Jax State’s Dr. Breann Murphy Receives Third Recognition This Year for Top Research

09/10/2024

Dr. Breann Murphy, Associate Professor of Public Relations and the Endowed Scholar of Diversity and Leadership in Public Relations at Jacksonville State University, was recently recognized by the Public Relations Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) for her ongoing research examining efforts of women in leadership roles in public relations at the association’s 2024 annual conference. The honor was made more special because it is Murphy’s third national recognition in the past year from peers in her discipline.

The study is the latest in a series of pieces examining directional social comparisons female Chief Communication Officers (CCOs) use to enhance their leadership styles. Past work looked at peer-to-peer and upward social comparisons in an organization. This study explored the value of downward social comparisons in assessing how their staff receive their leadership approaches. Murphy’s study was selected by a special awards committee of peers in the discipline to be recognized as the Top Paper in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the 2024 annual conference from a deep pool of submissions from peers worldwide.

"I am deeply honored to receive this recognition from my peers, but more importantly, I am grateful that it highlights the leadership effectiveness and unique challenges faced by women in executive communication roles,” said Dr. Murphy. “These women play a critical role in shaping the narratives and strategies of their organizations, and it's rewarding to see research that acknowledges their contributions gaining attention."

Dr. Chris McCollough, Professor of Public Relations and Advertising and The Ayers Family Endowed Chair of Journalism and Mass Communication at Jax State, commented on Dr. Murphy’s sustained body of accomplishments this year, “Dr. Murphy is finally being recognized in our field for a largely understudied area of professional development clearly of value to many young women who are rising professionals in our field. She maintains a high bar for quality scholarship and teaching that enhances our curriculum and students’ experience as one of only 120 ACEJMC-accredited journalism and mass communication programs in the world.” McCollough added, “It is gratifying to see the discipline recognizing what many of us in the Department of Communication see in her daily.”

Murphy was previously recognized for submitting one of the Top Faculty Papers in Public Relations at the 2023 AEJMC conference and the Top Faculty Abstract in the Commission on the Status of Women at the 2024 AEJMC Midwinter’s Conference. She maintains an active presence in AEJMC, the Public Relations Society of America, and the Southern States Communication Association.