Media & Strategic Communications

Andrew M. Abernathy is an assistant professor at OSU's School of Media & Strategic Communications. Abernathy conducts mixed-methods research at the intersection of teaching, learning, media, and society. His research in experiantial and equity-oriented remediation in journalism & mass communication received the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication's 2023 Campbell Research Award, and his current research interests explore the ethical integration generative AI in creative and classroom contexts, media literacy, and alternative assessment methods. His research has been published in Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, Journal of Media Education, Teaching Journalism & Mass Communication, and the Journal of Marketing Communication. 

A former journalist and public relations practitioner, Abernathy worked in professional media roles for more than 15 years before joining the OSU faculty in 2020. His professional work has been published by more than 50 publications and has been recognized by the National Association of Business Publications Editors, the Southern Public Relations Federation, the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters, and more.

His primary teaching interests include introductory and advanced media writing, campaign planning, market research and more. In 2024, Abernthy received the CAS Outstanding Club Advisor for his work with OSU's Strategic Communications Club. He served as a 2024-25 research group fellow with the OSU Center for Humanities and was a 2025 finalist for OSU's Regents Distinguished Teaching Award. He curently serves as a Community News Champion with the Center for Community News at the University of Vermont. 

Rosemary Avance is a community scholar whose research and teaching aim to improve information access for vulnerable populations. Recipient of 2024 College of Arts and Sciences Social and Behavioral Sciences Research Award and a 2022-2023 Center for the Humanities Digital Humanities Research Fellow, Avance's research expertise is interdisciplinary, focusing on the interplay between social dynamics, communication technologies, and identity formation across diverse domains. By employing a range of qualitative and quantitative methods, such as literature reviews, surveys, interviews, case studies, and thematic analysis, her research sheds light on the evolving nature of societal structures, the challenges faced by traditional institutions, and the potential for innovative modes of influence, communication, and expression. She is especially interested in the practical application of research that analyzes the complex interactions between social, technological, and cultural aspects of contemporary society, especially how organizations and individuals navigate new ecologies of identity in the digital age. Recent projects include: 

—community and stakeholder engagement vis-a-vis carbon capture, use and storage perception, funded by the Department of Energy;
—a study of United States nuclear deterrence theory and practice, 1945-present, funded by the Department of Defense;
—a collaborative study on the Oklahoma news ecosystem funded by a grant from the Kirkpatrick Foundation and in partnership with the Oklahoma Media Center;
—a College of Arts & Sciences Faculty Council study of university policies and procedures and faculty experiences of discrimination and harassment at OSU.

Other topic areas of interest and research in the pipeline:
— Misinformation, news media distrust and social media
— Native American representation in entertainment media
— Ethics of artificial intelligence / ChatGPT in the academy

Avance's manuscript, Mediated Mormons: Shifting Religious Identities in the Digital Age (University of Utah Press, 2025) uses the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a case study to examine how individuals navigate change in a strictly-bounded system given the challenges posed to traditional authority systems by the open text of the internet. Avance received her PhD from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.

Research Interests:

Local news & information access, especially in rural areas

Citizen journalism

Digital literacy

Diversity, equity and inclusion

Religious identity, narrative & media
Ethics of generative artificial intelligence
Media history
Racial identities & white nationalism
Organizational communication
Gender identity & representation
Native American representation & strategic communication

Jinger Bernhardt is an associate professor of professional practice for the School of Media and Strategic Communications with experience in event planning, public relations, organizational communication and professional writing. 

With a Ph.D. in communication from Regent University, Bernhardt's research interests include bridging the communication gaps between the hearing and Deaf cultures interpersonally and professionally. In addition, she has studied how to better accommodate students with disabilities and how to overcome the negative stigmas for students relating to self advocacy and seeking external support. She has presented at many academic conferences and continues to be an active member of the Association for Edication in Journalism and Mass Communication and the National Communication Association.

Most importantly, Bernhardt's teaching philosophy revolves around surpassing classroom expectations, fostering a culture of lifelong learning and empowering students to be difference makers in the world, even when there are obstacles along the way.

Research Interests:

Disabilities and Accommodation

Strategic Communication

Organizational Communication

Pedagogy

Crisis Management and Response

Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Cultures

Dr. Asya Cooley is an Associate Professor of Strategic Communications and Graduate Coordinator at Oklahoma State University's School of Media and Strategic Communications. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from Mississippi State University, a Master of Mass Communication from Louisiana State University, and a B.A. from Alcorn State University. Prior to academia, she held progressive development roles at the Mississippi State University Foundation and worked as an Account Executive with The New York Times Regional Media Group.

Dr. Cooley's research interests span nonprofit accountability, strategic communications, and media narratives, with particular focus on how nonprofit organizations establish legitimacy and transparency through online practices. Her scholarship examines the intersection of public policy, nonprofit management, and strategic communication, including recent work on Ukrainian NGOs, vaccine confidence narratives among Hispanic migrant communities, and the role of civil society in climate change discourse. As a lead researcher with the Media Ecology and Strategic Analysis (MESA) Group since 2019, she has contributed to numerous funded research projects totaling over $500,000, including grants from the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and the Vaccine Confidence Fund. Her work has been published in prestigious journals including Computers in Human Behavior, Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs, Media War & Conflict, and the Nonprofit Policy Forum.

Dr. Cooley teaches graduate courses in nonprofit branding, health communication campaigns, NGO strategic planning, and media and social change. She has received multiple honors for her work, including two top conference paper awards from the National Communication Association's Communication and Military Division, and has successfully guided the OSU Advertising Club to multiple victories in the National Student Advertising Competition. Dr. Cooley is actively engaged in professional service as a Certified Resilience Advantage Trainer through the HeartMath Institute and serves as a reviewer for several academic journals. She maintains memberships in numerous professional organizations including the National Communication Association, International Communication Association, and the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action.

Professor and Director, School of Global Studies, and Lawrence L. Boger Chair in International Studies, Oklahoma State University.

Research Interests:

Nation Branding, Public Diplomacy, Advertising Education

Sujin Kim (Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin) is an assistant professor of strategic communication at Oklahoma State University. She is an active digital media researcher and a creative multimedia designer.

Her research focuses on how emerging technologies shape consumers’ behavioral and cognitive engagement with marketing messages, with a particular interest in negative online behaviors such as ad avoidance, privacy concerns, and compensatory consumption. As a multimedia designer, she has uniquely integrated this expertise into her empirical work, developing and testing responsive, interactive stimuli—ranging from motion graphics to social media ads—directly within her research experiments.

Building on this UX and behavioral foundation, her current research agenda has expanded to investigate how individuals respond to emerging technologies such as generative AI. Her recent work examines how AI is integrated into strategic communication, the ethical boundaries of automated practices, and how transparency disclosures shape consumer trust. In her recent experimental work, she explores the dark side of automation, demonstrating how delegating tasks to AI agents can psychologically license and increase unethical consumer behaviors.

Her research has been published in leading communication and advertising journals, including the International Journal of Advertising, Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Journal of Marketing Communications, among others. Before entering academia, she gained valuable industry experience in brand strategy and marketing communications, including creative roles at Ogilvy One Worldwide in South Korea.

Bobbi Kay Lewis is an Associate Professor of Strategic Communication in the School of Media and Strategic Communications at Oklahoma State University. She previously served for ten years in administrative leadership as Associate Dean for Outreach and Communications in the College of Arts and Sciences, where she oversaw online and noncredit programs, study abroad initiatives, and the College’s communications and recruitment efforts. Dr. Lewis holds a B.S. in Advertising, an M.S. in Mass Communication, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Social Foundations of Education, all from Oklahoma State University. Her teaching and research focus on strategic communication, media literacy, and the evolving media landscape.

Research Interests:

Lewis' research interests include social media, experiential learning, strategic communication, and promoting STEM education through strategic communication. She has published numerous articles and book chapters in these areas. She recently published the first comprehensive introductory textbook for Strategic Communication through Routledge, titled Principles and Strategic Communication.

Dylan McLemore is an Associate Professor in the School of Media and Strategic Communications at Oklahoma State University.  A professor who practices what he preaches, Dylan also works as a play-by-play announcer and serves as a public scholar discussing media law, innovation and impact for news outlets in the U.S. and around the world.

With inventive, empathetic pedagogy that builds practical toolkits for aspiring professionals, Dylan is a Career Champion and Teaching Excellence Fellow, and was recognized as the 2020 Promising Professor by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).  His students have won top paper awards at the AEJMC Midwinter Conference and at the Mississippi Communication Association annual conference.

Dylan believes in taking scholarship beyond the academy and into the hands of people who can use it through guest lectures, interactive panels, freelance editorials and interviews with media outlets around the world, including CNN, The Washington Post and SiriusXM.  He is part of a team partnering with the American Press Institute to bridge the gap between academic researchers and journalists.

When he's not in the classroom, Dylan is probably in the press box, where he's a play-by-play announcer for ESPN+ calling college football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball and soccer. His calls have been heard on ESPN’s SportsCenter and he was a finalist for the Golden Mic Award, honoring the best broadcasters in college softball.

Dylan earned his Ph.D. in Communication and Information Sciences from the University of Alabama, where he was a graduate council research fellow, graduate teaching fellow and National Communication Association doctoral honors scholar.

Dr. Christie is the Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies in the School of Media & Strategic Communications at Oklahoma State University. Professor Christie holds the Peggy Layman Welch Endowed Chair. At OSU, she teaches undergraduate courses in Strategic Communication and graduate courses in Mass Communication. She formerly served as Graduate Director for the MS Mass Communication program and as Strategic Communication Program Head. Prior to joining the OSU faculty, she was an associate professor of Public Relations at the University of Alabama.

The Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication has twice named her a Page Legacy Scholar (2012, 2018). She also has been recognized for her academic and professional achievements by Tulsa People magazine ("40 Notable Tulsans Under 40," July 2007), Public Relations Society of America (Accredited by the Universal Review Board), Kappa Tau Alpha (National Journalism Honor Society), Phi Kappa Alpha (National Honor Society), and Phi Beta Delta (International Honor Society).

Research Interests:

Ph.D. Communication, University of Oklahoma, 1995

M.S., Mass Communication, Oklahoma State University, 1992

B.A. Broadcast Journalism, Arizona State University, 1991


RESEARCH
Dr. Christie's research focuses on Media Ethics. She has published over 40 academic journal articles and book contributions. Recent works have examined the role of ethics education on advertising and PR student's attitudes and intended behaviors toward ethics. Studies have focused on native advertising and fake news. Her research in political communication also deals with ethics, or lack thereof. Her political communication research has included studies examining national and international political advertising, political public relations, adwatch coverage, presidential debate coverage, and mediated communication. Additionally, she has published a book on advertising and campaign messages in the 1996 Romanian election. Dr. Christie also researches on ethical issues in nation branding and sustainability communication. She also has contributed to research methods literature. Over three dozen of her refereed papers have been presented at academic conferences.

I was a longtime sports writer in copy editor in Montana, Florida and Missouri.

While at the University of Missouri as a graduate student, I was the sports editor of the Columbia Missourian, the teaching newspaper, for two years and an assistant sports editor for one year.

In my last year at Missouri, I was a general assignment, special sections and business editor.

My research interests include paparazzi, which led to several publications and publicatins. I was interested in the ethics of how they did their job, and discovering the differences between New York City and Los Angeles paparazzi was eye-opening.

I also have an interest in sports research, including what TV sports directors and newspapers sports editors value as the most critical skills for employees. That has evolved quite a bit as journalilsm and technology have changed.

Dr. Sumin Shin, Ph.D., serves as an Associate Professor in the School of Media and Strategic Communications at Oklahoma State University. With an interdisciplinary background in Business, Communication, and Analytics, he brings a unique blend of academic rigor and practical insights to the field of strategic communication.

Specializing in sustainability issues, Dr. Shin employs an array of quantitative research methodologies to decipher complex problems. His particular strengths lie in the area of big data analytics, where he has developed methods for data collection, analysis, and visualization, thereby generating actionable insights for both practitioners and policymakers.

As a seasoned educator, he has taught a comprehensive suite of courses ranging from Introduction to Advertising and Public Relations Management, to specialized research courses for practitioners such as Social Media Analytics and Research Methods in Communication. His teaching philosophy extends beyond the traditional classroom, emphasizing the importance of media in a diverse society and preparing students for real-world applications.

Complementing his educational initiatives are his research endeavors. He has contributed to the academic discourse by authoring more than 15 research articles in esteemed journals in the marketing communication arena. These articles delve into emerging topics that span social media, web development, mobile applications, games, virtual reality, augmented reality, and the burgeoning field of the metaverse.

Research Interests:

Strategic Communication
Computational Advertising
Organization Sustainability Communication
Health Communication
Consumer Behaviors
Social Media
Computational Data Mining and Big Data Analytics
Machine Learning using R and Python
VR, AR, and the metaverse