Kelly C. Gaggin Ph.D., APR

Kelly C. Gaggin, Ph.D., APR, Fellow PRSA is Interim Director of the M.A. in Strategic Communications program and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Advertising + Public Relations

Gaggin has more than two decades of experience in corporate and agency environments encompassing a multitude of industries including: education, health care, technology, defense, nonprofit, tourism/hospitality and financial services/banking.

Her professional background and personal interest in world cultures motivate a research agenda rooted in exploring public relations and strategic communications as drivers of cross-cultural understanding and relationship-building with special attention to nonprofit organizations and the populations they serve.

She is a member of the Public Relations Society of America’s prestigious College of Fellows and has earned her Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) credential. She is a member of PRSA’s national Diversity & Inclusion committee and a past-chair of the PRSA Northeast District.

Gaggin was recognized with 40 Under Forty distinction for her career accomplishments and commitment to her community. She continues to serve her community through support of outreach initiatives and board memberships as well as lectures and programs sharing her expertise with community organizations.

She earned a Ph.D. in mass communications and an M.S. in communications management from Syracuse University, and completed her undergraduate study in business administration, marketing and economics at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, NY.