I wrapped up the 2025–2026 academic year with the Distinguished Award for Excellence in Community Engagement from the EX[L] Center for Community Engaged Learning at The University of Akron.

Community engagement has always been a meaningful part of my work as an educator and scholar. Whether through connecting students with real businesses, building partnerships with local and global communities, or creating projects that extend learning beyond the classroom, I have always believed that education is most powerful when it creates connections and impact.

I am grateful to the EX[L] Center, the Faculty Steering Committee, and everyone I have had the opportunity to collaborate with along the way. I feel very fortunate to work with so many people at the University of Akron who care deeply about community, connection, and meaningful engagement.

On Saturday, April 25, I organized the Fulbright Connect: Scholarship, History, and Community event at the University of Akron. The event brought together 40+ Fulbright scholars, alumni, students, and community partners for an afternoon focused on international exchange, global engagement, and community connection.

The program included presentations on The University of Akron’s global engagement and mission, the Cummings Center for the History of Psychology’s engagement with international scholars, Global Ties Akron’s mission, and experiences shared by international Fulbrighters.

The event was made possible through collaboration across campus, including support from The University of Akron International Center, the Cummings Center for the History of Psychology, the College of Business, and the Alumni Office, along with the Fulbright Association Northeast Ohio Chapter and Global Ties Akron.

This event truly reflected the mission of the Fulbright Association by creating space for connection, cultural exchange, and meaningful dialogue. It was a group effort, and I am grateful to everyone who helped make this regional Fulbright gathering a success at The University of Akron 😊

Honored and truly grateful to receive the Billy I. Ross Advertising Education Award at the American Academy of Advertising conference in Austin this year 🥰

This award recognizes innovative work that advances advertising education. It’s about impactful teaching and innovative contributions to how we prepare the next generation of advertisers and marketers. This award is a significant, career-level recognition within the field, and I’m honored to be among its recipients.

I’m especially thankful for my colleagues and collaborators who continue to support and inspire me to be the best educator and researcher I can be and for my students for being part of this journey (you know who you are 🙂)

The University of Akron wrote an article about my award HERE.

I’m excited to share that I have been invited and initiated as an Honorary Member of Delta Sigma Pi (DSP) – Theta Kappa Chapter!

This recognition is deeply meaningful, especially because the invitation comes directly from the students of the Theta Kappa Chapter. Students have the most authentic perspective on our teaching, values, and overall impact in the classroom and on campus. Receiving this kind of affirmation is one of the highest compliments a professor can receive. It serves as a direct measure of my efforts to support and guide them.

My role as a professor extends beyond just lecturing. It’s about supporting students as they transition from academia to professional life. Its mission to develop the professional and personal skills of future business leaders aligns with my core teaching philosophy. I’m passionate about helping students build the skills and confidence they need to succeed in their careers.

I’m truly grateful for this recognition and look forward to cheering on this amazing group of students as they continue to grow and achieve great things.

I’m honored to share that I have been named the 2025–2026 Marketing Behavioral Research Fellow at the University of Akron. This recognition is meaningful to me, as it supports and strengthens my ongoing work in cross-cultural consumer behavior, attention, and advertising effectiveness.

Over the years, my research has focused on understanding how culture shapes the way consumers engage with technology and advertising. With this fellowship, I hope to build on that foundation and continue exploring how digital marketing and advertising resonate across different cultures, particularly among senior consumers navigating our rapidly evolving digital world.

As part of this fellowship, I will continue my project, “Aging in the Digital World: A Cross-Cultural Study of Senior Consumers’ Relationship with Digital Technology and Advertising.” This research, in collaboration with faculty in Portugal and Spain, examines how older adults interact with digital technologies and how they are represented in advertising across the United States, Portugal, and Spain.

In 2024, I was honored to receive the Fulbright US Scholar award, which enabled me to begin this exciting cross-cultural work in Portugal. This fellowship now gives me the opportunity to expand the scope and impact of this research further.

I’m especially grateful to the Department of Marketing at the University of Akron for its ongoing support of faculty research. Their commitment to advancing inclusive and globally relevant scholarship has been instrumental in making this work possible.

This fellowship also reaffirms the importance of international collaboration, and I look forward to continuing to work closely with colleagues abroad to develop advertising strategies that are both inclusive and culturally informed.