Kelly McAninch (Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) is an assistant professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Communication. She teaches several interpersonal communication and close relationships courses and serves as the course director for COM 252. Her program of research seeks to illuminate how individuals manage conversations about difficult topics, particularly discussions between romantic partners about relationship issues.

Kimberly A. Parker, (Ph.D., 2004, University of Oklahoma) is an Associate Professor in the College of Communication and Information and the iNET (Innovation Network for Entrepreneurial Thinking) Director. Dr. Parker has over 15 years’ experience working with non-profits in the area of social change campaigns and social entrepreneurship. Recently, she completed a year-long certificate in Social Entrepreneurship from the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Kimberly's research has appeared in communication journals, including Journal of Communication, Human Communication Research, Journal of Public Relations Research, Communication Quarterly, Communication Research Reports, and Health Communication.