Eastern Communication Association

Saturday, April 1:  ECA Convention Luncheon, Awards, and Interactive Keynote:  "Leading Across a Diverse and Ever-Changing Landscape"

Eastern Communication Association will host a membership luncheon featuring our association's annual awards, fellows, and a special keynote guest.

Registration for the luncheon is required. 

Building Bridges: Leading Across a Diverse and Ever-Changing Landscape

In this interactive conversation, Dr. James C. Anderson II  will help you create an inclusive and welcoming scholarly practice that reflects you and your own worldview, rather than an institutional DEI statement.  He will take us on his own journey of self-discovery and finding his voice in an environment where some didn’t think he belonged. A product of inner-city Chicago, Dr. Anderson defied the odds to become a leader and influential scholar in his field. Using storytelling, lessons on cultural awareness, and strategies for facilitating change in teaching, research and outreach, the audience will be encouraged to dig deeply and reflect on the lived experiences that were pivotal in shaping who they are and how they choose to collaborate with others. Come on this journey of self-discovery and learn ways to build bridges of inclusion and belonging in a diverse and ever-changing landscape.

Dr. James C. Anderson II is Associate Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education & Communication. He is the 2023 Dawn D. Bennett-Alexander Inclusive Community Award from the University of Georgia, the 2021 National Teaching and Student Engagement Award for the US Department of Agriculture, and the 2019 Faculty Award for Diversity from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Georgia.  Dr. Anderson teaches courses related to leader ethics, collaborative problem solving, servant leadership, leader development, and the implementation of inclusive leadership practices. As a UGA Extension Leadership Specialist, Dr. Anderson works both locally and internationally to establish mechanisms for preparing leaders with skills to plan, facilitate, and evaluate capacity building initiatives within their organizations and communities.  His research is focused on the investigation and evaluation of educational and training programs that build leaders’ capacities to support those they serve using culturally relevant and transformative approaches.