2024 Awards Ceremony
2024 Distinguished Award Winners
Congratulations to the following individuals on their nominations and awards! The Ohio Communication Association is pleased to celebrate excellence in research, teaching, and service throughout our great state.
Earl W. Wiley Presidential Award: Dr. Erin E. Hollenbaugh, Kent State University at Stark
Erin E. Hollenbaugh, Ph.D., is a tenured Professor of Communication Studies at Kent State University at Stark. She earned her Ph.D. from Kent State in 2008. Erin’s primary areas of teaching and research include interpersonal communication in mediated environments, specifically online self-disclosure, privacy management, and self-presentation. She has also published in the areas of social media dependency and addiction. Erin’s research appears in top-tier journals such as the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication and the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, as well as the widely-cited interdisciplinary journals of Social Media + Society and Computers in Human Behavior. Erin teaches a variety of courses in the undergraduate program, including face-to-face and online classes in her specialty area, as well as service courses.
Erin’s first academic conference presentation of her career was at the 2004 Speech Communication Association Conference, an organization we now know as the Ohio Communication Association. Since that first conference, Erin has been dedicated to elevating the organization’s reputation for being a platform for meaningful connections and high-quality scholarship, as well as increasing OCA’s financial standing. She has served OCA in a variety of positions, including District Representative, On-Site Conference Coordinator, Executive Director, and Sponsorship Coordinator. She is also on the editorial board of the Ohio Communication Journal.
In her free time, Erin enjoys the company of her spouse Michael, their 10- and 13-year-old kids, and two stinky basset hounds, Jolene and Lola.
Distinguished Community Engagement Award recipient: Dr. Michelle Colpean, University of Cincinnati
Dr. Michelle Colpean is an Assistant Educator Professor in the School of Communication, Film, and Media Studies at the University of Cincinnati, where she serves as the Undergraduate Director for the fully online BA in Communication. Her has been published in Women’s Studies in Communication, the Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, and Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies.
One of her greatest professional joys is putting her academic knowledge of communication to use in the interest of community engagement. Michelle was recently recognized as a Wyoming, OH Citizen of the Year for efforts in community building and volunteer work. She is a trustee on the board of the Wyoming Communication Foundation, where she has created promotional materials for the organization to fundraise and complete projects such as a revitalized Village Green and performance space as well as an accessible playground. She is also a member of the Wyoming Join Women’s Collaborative, where she serves on the Future of JWC Committee to promote organizational equity and inclusion, and recently co-moderated a Women’s Month panel about Empowering through Education with local immigrant mentoring nonprofit Women Walking West. She has also facilitated an election forum moderated by first time voters at the local high school, created a #ShineOnSami campaign in her late son’s honor to promote community kindness, works with fellow bereaved as a support volunteer through the Finley Project, fosters shelter animals for Cincy Animal CARE, and is charity running the 2024 NYC Marathon to fundraise for infant brain cancer research.
Distinguished Graduate Teaching Assistant: Debipreeta Rahut, Bowling Green State University
Debipreeta Rahut (she/her) is a final-year doctoral candidate and Graduate Teaching Associate in the School of Media and Communication, Bowling Green State University (BGSU). Originally from Kolkata, India, she brings prior work experience as a journalist and as an Assistant Professor. At BGSU, Debipreeta has taught courses such as Introduction to Public Speaking, Persuasive Communication, Interpersonal Communication, and Communication Theory. She also has worked on an NSF Grant (Award No. 1760389) with the BGSU ALLIES team as an Online Learning Designer and Research Assistant in the summers of 2022 and 2023 respectively, assisting with designing and developing online training modules on allyship and inclusive leadership with a focus on gender equity.
Debipreeta’s research interests include Gender & Technology, Media & Communication, Feminist Studies, Digital Activism and Culture, and Gender & Migration. She is also the incoming Vice-Chair of the Feminist and Gender Studies Division of the National Communication Association, this year. Her teaching philosophy, grounded in feminist pedagogy, encourages open dialogue and critical discussion, aiming to decenter power dynamics and create a collaborative learning environment.
This academic year, Debipreeta is leading the Graduate Student Instructor Learning Community in collaboration with BGSU’s Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE). This learning community provides graduate students a space to discuss professional development and navigating their dual roles as students and employees. With a passion for inclusive and intercultural pedagogy, she has designed intercultural competency modules to enhance effective teaching and learning for the campus-wide asynchronous Canvas training course, “Teaching as a Graduate Student.”
Innovative Teacher award winner: Dr. Kevin Cordi, Ohio University-Lancaster
Dr. Kevin D. Cordi is a storyteller and educator and Narrative 4 trained coach who values the transformative power of deep listening. With a career that spans over 25 years and includes roles from student and professor to gas station attendant, Kevin has cultivated a rich and authentic approach to storytelling.
Currently an Associate Professor at Ohio University Lancaster, Kevin teaches storytelling, education, and literacy. His scholarly contributions include influential books such as Playing with Stories: Story Crafting for Writers, Teachers, and Other Imaginative Thinkers and Raising Voices: Creating Youth Storytelling Groups and Troupes. His impact extends beyond the classroom through his work with the Educator Advisor Panel for Learning for Justice and as the founder of the YES (Youth, Educators, Storytellers) SIG of the National Storytelling Network. He was also recognized by the National Storytelling Network as the first full-time high school storytelling teacher in the country. He serves as a National Writing Project Consultant, working with the Ohio University Appalachian Writing Project served as a Co-Director for the writing project at The Ohio State University.
His storytelling and teaching has taken him to events including the International Book Festival and the Qatar Foundation, and he has been commissioned by the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He has performed and presented in over 44 states, England, Japan, Scotland, Singapore and Qatar.
Dr. Cordi’s approach to storytelling is rooted in play, practice, and the profound impact of shared creativity. Learn more about at www.kevincordi.com.
In sharing these accomplishments, I learned about organized speech programs by having the great fortune of learning from Dr. Jerry Feezel, my excellent professor at Kent State University. He not only prepared me to value speech as a practice but also prepared me to coach award-winning forensics teams which I did, alongside storytelling troupes in Ohio and California.
The strongest thing that I learned is that the fear of public speaking is erased by the passion of shared communication.
Distinguished Coach Award: Kimberly Reiner, The Columbus Academy
Kimberly N. Reiner is in her third year as a high school math teacher at The Columbus Academy, where she also serves as the Head Speech and Debate coach. She is the district chair and treasurer for the Columbus District of the Ohio Speech and Debate Association. In her first two years, Kimberly led 14 students to the state competition in the 2022-2023 season and 19 in the 2023-2024 season, with 3 students qualifying for Nationals. She has also coached 5 Academic All-American Award winners and helped her team earn both the 100 and 200 Club Awards through the NSDA. While the team’s success is remarkable, Kimberly values the relationships she builds with her students and the support they give one another.
Kimberly believes that Speech and Debate is a melting pot of different abilities and backgrounds, offering students a place where they can truly find their voices. At the end of every competition and season, she asks her students three key questions: Did you learn something? Did you do your best? Did you have fun? At the end of the day, nothing else truly matters. She credits much of her success to the strong support of her team and cherishes the opportunity to help her students grow—not just as competitors but as confident, well-rounded individuals.
