Faculty & Staff

Dr. Austin was born and raised in Lafayette, LA before earning her bachelors degree in Communication Studies with a minor in organizational studies from the University of Mary Hardin Baylor in Belton, TX, masters degree in Communication Studies at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, WY, and Ph.D. in...

I received my B.A. (2005), M.A. (2007), and Ph.D. (2012) in Communication from the University of Arizona. When I am not teaching or researching, I enjoy spending time with my partner, Kevin; our son, Charlie; and our pup. We love sunshine, mountains, music, and the beautiful San Marcos River.

Dr. Burnette is a Professor in the Department of Communication Studies. She teaches graduate and undergraduate classes in Political Communication, American Speeches, and Rhetorical Criticism. Dr. Burnette's B.A. and M.A. are from the University of Virginia and her Ph.D. is from Northwestern University....

Dr. Burns is a Senior Lecturer and Director of Career Readiness in the Department of Communication Studies and he also serves as the Co-Director for the College of Fine Arts and Communication's research program, CoSearch. He teaches large lectures of COMM 1310 and several other courses including: training...

Mr. Chilton is currently a Senior Lecturer with the Department of Communication Studies. He earned his M.A. at Texas State University and his B.S. at Lamar University. His academic interests include instructional communication, group and team dynamics, assessment, training and development, and relationship...

Texas State University | Master of Arts in Communication Studies | 2016
Texas State University | Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies | 2012

What's up, Fam?!

I am an Adjunct Professor for the Department of Communication Studies here at Texas State University. I earned my B.A. and M.A. degrees here at Texas State. I have a strong passion for educating others on the value of effective communication skills. A philosophy that I adopted...

I received my M.A. (2009) and Ph.D. (2014) in Communication Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. Before that, I completed my B.A. (2007) in Communication Studies and Spanish from Southwestern University.

Dr. Elizabeth K. Eger is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Texas State University. She obtained her PhD at the University of Colorado Boulder where she also received graduate certificates in Critical Theory and in Women and Gender Studies.

Dr. Eger teaches undergraduate...

Dr. Kristen Farris is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Texas State University. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2017, where she studied interpersonal communication at the intersections of health and instructional communication. Her interpersonal...

Ph.D. Purdue University, Communication
M.A. University of Arkansas, Communication
B.A. University of Arkansas, Communication

*Health Services Research and Development Associated Post-Doctoral Fellow Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center, Indianapolis, Indiana

M.A. in Communication Studies
Texas State University, 2012

BA - University of Missouri-Columbia: Communication Studies
MA - Miami (Ohio) University: Communication Studies
PhD - University of Tennessee-Knoxville: Communication Studies and Adult Education

Dr. Keeley was born and raised in Tucson, AZ ; she comes from a large Irish American family filled with civil servants (police officers, fire fighters, and nurses) and believes that her work as a Professor (scholar and teacher) has the same service goal as those distinguished professions: to help others...

Daniel King (or "DK" as some call him) earned his M.A. in Communication Studies with an emphasis in interpersonal/dark side communication and corporate training certification in fall of 2014 from Texas State University. Prior to that, he earned his B.A. in Communication Studies at Texas State with a...

Roseann M. Mandziuk is a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Communication Studies. She earned her Ph.D. in Rhetorical Studies from the University of Iowa, her M.S. in Communication from Illinois State University, and her B.A. in Speech and in English from Wayne State University....

Ryan McPherson serves as an Adjunct Fall Faculty for Texas State University-San Marcos, Associate Professor of Practice at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), and Founder and CEO of Storytelling Movement. Ryan is a Curious Creative Catalyst and Communication Consultant helping people tell...

Dr. Josh Miller is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies. He earned his doctorate in Communication Studies with a certificate in rhetorical leadership from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He has a passion for teaching classes that center public advocacy, social movements,...

Matthew Morris received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, where his focus was rhetoric and political communication. His dissertation was an analysis of the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street's populist rhetoric and how various media influenced each group's organization and argumentation....

Down-to-earth, creative professional with a reputation for rationality. Forward-thinking team player focused on efficiency, with specializations in education and social science. B.A., and M.A. in Communication Studies from Texas State University.

I am a senior lecturer and Basic Course Director in the Communication Studies Department at Texas State University. I earned my B.B.A. in Business Administration from Angelo State University and my M.A. in Communication Studies here at Texas State. My focus is on using communication to build strong relationships...

Dr. Pokharel holds a B.S. in Nursing from the Purwanchal University, Nepal; an M.S. in Health Promotion and education and a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Utah.

Dr. Pokharel's research focuses on the strategic communication of health information to the public. She utilizes foundational...

Dr. Erik Timmerman graduated with a B.A. in Communication from the University of Nevada, Reno; an M.A. in Communication Studies from Texas State University; and a Ph.D. Organizational Communication from the University of Texas at Austin.

Erik’s research examines communication processes in organizations....

I grew up in Milwaukee, and I’m a graduate of UW-Milwaukee’s communication department. I earned my BA and my MA there, and then moved to Austin where I earned my doctorate from the University of Texas. I loved living in Austin, but was also excited to return home after earning my PhD, when I was magically...

Melinda Villagran is the Executive Director of Texas State's Translational Health Research Center, leading applied health research programs with community partners to improve health and increase resilience in Texas. Dr. Villagran is also the Principal Investigator for the Community Mental Health M.A.P....