Scholz, Robin L. (2007, March). “The rhetoric of the oxymor(m)on: An analysis of the GLBT Mormon group “Affirmation.” Paper presented at the 2007 Central States Communication Association Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN.
Beth Sundstrom
Year/Standing: First Year Ph.D.
Program: Public Relations
Advisor: Dr. Linda Aldoory
Beth is interested in Health Communication and Social Marketing, with a focus in women’s health. Her most recent research includes web-based survey design and qualitative research to investigate contraceptive use dynamics. She teaches "COMM107: Oral Communication: Principles and Practice." Beth received a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Brown University with a specialization in health communication and women's health and a B.A. from Tulane University in political science.
Recent Work:
Marshall, Robert J., Beth Sundstrom, (with assistance from Dawn Griffin). Determining the level of interest in a professional association for social marketing in the U.S.: the results of a national survey. Presentation at the 19th Annual Social Marketing in Public Health Conference (June 2009).
Jill Cornelius Underhill
Year/Standing: Fourth Year Ph.D.
Concentration: Persuasion & Social Influence
Advisor: Dr. Monique Mitchell Turner
Jill's research program takes an empirical approach to studying the intersection of persuasion, emotion, and cognition in order to better understand the processes mediating and moderating message reception, acceptance, and behavior change. Specifically, her research focuses on how emotional appeals can elicit attitude and behavior change within political and health communication contexts. She currently serves as a research assistant for the Center for Risk Communication Research and as a teaching assistant for Comm 250: Introduction to Communication Theory. She received her M.A. at the University of Maryland and her B.A. at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Recent Work:
Underhill, Jill C. (2008, November). “Guilt out the Vote: Using emotional appeals in political communication.” Paper presented at the annual convention of the National Communication Association, San Diego, CA.
Pfau, M., Semmler, S., Deatrick, L., Mason, A., Nisbett, G., Lane, L., Craig, E., Cornelius, Jill., & Banas, J. (in press). “Nuances about the role and impact of affect in inoculation.” Communication Monographs.
Lin (Julie) Zhu
Year/Standing: Second Year Ph.D.
Program: Intercultural Communication
Advisor: Dr. Meina Liu
Julie is currently pursuing her Ph.D. degree in intercultural communication. Her master's thesis discussed mass media effects on stereotypical perceptions of Chinese and Americans in university settings. She is interested in ingroup-outgroup perception and formation of prejudice. Currently she is currently working on several studies that deal with cultural influence on the function of social distance and power distance. She received her first M.A. in Linguistics at the Beijing Foreign Studies University and her second M.A. in Communication at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Recent Work:
Zhu, Lin, “Framing of the Taiwan Issue in a Hong Kong Newspaper.” Paper presented at the 5th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities.
Zhu, Lin, “A Contrastive Study of Criticizing and Complimenting in American and Chinese Contexts.” Paper presented at the 5th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities.
Lin Zhu
Year/Standing: Second Year M.A.
Concentration: Intercultural Communication
Advisor: Dr. Meina Liu
Lin is pursuing her Master's degree in intercultural communication. Lin received her BA in English and had a minor in International Economics and Trade from Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing, China. Lin is interested in negotiation in intercultural context, especially the role of trust plays in the negotiation process. Lin is also interested in health communication, focusing on health campaigns.
