About

I am Melissa R. Meade, PhD. As a first-generation college graduate, I bring a passionate commitment to supporting and empowering students navigating higher education without a family blueprint. This personal experience enriches my scholarship and mentorship, inspiring me to share insights, resources, and encouragement to help the next generation of trailblazers overcome obstacles and succeed both academically and personally.

I am an accomplished media and communication educator and consultant with extensive expertise in digital media, public-facing scholarship, and community-engaged digital heritage. I am the founder and director of the Anthracite Coal Region Digital Project, an award-winning, community-driven digital archive with over 10,000 members that preserves and amplifies working-class cultural memory in post-industrial communities. My research intersects labor studies, deindustrialization, digital ethnography, and cultural memory, employing multimodal and qualitative methods to explore the role of communication technologies in shaping social narratives.

My academic career includes tenure-track and visiting professorships focused on communication, digital media, ethnography, and intercultural studies, where I have developed innovative curricula integrating digital learning tools and pedagogies responsive to accessibility and inclusion. My leadership roles include chairing academic committees, leadership roles in conferences, elected positions in national organizations, and serving as a Disability Support Services Faculty Liaison, to name a few.

I have been recognized with prestigious awards including the National Communication Association’s Best Dissertation Award in Ethnography (2020), the Constance Coiner Award for Dissertation (2020), the Donald P. Cushman Memorial Award from the National Communication Association (the highest student honor from the National Communication Association), multiple “Top Paper” awards, and multiple Best Journal Article awards. I have secured over $4.5 million in grant funding from foundations such as Wenner-Gren and the Newcombe Foundation, underscoring my success in research leadership and program development. My research has been published in a number of outlets including Cultural Studies, Discourse & Communication, CineJ Cinema Journal, The International Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods, Media, War, & Conflict, in edited volumes, and I have a book in progress.

I earned a Ph.D. in Media and Communication from the Lew Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University, a master’s of science degree in education in Intercultural Communication and a Graduate Certificate from the University of Pennsylvania, a Postgraduate Diploma in Intercultural Studies from the University of the Basque Country, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain, and a bachelor’s degree from Albright College.

A skilled communicator and project manager fluent in English and Spanish, I have experience in business consulting and federal service, where I applied bilingual communication and data management skills to support diverse client needs. As a study abroad alumnus, I am passionate about global education. I enjoy connecting with students who are interested in exploring international research, study, and work opportunities. I like to combine my technical savvy with a deep commitment to socially engaged scholarship and mentorship.