CCI Honors Faculty, Staff, and Graduating Doctoral Candidates

This award recognizes outstanding classroom instruction by a current graduate student in the college.  This year’s recipient is Kylie Julius, a doctoral student with a concentration in communication studies. She currently works full-time as a communications manager and teaches courses in public speaking, business and professional communication, and organizational communication.

As her nominator Assistant Professor Quinten Bernhold notes, she “lives out the values of active student participation, real-world applications of course content, and personal growth in her teaching style.”

This award recognizes outstanding scholarship as exemplified in the dissertation and is being awarded to Shreenandan “Nanda” Rajarathnam, who graduated with his PhD with a concentration in information sciences last December. His outstanding dissertation focused on improving the usability of cybersecurity in organizational practices. His work explores how tools, policies, and training can better integrate user experience into cybersecurity practices.

His dissertation developed a community profile based on a national framework to address a critical gap in aligning cybersecurity with user experience—an area known as usable security.

His advisor, Professor Vandana Singh, noted, his work makes a timely and original contribution by bridging disciplines to create a framework that is both theoretically grounded and practically applicable.

Blue’s research focused on how individuals in specialized administrative roles at higher education institutions communicate about their work within current social, cultural, and political contexts. The findings identify key themes in how these leaders frame their work, adapt their communication, and navigate political and organizational dynamics.

He currently serves as the assistant director for assessment and evaluation in UT’s Office of Campus Support and Resources, is an adjunct lecturer in the Haslam College of Business’s Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, and leads the Japan Global Immersion Program.

Devereux’s dissertation  explored how people seek and receive support from others when facing ongoing, complex problems. Her research examined the messages people use to seek advice, how these messages shape the responses they receive, and what happens to the advice and relationships when advice is repeatedly sought but not followed.

Findings showed that the effectiveness of support-seeking strategies changes over time and highlights the complex emotional dynamics at play in ongoing advice interactions. Devereux has accepted a tenure-track assistant professor position at Utah Tech University.

Willoughby’s dissertation examines how in workplace settings, people often disagree with organizational policies, practices, and procedures—a process called dissent.

While research has explored the process of expressing dissent to managers, Willoughby’s research explored what mid-managers do with those disagreements after they are received. Willoughby serves as the director of student engagement in the Haslam College of Business and is an adjunct lecturer in their department of marketing.

Gunti’s dissertation proposed and evaluated a coding-free methodology that opens new knowledge gateways for information organizations (libraries are an example) to use AI tools, like large language models, in everyday services.

This work enables organizations to adopt AI without technical barriers while addressing key challenges such as role ambiguity among professionals, uncertainty around required skills, and ethical risks related to bias and fairness. Gunti is currently pursuing a postdoctoral position that will support his long-term goal of becoming a tenure-track assistant professor.

Keys’ dissertation examines how adult Black women understand and explain the photos they share on social media, especially when others assume those posts are “self-sexualizing” or “self-objectifying.”

His findings show that many of these women see their posts instead as expressions of confidence, style, identity, and empowerment, while also navigating stereotypes that have long shaped how Black women’s bodies are judged online. Keys plans to continue in his Senior Academic Advisor role in CCI and hopes to one day become a full professor in a university close to his home state.

White’s dissertation explores how leaders’ daily communication practices shape employee engagement in contemporary workplaces.

She examined how effective communication helps employees feel supported, valued, and confident contributing their ideas, while also highlighting how strategic internal communication can lead to more productive and successful organizations overall. White has accepted an assistant professor position at the University of Georgia in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Curry’s dissertation explores the role of social perception in ethnic advocacy.She examined how ambivalent perceptions of Asian and Asian Americans extend to the organizations that represent them, and how this shapes public support for their advocacy initiatives.

Ultimately, her work is driven by a commitment to understanding how ethnic organizations can gain support to better serve their communities. Curry currently serves as an assistant professor of public relations at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Tarwater has had a transformative impact on student success through experiential learning in just two years of serving in her full-time role. In that time, she leveraged her award-winning professional experience to turn The Volunteer Channel from a student club into a fully functioning broadcast news organization through seamless integration with her courses and seemingly endless formal and informal mentorship of TVC students.

TVC launched VolNews in partnership with Knoxville CBS affiliate WVLT, marking the first time a student-produced newscast has aired live across the region, while also expanding specialty programming reach.

Her mentorship has profoundly shaped student trajectories, reflected in student recognition at the Southeast Journalism Conference and in the lasting pipeline of opportunity she has created for future journalists at UT.

Since joining CCI in 2023, Wood has advised hundreds of students toward graduation, developing a deep understanding of curricula, policies, and student needs, and translating that knowledge into clear, accessible guidance.
She is especially committed to supporting students facing academic or personal challenges, working persistently to help them navigate university systems and access the resources they need to succeed.

In her new leadership role, she has strengthened advising training and is helping to lead professional development efforts for the advising team, bringing both compassion and collaboration to her work.

Frampton has an unwavering dedication to student success both within and beyond the classroom, such as her significant involvement with UT’s Division of Student Success and the many innovative learning opportunities she provides for our students.

Her commitment to student success extends well beyond traditional teaching responsibilities, reflecting a deep investment in improving the student experience across multiple levels.

She is a strong advocate for undergraduate research, actively encouraging students to pursue research opportunities of interest and creating opportunities for mentorship. Her courses consistently receive strong student evaluations, with students highlighting her engaging teaching style, collaborative learning environment, and ability to help them build confidence and mastery of course concepts.

Paskewitz conducts research that meaningfully bridges scholarship and tangible impact on communities in a manner that changes lives. Her work spans small group dynamics, organizational communication in family farms, and communication challenges in rural communities, consistently centering on community-engaged research that improves lives across Tennessee and beyond.

While her scholarship advances theory and expands understanding of how people build relationships in group settings, it is her deep commitment to applied, community-centered work that most clearly reflects the spirit of this award.

Iannacone is being recognized for herinnovative and globally engaged scholarship in public relations and communication. In just three years at the University of Tennessee, the recipient has built a strong record of productivity that far exceeds expectations for an early career scholar.

Her scholarship is theoretically ambitious, methodologically rigorous, globally engaged, and socially meaningful. She advances new knowledge that reshapes how we understand public relations and prosocial communication. Her research bridges disciplines, connects global and local perspectives, and meaningfully contributes to our communities and society at large.

Her body of work exemplifies the award’s core values and her trajectory signals not only sustained excellence but transformative impact.

Since joining CCI in 2023, De Moya has led the development and implementation of a multi-year strategy for access and engagement while also shaping the next phase of this work.

Her impact includes the creation of the Content Creator Summer Workshop, which has provided hands-on learning experiences for more than 50 high school students, as well as the development of the “Make the Pitch” educational game to introduce students to branding and strategic communication.

hrough her leadership of the school’s Access and Engagement Committee and her work on prominent professional committees, she has elevated both the visibility and effectiveness of CCI’s and the Tombras School’s commitment to equity, access, and student opportunity.

Longmire has transformed the student experience in ways that are both measurable and meaningful. Under her leadership, CCI has seen improvement in outcomes across the college—in student enrollment, graduation rates, retention rates, and growth in the advising team.

These outcomes reflect not only strong leadership, but also a deep commitment to cultivating a best-in-class student experience. She is also a trusted campus partner, representing the college on senior-level university committees and advocating for policies that advance access, engagement, and equity.

Pittman has created an innovative, scalable instructional model that transforms a large-enrollment course into a dynamic, industry-facing learning environment. Teaching 200–300 students per semester, he has designed a social media production lab where students engage in real-time campaigns, analytics, and content creation for external partners, including Knoxville businesses, alumni-owned companies, and national brands.

Through these sustained collaborations, students gain authentic, public-facing portfolio work backed by measurable campaign data and professional experience, often in high-visibility, viral contexts that attract brands directly into the classroom. His approach integrates evolving industry trends—including AI, platform algorithms, and digital strategy—ensuring students and curriculum remain closely aligned with a rapidly changing media landscape while strengthening CCI’s external partnerships and visibility.

Across multiple responsibilities, Yother consistently brings creativity, professionalism, and a solutions-oriented mindset, quietly identifying ways to improve processes and enhance opportunities for students.

She has played a key role in the success of the Alan and Wendy Wilson Communication and Leadership Academy, the LEO Fellows program, the Land Ambassadors program, Vol 103, the CCI’s Vols Remote Internship Program, and many others, while also advancing initiatives in student recruitment and engagement in her new role over the past year.

Her willingness to step into new challenges and support college priorities wherever needed reflects both her collaborative spirit and her deep commitment to CCI’s success.y.

Agdebola embodies the Volunteer spirit, intentionally designing his Public Relations Campaigns course as a vehicle for community engagement, connecting students with nonprofit partners across Knoxville and East Tennessee. These partnerships go beyond transactional assignments, creating meaningful, sustained collaboration that benefits both students and community organizations.

His outreach extends further through civic bridge-building work with Braver Angels, where he contributes to efforts to reduce political polarization through dialogue, as well as through national and international leadership roles in AEJMC.

Through nonprofit partnerships, civic dialogue initiatives, national professional leadership, and student mentorship, this year’s recipient consistently connects CCI to local, national, and international communities in meaningful and sustained ways.

As an indispensable member of the Research and Innovation Center, Zach brings deep institutional knowledge and shares it generously, consistently going beyond expectations to support the success of others.

Beyond her professional role, she also volunteers with the Knoxville Community Action Committee, preparing and reviewing tax returns for under-resourced taxpayers—demonstrating a commitment to service that reflects the very best of CCI.