Bio
Dr. Jessica Rick is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies and an affiliate faculty member of Gender Studies. She teaches organizational/workplace communication, leadership, diversity & inclusion, interpersonal/family communication, gender, and public speaking classes. She won the university-wide Outstanding Faculty Teaching by New Faculty Award in August 2023. As a researcher, Dr. Rick examines the communication of identity and stigma within organizational contexts. Specifically, she studies the intersections of gender, social class, and parenthood within work(ing)-life contexts and is currently working on a research study about exclusively pumping moms. She has been published in the Journal of Applied Communication Research, the Journal of Family Communication, the Journal of Nonprofit Leadership and Management, and in several case study textbooks.
Dr. Rick is a Junior League of Evansville member and currently serves as the Nominating Chair and on the Board of Directors. She won the 2021 Mary Harriman Award for her leadership and volunteer contributions to the league. Dr. Rick has given multiple trainings to local and national organizations on microaggressions, diversity & inclusion, communication skills, mission alignment, work/life balance, and public speaking. In her free time, she enjoys golfing, reading, and volunteering. She lives in Newburgh with her partner, Matt, two young daughters, Maren and Maisy, and their goldendoodle, Viktor.
Education
- Ph.D., Organizational Communication, University of Missouri, 2017
- M.B.A., Marketing & Human Resources Management, University of Southern Indiana, Anticipated 2024
- M.A., Speech Communication, North Dakota State University, 2013
- B.A., Communication Studies, International Studies, & Spanish, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2010
Research Interests
- Identity
- Stigma
- Work/Life Balance
- Parenthood Ideologies
- Social Class
- Gender and Organizing
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging
Office Hours
- Monday 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (LA 3081)
- Wednesday 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (LA 3081)
- Friday 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (LA 3081)
- By Appointment
Courses
- CMST 101, Introduction to Public Speaking
- CMST 107, Interpersonal Communication
- CMST 201, Introduction to Communication Studies
- CMST 204, Business & Professional Communication
- CMST 301, Communication Criticism & Analysis
- CMST 314, Organizational Communication
- CMST 317, Intercultural Communication
- CMST 321, Communication and Workplace Relationships
- CMST 420, Seminar in Organizational Communication - Careers
- CMST 420, Seminar in Organizational Communication - Identity in the Workplace
- CMST 420, Seminar in Organizational Communication - Training & Development
- CMST 427, Family Communication
- CMST 489, Communication Studies Internship
- COMM 602, Qualitative Research Methods
- COMM 614, Problematic Workplace Communication
- COMM 620, Seminar in Organizational Communication - Work/Life Balance
- COMM 623, Leadership & Communication
- COMM 631, Organizational Advocacy
- GNDR 111, Introduction to Gender Studies
- HONS 129, Honors Seminar - Harry Potter
- PRFS 301, Ethics of Global Engagement