Brandi Watkins appointed assistant professor of communication

16 Oct 2014

Brandi Watkins has been appointed an assistant professor in the Department of Communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech.

Watkins is one of 27 new tenure-track faculty members at the college this fall. The new hires are part of the college’s ongoing efforts to attract renowned scholars to strengthen and expand its teaching, research, and engagement programs. The college has added more than 100 full-time permanent faculty members in the past four years.

Watkins’ research interests include the use and influence of social media to build relationships between organizations and their public. Much of her work to date has been in the context of professional sports. She will teach writing and editing for public relations, and social media theory and practice.

Watkins has contributed chapters to two books and has written for the Journal of Marketing for Higher Education and the International Journal of Interactive Communication Systems and Technologies. Three more journal articles have been accepted for publication.

Watkins received her bachelor’s degree from Mississippi University for Women and a master's degree and Ph.D. from the University of Alabama.