Gil Carter (Ph.D., The University of Alabama) is a tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of Communication at Mississippi State University. Dr. Carter researches and teaches rhetoric, political communication, and persuasion. Before coming to MSU, Dr. Carter was a state-championship-winning director of debate and an assistant instructional professor at the University of Florida and…

Tonya Hays is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication teaching acting, playwriting, directing, theatre for young audiences and theatre for change.  Her recent Theatre MSU productions include Banner: a Sea Turtle Saga which engaged audience members in the fate of sea life in climate change and challenged them to take action. This production garnered international…

Dr. Terry Likes, an award-winning educator and journalist, is the head of the Department of Communication and tenured full professor at Mississippi State University. He is an expert in radio-tv writing, reporting, production, and producing. Likes has won over 100 awards and honors in his career, and has conducted 37 presentations at a variety of conferences. His research interests include…

Dr. Holli Seitz is an associate professor in the Department of Communication and director of the Message Laboratory at the MSU Social Science Research Center. Seitz's research focuses on health communication, message effects, media effects and health equity. She is an applied communication scientist, using her knowledge to help others craft more effective messages.