Heather J Hether

Education

• Ph.D., Communication, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
• M.A., Communication, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
• B.A., Psychology, York University, Toronto

About

Dr. Hether is an engaged educator and scholar whose courses focus on applied communication contexts such as public relations and small group communication. Drawing on over a decade of professional experience in marketing and public relations, she brings real-world insight into the classroom to support student learning and professional success. 

Dr. Hether has held leadership roles in the National Communication Association and the Public Relations Society of America, Educators Academy. On campus, she has served as Chair of the Committee on International Education and is currently a member of the Undergraduate Council. Raised in Canada and motivated by a curiosity about diverse cultures and contexts, she has also spent extended time in England and lived in three American states, including Hawaii and Washington. This global perspective continues to shape her commitment to connecting classrooms with the wider world.

Research Focus

Dr. Hether's teaching is grounded in mixed-methods research on strategic communication education, with particular attention to global learning, open pedagogy, and collaboration. She also conducts disciplinary research on public relations campaigns. Her work has been included in ten edited volumes and published in leading journals, including The Journal of Creative Behavior and Public Relations Review.  In addition, Dr. Hether has shared her work at national and international conferences.

Select Publications

• Hether, H.J. (in press). The collaborative syllabus:  Empowering students as co-creators of their learning experience. In A. McGowen-Kirsch & K. Steidinger (Eds.), Emphasizing a student-centered process: Open pedagogy course assessments across disciplines. Milne Publishing.
• Hether, H.J. (in press). Not just fun and games: Memes as strategic self-presentation and relational maintenance. In J. Nichols-Pethick and K. Roberts (Eds). Communication theory and Gen Z popular culture. Peter Lang.
• Hether, H.J. (2023). Cultivating creative problem‐solving skills in a strategic communication class: Student perceptions of a collaborative assignment. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 57(4), 494-502. https://doi.org/10.1002/jocb.617
• Hether, H.J., O'Connor-Coates, E., & Crittendon, R. (2023). Process evaluation of a collaborative social media health promotion campaign: An analysis of partner and user engagement. Health Promotion Practice, 24(4), 723-727. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248399231152469
• Hether, H.J. (2022). Cultivating student creativity during the pandemic: Short-term remedy with long-term value. In D. Macey (Ed.) Persevering through the pandemic: Communication, creativity, and connection.
• Hether, H.J. (2022). Leveraging the disruption: A call to revisit the flipped classroom in post-COVID higher education. In M. Strawser (Ed.), Higher Education Implications for Teaching and Learning during COVID-19. Lexington Books.
• Hether, H.J., & Calabrese, C.J. (2020). Beyond #liking: Inspiring user-generated content for health promotion. In J. Kim & H. Song (Eds.), Technology and health: Promoting attitude and behavior change (pp. 291-312). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-816958-2.00013-
• Strawser, M.G., & Hether, H.J. (2019). The Millennial faculty invasion. In M.G. Strawser (Ed.), Leading Millennial faculty (pp. 1-14). London: Lexington Books.
• Malloch, Y.S., & Hether, H.J. (2019). The dark side of addiction support forums: Impacts of poor quality and insufficient emotional support on perceived support availability and health efficacy. Journal of Health Communication. DOI: 10.1080/10810730.2019.1631913
• Hether, H.J. (2019). Taking a swipe at Apple: The Federal Bureau of Investigation v. Apple Inc. In B. Brunner, & C. Hickerson (Eds.), Cases in public relations: Translating ethics into action (pp. 328-343). New York: Oxford University Press.
• Hether, H.J., Crowley, S., & Broaddus, T. (2018). Compassion & Choices and Brittany Maynard help create new medical aid-in-dying legislation in California. In B. St. John III, D. K. Martinelli, R.S. Pritchard, & C. Spaulding (Eds.), Cases in public relations strategy (pp.75-82). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publishing.
• Hether, H.J. (2018). United Nations Environment is #WildforLife: A global social media campaign gets personal. In A. V. Laskin (Ed.), Social, mobile, and emerging media from around the world: Communication case studies (pp.11-24). London: Lexington Books.
• Hether, H.J., Martin, J.C., & Cole, A.W. (2017). The Internet of Things and wearable technology as a classroom resource. In M. Strawser (Ed.), New media and digital pedagogy (pp. 129-145). London: Lexington Books.
• Hether, H.J., Murphy, S.T., & Valente, T.W. (2016, February). A social network analysis of the supportive interactions on prenatal sites. Digital Health. doi:10.1177/2055207616628700
• Wilkin, H., Katz, V., Ball-Rokeach, S.J., & Hether, H.J. (2015). Communication resources for obesity prevention among African American and Latino residents in an urban neighborhood. Journal of Health Communication, 20(6), 710–719. doi:10.1080/10810730.2015.1018559
• Hether, H.J. (2014). Dialogic communication in the health care context: A case study of Kaiser Permanente’s social media practices. Public Relations Review, 40(5), 856-858. DOI: 10.1016/j.pubrev.2014.07.007
• Hether, H.J., Murphy, S.T., & Valente, T.W. (2014). It’s better to give than to receive: The role of social support, trust, and participation on health-related social networking sites. Journal of Health Communication, 19(12), 1424-1439. DOI: 10.1080/10810730.2014.894596

Teaching

Dr. Hether teaches public relations, interpersonal communication, and small group communication courses. Her course subjects include Strategic Communication in Public Relations (CMN 131), Social Media for Public Relations (CMN 132), Communication Campaigns (CMN 146), Group Communication (CMN 130), and Interpersonal Communication Competence (CMN 003/3V).

Awards

• Nominated for Outstanding Educator Award, Public Relations Society of America