Jensen Moore, Ph.D., has been elected the 2023 Chair of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Educators Academy. The Educators Academy is a group of 300-plus public relations educators who dedicate their time to improving public relations instruction and training, conducting research that contributes to the understanding of public relations practice, and advancing the profession through educator resources and events.
“It’s the 75th anniversary of PRSA, and I’m really excited to be leading the Educators Academy during this time,” said Moore. “Between PRSA’s focus on DEI efforts and misinformation, the Commission on Public Relations Education’s (CPRE) newly released practitioner and educator survey, and the Universal Accreditation Board (UAB) updating the Certificate in Principles of Public Relations for students who graduate from public relations programs, there is a lot of opportunity for the Educators Academy to partner with key PR organizations and find new ways to provide innovative and modern pedagogical content for our members.”
Moore’s theme for this year’s Educators Academy board is “Fostering Education Excellence,” and her focus is on bridging the classroom and the profession. Priorities for 2023 include sharing teaching resources and strategies, providing educators with DEI programming, activities and resources, championing ethics and PRSA principles, and solidifying relationships with organizations involved in PR education.
“We recently re-branded the Educators Academy Super Saturday meeting to the Educators Academy Summit in an effort to encompass more of the ‘conference’ atmosphere of the event,” said Moore. “One of my primary goals this year is increasing the visibility of offerings of, amounts of sponsorships and awards, and registrations to the newly branded EA Summit as I feel it’s the best way to get PRSSA faculty advisors, adjuncts, graduate students, and seasoned PR faculty members the most up-to-date and innovative information for instruction.”
Moore is an associate professor of public relations at the University of Oklahoma. She currently teaches Gaylord College’s Public Relations Principles, Crisis Communication, Social Media Strategies, and Contemporary Problems in Public Relations courses. Moore regularly teaches experiential learning classes where students get real-world experience and portfolio samples by working for clients. Because of her work with more than 70 experiential learning projects, Moore has won several service-learning awards. In 2021, she was recognized with an Excellence in Education Award from her alma mater, Black Hills State University. And in 2020, Moore’s DEI efforts were recognized with the Owen Kulemeka Trailblazer Award in Diversity from Gaylord College.
“I try to exemplify what I teach, and make sure I’m honoring students and my peers,” said Moore. “There have been countless colleagues who have provided me with classroom materials that helped me get to where I am as an educator – so I want to be able to give back and do the same. That’s what makes service to the Educators Academy really important to me.”
Moore’s research interests are at the intersection of social media, crisis communication, and health communication. Specifically, she examines how individuals and organizations use social media for mourning, information sharing, and information-seeking following man-made and natural disasters. Her most recent article titled, “Organizational social media mourning: Toward a framework for organizations wishing to empathize with publics during tragedies” was released in February 2023 on the Institute of Public Relations online publication, Public Relations Journal.
Moore’s primary service to Gaylord College, the University of Oklahoma, and the profession has been through education-related endeavors including advising graduate student theses, projects, and dissertations. Moore has been an Educators Academy leadership team member since 2018. She also serves on the International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC) Advisory Committee and is a member of Champions for PRSSA, an organization that helps fund PR student scholarships and awards.
“At the end of my year as Head of Educators Academy, I want to be able to say we were able to get educators the information they needed to succeed in the classroom,” said Moore. “I truly believe the next generation of PR professionals begins with us and hope we are preparing educators for the changes that are coming in the next 75 years.”
Learn more about the Educators Academy or follow the organization on social media (PRSA Educators Academy on Facebook, @prsaeducators on Instagram and Twitter).
