Kate Stewart, Ph.D., is an Assistant Public Relations Professor at Jacksonville State University. Her primary goal is to educate and foster relationships with the next generation of strategic communicators, disruptors, and leaders by making a positive impact, enriching the lives of the younger generations, helping them achieve their goals, and adequately equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed.
Kate’s university service includes serving on the College of Business and Industry Department of Communication Assessment Subcommittee and Public Relations and Advertising Curriculum Subcommittee. She is also the Assistant Editor of Digital Media and Social Media for the Journal of Public Relations Education and the 2024 Public Relations Society of America Educator’s Academy Communications Chair. Kate also continues serving with the Association of Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Public Relations Division by being on the Teaching Committee and Professional Freedom and Responsibility Committee for the 2023-2024 academic year.
University of South Carolina
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University of South Carolina •
Kate earned her Ph.D. in Mass Communication from the University of South Carolina in August 2024. Her dissertation, Fan, Friend, Or Foe: An Exploratory Scale Development of Perception of Social Media Influencers on Instagram, established a new amalgamated scale and theoretical implications directly impacting the academic and professional areas of the influencer ecosystem. During Kate’s time at the University of South Carolina, she accomplished great research achievements, taught multiple social media, writing, and public relations courses, and served as the Programs and Communication Director at the USC Columbia Technology Incubator. Through this role, she served startups and small businesses from the Midlands Region of South Carolina in various ways while getting extensive knowledge in grant writing. Some high achievement spotlights include winning the First Place Moeller Student Paper Award for the Mass Communication & Society Division of AEJMC for the AEJMC 2021 annual conference; redesigning the curriculum for a classic course, Writing for Mass Communications; and publishing multiple papers, book chapters, and book reviews.
Auburn University
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Auburn University •
Kate spent an amazing six years at Auburn University, obtaining her Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations Communication in 2018 and Master of Arts in Communication in 2020. Some of her greatest achievements and honors include winning the Michael K. Simmons PR Student of the Year for the state of Alabama in 2017, serving as PRSSA and PRCA president and on the national board of PRSSA for multiple years, and receiving the W. James Samford Jr. Foundation scholarship. War Eagle!