Bio

I came into the field of Communication after several years as a successful competitor in both Speech and Debate (2002 Pi Kappa Delta National Policy Debate Champion). After my B.A. in Psychology from North Central College, I switched to Communication and earned my M.A. from Northern Illinois University in 2006. I continued studying Communication as well as advanced statistics in the Communication Department of Michigan State University where I earned my PhD in 2010. I then joined the faculty in the Communication Department at Western Illinois University as an Assistant Professor. I was promoted to Associate Professor there in 2016 and to Full Professor in 2021.

My research activities have been extensive and well-regarded by my peers. I have produced over 80 journal articles, book chapters, and published conference proceedings in such outlets as the Annals of the International Communication Association, Human Communication Research, Journal of Communication, Communication Research, Health Communication, Computers in Human Behavior, Communication Monographs, and the Sage Handbook of Persuasion. The Information Systems Division of the International Communication Association chose my meta-analyses of dual-process findings for the 2017 John E. Hunter Meta-Analysis Article Award. My meta-analysis of the Health Belief Model is the most cited article in the journal Health Communication. In 2016 Western Illinois University chose me to win the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Scholarly Activity that is given to the WIU professor who has produced the best scholarly record in the past three years. In 2025, I received the John E. Hunter Meta-Analysis Research Program Award for all of my work in that area. I am on the latest Stanford list of the worlds top 2% of scientists. My research on social media has been discussed in many mass media outlets such as CNN, Forbes, Le Monde, The Guardian, Psychology Today, Men’s Health, and Jezebel.com.

In 2021, Frank Boster and I published a persuasion textbook that can be found here 

In 2024, Frank Boster, myself, Mike Kotowski, and Allison Shaw published a compliance-gaining textbook that can be found here

I tend to use quantitative methods in my work including: structural equation modeling, multilevel modeling, network analysis, meta-analysis, and agent-based modeling.

In my spare time I like to read widely, run outside, bake inside, and attend concerts and plays.