Jennifer Brubaker

Dr. Jennifer Brubaker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where she has taught since 2006, as well as the host of the podcast “Reframing Me." Her primary teaching areas are family communication, integrated marketing communication and political communication. In addition, she serves as the coordinator of the journalism minor program. Jennifer authored the 2020 book "Celebrity and the American Political Process," which takes a look at the intersection between media and politics through the lens of celebrity involvement in the political process. After 20 years in academia, Jen added Public Scholar to her bio in 2022, bringing her scholarly research in family communication out of the classroom and into the podcast “Reframing Me,” which discusses both the evolution of parenting and family communication and the rediscovery of a woman’s self, as her children become teenagers. Dr. Brubaker earned a Ph.D. in communication studies at Kent State University, an M.A. in journalism & mass communication and a B.A. in business marketing & economics at The Ohio State University. Prior to UNCW, she taught at The Ohio State University, Kent State University and the University of Toledo. Originally from Ohio, Jen lives in Wilmington, NC, with her husband, three teenaged children, four dogs, cat and a menagerie of small animals. She loves spending time with her family, traveling and all things fitness, sports and wellness. www.jenniferbrubaker.com

Education

B.S. in Business Administration, The Ohio State University
M.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication, The Ohio State University
Ph.D. in Communication Studies, Kent State University

Specialization in Teaching

Integrated Marketing Communication
Family Communication
Political Communication
Media Studies
Online Pedagogy and Course Design (QM certified)

Research Interests

Family Communication
Political Communication
Integrated Marketing Communication and Branding
Media Studies, especially as it relates to either family or political communication
The role of celebrity in American politics
The influence of midlife in a woman's communication and relationships
Reframing the Conversation - maintaining familial closeness amidst political dissension

Professional Service

Coordinator of the Journalism Minor program
Academic Advising
Public Scholarship

Community Engagement

Serve as an outward-facing scholar for local, national, and international media interviews on family communication and political communication, representing myself, the "Reframing Me" podcast (www.Reframing-Me.com), the "Reframing the Conversation" project (www.ReframingtheConversation.com), the Department of Communication Studies, and the University