Karyn Brown

Overview

Summary:

Karyn Brown is the Director of Communication for the College of Arts & Sciences. She earned her B.A. from Augustana College (1989) in speech communication and political science, her M.A. from Western Illinois University (1992) in public communication and broadcasting, and her CEU in nonprofit management from Duke University (1998). She is an instructor of communication, public relations, and broadcasting in the Department of Communication and serves as the coordinator of the public relations concentration in communication. Additionally, she is the co-faculty advisor for the MSU-PRSSA chapter.
Brown’s work experience is in both public relations and broadcasting. Her career started as a reporter/producer for KWQC-TV in Davenport, Iowa. She then worked in media relations at the Deere & Company’s world headquarters in Moline, Illinois, and then for a public relations firm, Mediacall Services, in Macomb, Illinois. She returned to broadcasting when her family moved to Mississippi working as a reporter, producer, and anchor at WCBI-TV in Columbus, Mississippi. She has taught in the Department of Communication since 1993. She is a 2015 Grisham Master Teacher.

Education:

• Certificate, Non-Profit Management, Duke University, 1998
• Master of Arts (M.A.), Public Communication and Broadcasting, Western Illinois University, 1992
• Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Speech Communication and Political Science, Augustana College, 1989

Research interests:

While in graduate school, she researched television news coverage of tragic death and the impact it had on the bereavement process of survivors and partnered with MADD National. After this partnership, she was offered the executive director position at MADD-North Carolina where she worked with media, volunteers, fundraising, legislation, and served as a state spokesperson.