NCA Inside & Out

As NCA’s Director of Academic and Professional Affairs, LaKesha N. Anderson leads the department that develops reports and online resources, collects and interprets data about the discipline, develops, organizes, and hosts several NCA-sponsored events (including public programs and the Annual Convention), and supports Communication research through scholarships and grants, among other activities on behalf of NCA’s mission and members. 

LaKesha holds a Ph.D. in Health Communication from George Mason University, as well as an M.A. from East Tennessee State University, and a B.S. from The University of Virginia at Wise. LaKesha teaches courses in health, crisis, and risk communication in the Johns Hopkins University’s MA Communication Program. Prior to joining NCA, LaKesha was an Assistant Professor of Communication at Indiana State University, teaching courses in advanced research methods, health communication, and public relations. LaKesha also spent several years as an instructor at George Mason University and has served as a grant writer and program director for nonprofits in Virginia, Central Indiana, and Washington, DC. LaKesha’s research on health, risk, and crisis communication has appeared in several books and journals, including Health, Risk, and Society, Family Medicine, and the Journal of Community Psychology. LaKesha also serves on the editorial boards of several public health and communication journals.  

LaKesha has received several awards for teaching, research, and university service. In May, LaKesha received the “Department of Communication Outstanding Graduate Alumnus of the Year Award” from the Department of Communication at George Mason University.