Conference

PR Division Programming at AEJMC
 
Presented below is the AEJMC 2025 Public Relations Division Program Schedule, organized by location, time, and session type with a brief summary of the topic. For the full schedule, not limited to PR Division programming, visit the AEJMC 2025 Conference  Program website at https://community.aejmc.org/conference/schedule/program
 
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2025
 
Pre-conference Workshop "Turning Barriers into Opportunities for Teaching,Research, and Practice” sponsored by The Arthur W.Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication
 

1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. in Pacific C [4FL]

Session: Public Relations Division Workshop

Session Code: PC11

Note: Pre-registration required

Overview: A four-part pre-conference workshop examining DEI pushback, controversial research topics, principled leadership, and classroom best practices.

1:00 – 1:50 p.m.

Part I – Exploring Teaching Strategies to Combat DEI Pushback in the PR Classroom (co-organized by the DEI Committees of the AEJMC PRD and the Commission on Public Relations Education, or CPRE). Moderating/Presiding: Sun Young Lee, University of Maryland

Panelists:

  • Amiso George, Ph.D., Texas Christian University
  • Juan Mundel, Ph.D., Michigan State University
  • Maria De Moya, Ph.D., University of Tennessee
  • Sarah Aghazadeh, Ph.D., American University

2:00 - 2:50 p.m.

Part II – Navigating the Minefield: Researching “Controversial” Topics in a Shifting Social Landscape (Organized Arthur W. Page Center). Sponsored by: The Arthur W. Page Center. Moderating/Presiding: Denise Bortree, Penn State

Panelists:

  • Luke Capizzo, Michigan State
  • Nicole Lee, Arizona State
  • Holly Overton, Penn State

3:00 - 3:50 p.m.

Part III – Principled Leadership in Troubled Times: Best Practices Among Practitioners (organized by the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations). Moderating/Presiding: Ioana Coman, Texas Tech, standing in for Karla Gower, University of Alabama, Director, Plank Center

Panelists:

  • Sheryl Bates, Co-Chair of the DEI Advisory Board for the Arthur Page Society and former Vice President of Global Diversity, Inclusion & Engagement at Pitney Bowes
  • Bill Imada, Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Connectivity Officer of IW Group
  • Randa Ghnaim, Program Director, Master of Arts in Professional Communication, University of San Francisco

4:00 - 4:50 p.m.

Part IV – New Insights from Practitioners & Educators on DEI Pushback (co-organized by CPRE & PRD). Moderating/Presiding: Sun Young Lee, University of Maryland. Facilitator: Sheryl Bates, Co-Chair of the DEI Advisory Board for the Arthur Page Society and former Vice President of Global Diversity, Inclusion & Engagement at Pitney Bowes

  
THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2025
 
8:30 – 9:45 a.m.

Session 1: Media Ethics and PR Divisions Teaching Panel

    • Location: Pacific B [4FL]
    • Session Code: Th006
    • Moderating/Presiding: Marlene Neill, Baylor University
    • Topics: Continuing education needs in ethics training for journalism, advertising, and PR, including DEI, AI, disability ethics, and misinformation
    • Panelists:
      • Courtney Boman, University of Alabama
      • Rachel Lim, Oklahoma State
      • Marlene Neil, Baylor
Session 2: Plank Center Coffee Hour (Mentorship Event)
    • Location: Salon 1/2 [LB2L]
    • Session Code: Th014
    • Moderating/Presiding: Tugce Ertem Eray, North Carolina State
    • Details: Annual “Coffee Hour” for mentor-mentee networking. Sponsored by the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations. By invitation only. 
10 a.m. 
Graduate Student Showcase in Foothill E.
If you are hiring, or simply want to join us to support the next generation of the division, we hope to see you on Foothill E!
 
10:15 – 11:30 a.m.
Session: Scholar-to-Scholar Poster Session
Location: Salon 9 [LB2L]
Session Code: Th018
Focus Areas: AI, technology and innovation in PR. CSR, CSA, and organizational ethics. Crisis communication and reputation
Discussants:
  • Yan Qu, University of Maryland
  • Luke Capizzo, Michigan State
  • Nicholas Eng, University of Georgia
12:00 – 1:15 p.m.
Session: Refereed Research Paper Session — Advancement in Crisis Communication and CSR research
Location: Salon 3 [LB2L]
Session Code: Th035
Moderating/Presiding: Sun Young Lee, Maryland
Discussant: Holly Overton, Penn State
Papers include: CSR and greenwashing in AI. CEO, emotions in crisis communication. CSR messaging
 
1:45 – 3:00 p.m.
Session: Refereed Research Paper Session — Issue Management and Social Advocacy for Various Contexts
Location: Salon 3 [LB2L]
Session Code: Th049
Moderating/Presiding: Jeonghyun Janice Lee, LSU
Discussant: Lucinda Austin, UNC-Chapel Hill
Topics: Internal agenda-building, Gen Z advocacy, corporate activism, and moral appraisals in crisis
*PR History Award Winner: Centering Historical Student Activism and the Role of Place in Issues Management for Higher Education. 
  
FRIDAY, AUGUST 8, 2025
  
9:45 – 11:00 a.m.
Session: Refereed Research — Top Student Papers
Location: Salon 1/2 [LB2L]
Session Code: F022
Moderating/Presiding: Jiun-Yi Tsai, Northern Arizona
Discussant: Queenie Li, Miami
Awards: First, second, and third place papers in the student competition
  
11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Session: Research Panel — Evolution of PR in Africa
Location: Pacific B [4FL]
Session Code: F038
Moderating/Presiding: Oluseyi Adegbola, Tennessee
Focus: Colonial origins to modern public relations in African nations
Panelists:
    • James Ndone
    • Carolyn Walcott
    • Gregory Gondwe
    • Martha Seffah  
 
1:15 – 2:30 p.m.
Session: PFR Panel — Leaving Leadership: Why, When, and How
Location: Pacific A [4FL]
Session Code: F047
Moderating/Presiding: Bey-Ling Sha, Texas Tech
Panelists:
    • Miglena Sternadori
    • Rochelle Ford
    • Natalie Tindall
Topics: Challenges faced by women of color in leadership; pathways and decisions in leadership transitions
  
3:00 – 4:15 p.m.
Session: Dan Edelman and Bill Adams Panel: How and When Organizations Should Address Mis/Disinformation: Understanding a Multifaceted Threat
Location: Foothill B [2FL]
Session Code: F064
Moderating/Presiding: Virginia Harrison, Clemson
Panelists:
  • Simon Paterson, Edelman
  • Yan Jin, Georgia
  • Regina Luttrell, Syracuse
  • Chad Painter, Dayton
Focus: Organizational responses to mis/disinformation and strategic preparation
  
SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 2025
 
8:00 – 9:15 a.m.
Session: High-Density Teaching and GIFT Papers
Location: Foothill C [2FL]
Session Code: Sa014
Moderating/Presiding: Sun Young Lee, Maryland
Discussants: Amanda Weed, Zifei Fay Chen
Content: Teaching paper competition winners. Great Ideas For Teaching (GIFTs), including PESO model, digital scaffolding, and AI teaching tools
  
11:30 a.m.
PRD Teaching Committee and Journal of Public Relations Education casual brunch at Uno Dos Tacos. This brunch is a great opportunity to catch up on all things teaching in the PRD community.
Space is very limited, so RSVP by Monday, August 4th, to reserve your seat. RSVPs will be honored in the order received. Questions? Contact PRD Teaching Committee Member, Social Organizer Kate Stewart at kdstewart@jsu.edu. https://forms.gle/7jnJdhCrry5iAPRE9
 
3:00 – 4:15 p.m.
Session: Teaching Panel — Gen Z in the Workforce
Location: Salon 5/6 [LB2L]
Session Code: Sa057
Focus: Preparing Gen Z for PR industry expectations
Moderating/Presiding: Nandini Bhalla
Panelists:
    • Michelle Galey
    • Caitlin Haskins
    • Caitlin Cieslik-Miskimen
    • Jeffery Ranta
 
4:45 – 6:00 p.m.
Session: Top Papers — DEI and Open Research
Location: Pacific C [4FL]
Session Code: Sa070
Moderating/Presiding: April Yue, Boston
Discussant: Nicholas Browning
Highlights: Trust, workplace well-being, sustainability framing, graduate education, DEI publication trends
 
6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Session: Public Relations Division Business Meeting
Location: Pacific C [4FL]
Session Code: Sa083
Moderating/Presiding: Chris McCollough, Ioana Coman, Virginia Harrison
 
7:45 – 9:30 p.m.
AT CAPACITY: We are no longer accepting RSVPs at this time.
Event: Off-Site Social at The Harlequin, 68 4th Street, San Francisco
  
SUNDAY, AUGUST 10, 2025
 
9:45 – 11:00 a.m.
Session: High-Density GIFT Presentations
Location: Foothill C [2FL]
Session Code: Su010
Moderating/Presiding: Minhee Choi
Discussant: Erika Schneider
Presentations: Generative AI literacy. PR podcasts, LinkedIn portfolios. University writing centers. Data and audience targeting.
 
11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Session: Teaching Panel — Diversifying PR History
Location: Salon 1/2 [LB2L]
Session Code: Su018
Moderating/Presiding: Jeffrey S. Morosoff, Hofstra
Topic: Addressing the lack of representation in traditional PR historical narratives
Panelists:
  • Melody Fisher
  • Karla Gower
  • David Brown
  • Shelley Spector