Rise Up!: Guidelines to Ethical and Confident Speaking

Dr. Jennifer Bender graduated from the University of South Florida with her BA, MA, and Ph.D. in Communication Studies, specializing in interpersonal and health communication research scholarship. She currently works as an Assistant Professor at Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama. Her research interests include interpersonal communication, love and communication (specifically romantic relationships), health communication, nonverbal communication, and she is completing additional degrees in psychology for her Licensure in Marriage and Family Therapy, as well as Professional Counseling. Much of Dr. Bender’s work focuses on health and displaced populations, including research on Black individuals suffering from drug shortages amid COVID-19; underrepresented populations, such as older widows; and individuals with disabilities (physical and “unseen” disabilities), and misrepresentation of displaced populations.

She also does a substantial amount of research in pedagogy (teaching practices). Many of her contributions to academia include being a Past-President of the Florida Communication Association; having memberships in the National Communication Association and serving on various committees and presenting in different caucuses for this organization; Being active as a member of American Counseling Association (ACA) and American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT); membership and a presenting scholar for the Central States Communication Association; and membership with the International Congress for Qualitative Inquiry (ICQI). In addition, she has served as a reviewer for a multitude of psychological and communication-based journals, written and worked for the Veteran’s Administration, the College of Medicine at the University of Central Florida, and has been an Ambassador and teacher for the University of South Florida’s Center for Advanced Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) and the Center for Advanced Clinical Learning (CACL). Additionally, she has been a part of the Lambda Pi Eta National Communication Association Fraternity as both an undergraduate and as a Faculty Advisor, and her chapter at Tuskegee just won a National Awards this 2021 academic year as the “Rookie Chapter of the Year,” and has multiple honors as a top panelist and paper award winner in various divisions across the National curriculum. Additionally, she served actively as a teacher/instructor and professor for well over a decade of her higher academic career. Should you have any inquiries regarding her expertise, please email drjenniferbender@gmail.com.