Linda Charllote Kabaalu

Linda Charllote Kabaalu is a communication scholar with an interest in organizational communication. She is currently a first-year PhD student with a concentration in communication studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, following the completion of her Master of Arts in Communication with a concentration in organizational communication at Illinois State University. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Skills and Organizational Studies from Makerere University in Uganda.

Kabaalu’s research interests center on empathetic leadership communication and the ways relational, supportive, and culturally responsive communication practices influence individual and organizational experiences. Her broader research program explores leadership communication, organizational and intercultural communication, employee well-being, psychological safety, relational trust, organizational inclusion, diversity and equity communication, organizational culture, resilience, and communication during periods of uncertainty and institutional change. She is particularly interested in how leaders communicate care, empathy, and support across cultural differences and how these practices contribute to healthier, more inclusive, and more resilient organizations.

Her scholarly work has examined culturally responsive leadership communication in virtual engagements with international African students in US higher education, informal networks and holistic wellness among African international students, Wellness Among African International Students, strategic communication and enrollment decision-making, and the relationship between organizational hiring messages and perceived person–organization fit. Her research has been published or is forthcoming in scholarly journals, including the Iowa Journal of Communication and Journal of International Students. She has presented her research at national and regional academic conferences, including the National Communication Association and the Central States Communication Association.

In addition to her research, Kabaalu has experience in university teaching, research administration, strategic communication, public relations, and community engagement. She has served as a graduate instructor at Illinois State University, where she taught Communication as Critical Inquiry. As a research assistant at Makerere University, she contributed to collaborative research projects, conducted literature reviews and focus groups, supported research ethics processes, managed research databases, and coordinated research activities. Before beginning her master’s studies, Kabaalu worked as a Communications Administrator at Sunrise Schools Enterprise and as a public relations assistant at Kampala Capital City Authority.

These professional experiences strengthened her commitment to connecting communication scholarship with practical organizational and community challenges. As an emerging organizational communication scholar, Linda is committed to producing theoretically grounded, human-centered, and socially meaningful research that advances understanding of empathetic leadership communication and contributes to the development of healthier, more inclusive, and sustainable organizations.