2025 Public Interest Communications Summer Institute Speakers and Facilitators
More speakers will be listed soon.
Jaye L. Atkinson
Jaye L. Atkinson is chair of the Department of Communication at Georgia State University. Her research focuses on the intersection of communication and stereotypes of older adults. Some of her research analyzes how communication perpetuates/negates stereotypes (e.g., the phrase “senior moment”), and in other research, she examines how stereotypes influence how people speak to older adults.
Dr. Atkinson’s most recent publications seek to understand the intersection of communication and age stereotypes by focusing on mediated portrayals. In addition to an article examining the influence of race and age stereotypes on communication and competence, she has examined mediated portrayals of older athletes and older characters in various movies, including blockbuster hit movies and Disney animated films). She has published internationally regarding the portrayals of older adults in advertising. In addition, she is working on a book, “Talking Age: Examining the (Not So) Subtle Language of Ageism across Mediated Contexts” (under contract with Peter Lang). These projects build on past research she has conducted identifying stereotypes of older adults and examining patronizing speech toward older adults.
Ruth DeFoster
Ruth DeFoster is an Assistant Professor at the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota, where she teaches courses about advertising and popular culture. Her research focuses on media coverage of crime, gun violence, fear and terrorism. She is the author of three books: Terrorizing the Masses: Identity, Mass Shootings and the Media Construction of ‘Terror’ (2017), Catholic Horror on Television: Haunting Faith (2024), andThe Fear Knot: How Science, History and Culture Shape Our Fears, and How to Get Unstuck (2025).
Angel Saint Louis
Angel Saint Louis is a Ph.D. student in the Family, Youth, and Community Sciences department as well as an Oral Historian at the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program at the University of Florida. Her academic and professional work focuses on advocating for marginalized communities and fostering meaningful action through Public Interest Communication.
Angel is passionate about addressing systemic issues such as domestic violence, family abuse cycles, and harmful societal narratives. Her work is focused on combining her knowledge of communication and community engagement to drive positive change through activism, workshops, academia, and community engagement.
As an advocate, artist, and future professor, Angel aims to inspire social transformation by merging scholarship, creativity, and community action.”
Amy Lynn Smith
Amy Lynn Smith uses strategic communication and storytelling to catalyze action for the greater good. A writer and content specialist focused on issue advocacy, Amy works with nonprofits, foundations and public interest communication firms to create imaginative, persuasive messaging for every medium.
An award-winning advocate for healthcare reform, Amy often uses storytelling to demystify complex concepts and empower communities. She has helped organizations such as Consumer Reports and the American Foundation for the Blind create public-facing documents that simplify healthcare guidance and research reports, respectively. She also provides writing coaching – often geared toward making writing clearer and more concise – and leads workshops in both storytelling and writing skills.
Amy has a Master of Arts in Mass Communication with a concentration in Public Interest Communication from the University of Florida.
Learn more about Amy’s clients and experience: https://www.alswrite.com/about/my-clients/
Felicia Stewart
Felicia R. Stewart is Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication Studies at Morehouse College. As a seasoned professional, Dr. Stewart has years of experience in educating and training students, faculty, executives, trial attorneys, business teams and more in the art of effective communication. Dr. Stewart has several publications including articles on public speaking, nonverbal communication and mock trial and is an author in books on African American rhetoric, organizational culture, and political oratory. Dr. Stewart received her B.A. in Legal Communication and Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Intercultural Communication from Howard University in Washington, D.C. A licensed attorney, Dr. Stewart received her J.D. from Emory University in Atlanta, GA.
Abbigail Tumpey, MPH
Abbigail Tumpey, MPH, is the vice president for Institute Communications at the Georgia Institute of Technology. In this role, she provides leadership, oversight, and strategic direction for marketing and communications at Georgia Tech. Serving as the Institute’s Chief Communications Officer, Abbigail has responsibility for the brand and reputation across a diverse portfolio, including media relations, events, research communications, marketing communications, internal communications, executive communications, creative services, and digital strategy.
Before joining Georgia Tech, Abbigail had a 25-year career at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with 21 years in communication leadership positions. Notably, she served as the head of communications for CDC from March 2021 to March 2022, overseeing communication efforts for the COVID-19 emergency response. While in this role, Tumpey reimagined CDC’s communication function and implemented the largest communication reorganization that agency had undertaken in more than a decade.
During her time at CDC, Abbigail expanded clinical outreach capacity and was instrumental in developing public-private partnerships and coalitions that advanced patient safety and public health initiatives. She spearheaded numerous national and international public health campaigns, including serving as one of the founders of the World Rabies Day initiative in 2007 and overseeing CDC’s antibiotic resistance communications efforts from 2009–2016. Abbigail served in a lead communication role during numerous outbreak responses, such as the 2012 multistate outbreak of fungal meningitis, the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2023 MPX pandemic.
In 2016, Abbigail was named one of 36 Champions of PR by PR Week magazine for their inaugural Hall of Femme. In 2021, she was honored as one of PRWeek’s Health Influencers, celebrating the most prominent players influencing health communication and shaping the agenda around the battle against coronavirus, the race to distribute vaccines and booster shots, and narrowing disparities in health outcomes.
Abbigail received a Bachelor of Science from Michigan State University and a Master of Public Health from the University of South Florida.
Kara Fenner Walker
Born in Brooklyn, NY, and raised in the small rural town of Scotland Neck, NC, Kara Fenner Walker has always been driven by a passion for storytelling and impact. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from North Carolina Central University and a Master of Science in Information Design and Communication from Kennesaw State University.
With over two decades of experience in digital marketing, Kara leveraged her expertise to launch the Morehouse College Human Rights Film Festival in 2019 with a vision to create a powerful platform where filmmakers can showcase their work, engage in transformative discussions, and connect with students, faculty, and local and visiting guests. The festival serves as a catalyst for dialogue—bringing human stories to the forefront, raising awareness of critical human rights and social justice issues, and inspiring action that leads to real change.
Dedicated to amplifying diverse voices, Kara remains committed to producing and supporting high-quality creative projects from the BIPOC community. She currently resides in Decatur, Georgia, where she continues to champion stories that matter.
Elaine Xu
Dr. Elaine Xu is a faculty member of the University of Newcastle (Australia) and a professional member of Communication and Public Relations Australia. Her keen interest in the role of framing and messaging in shaping how lived experiences are conveyed and interpreted stems from her PhD research into the fundraising campaigns of international water charities. She is passionate about the third sector and the social economy and regularly engages with social, environmental, and development issues through her research and teaching. Her research has been funded by competitive national and institutional grants, providing opportunities for her to extend the impact of her research beyond academia and into the community and the public sector. She is currently leading research projects focused on the engagement of Japanese and Australian urban residents in environmental behaviors, public communication campaigns about food security in Singapore, and parental illness blogging and fundraising. Learn more about Elaine and her research here.