People
Director
Kathy R. Fitzpatrick
Director and Professor
contact
Office: CIS 3106
Phone: 813/974-6934
Email
bio
Kathy R. Fitzpatrick is professor and director of the Zimmerman School of Advertising
& Mass Communications at the University of South Florida (USF). She moved to USF from
American University (AU) in Washington, D.C., where she served as professor and former
senior associate dean for academic affairs in the School of Communication. Prior to
joining AU, Fitzpatrick was associate dean of graduate programs and research in the
School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Florida International University. She
previously directed graduate programs at Quinnipiac University and DePaul University
and served as head of the undergraduate public relations program at Southern Methodist
University. She is a former research fellow in the Center on Public Diplomacy in the
Annenberg School at the University of Southern California, where she currently serves
as a faculty fellow.
Fitzpatrick’s research is published in leading journals, including Journal of Public Relations Research, Journal of Advertising, Journal of Media Ethics, The
Hague Journal of Diplomacy, Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, International Journal
of Strategic Communications, White House Studies, Journal of Communication Management,
Corporate Reputation Review, Public Relations Review, and Journalism and Mass Communication Education. She is the author of The Future of U.S. Public Diplomacy: An Uncertain Fate (2010), co-editor of Ethics in Public Relations: Responsible Advocacy (2006), and co-author of Journalism Ethics (1997) and Public Relations Ethics (1995). She is the co-founder and senior editor of the Palgrave Macmillan Book Series
on Global Public Diplomacy and serves on the editorial boards of Journal of Public Relations Research, Public Relations Journal, International Journal
of Strategic Communication, and Journal of Mass Media Ethics.
Fitzpatrick has received numerous awards for her work, including the 2021 Distinguished
Scholar Award from the International Studies Association Diplomatic Studies Division
and the 2020 AEJMC Research Prize for Professional Relevance from the Association
for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Her work has been recognized with six
top research paper awards at national and international conferences and the PRIDE
award presented by the National Communication Association for the best article in
public relations published in 2006.
Fitzpatrick is a member of the Arthur W. Page Society, former head of the Educators
Academy of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and former president of
the PRSA Dallas Chapter. She received her J.D. from Southern Methodist University
and M.S. and B.S. degrees in journalism from West Virginia University.
education
- Juris Doctor, Southern Methodist University
- Master of Science in Journalism, West Virginia University
- Bachelor of Science in Journalism, West Virginia University
teaching areas
- Public relations
- Public diplomacy
- Ethics and social responsibility
- Communications law
- Crisis management
research specializations
- Public relations
- Public diplomacy
- Ethics and social responsibility
- Communications law
- Crisis management