As the new director for UNC Charlotte’s Center for the Study of the New South, Ashli Stokes will draw upon her research expertise and knowledge, along with her leadership and community engagement experiences, to lead the center in its work.
The center promotes discourse and dialogue on a rich and diverse constellation of topics and ideas relating to the New South. Known as the period of regional history from the end of the Civil War to the modern era, the New South offers a bold tapestry of history, culture, social movements and political issues ripe for reflection and study.
Stokes, an associate professor and director of the communication studies honors program in the Department of Communication Studies, fills a role previously held by Jeffrey Leak. A professor of English, Leak assumed the presidency of the University’s Faculty Council.
“As incoming director, I follow a strong legacy in bringing engaging programming to campus and the Charlotte community surrounding issues of concern in today’s New South,” said Stokes. “Over the years, the center has explored Southern history, race, sports, food and many more topics through its work. It has hosted scholars, held panels and community discussions and organized conferences to create a conversation about the role of Southern culture in today’s world. In short, my job is to continue to offer planning and leadership to promote and facilitate growth in research, outreach, and public engagement in the study of the New South.”
Stokes teaches a variety of public relations courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, including principles of public relations, public relations strategy and campaigns, issues management, health communication campaigns and organizational rhetoric. During summer 2015, she led the 13th year of the department’s public relations study abroad program in the United Kingdom.
Richard Leeman, interim chair of the Communication Studies Department, said, “This is an excellent opportunity to extend our faculty's already considerable interdisciplinary reach in the college, University and community. The Center for the Study of the New South is particularly engaged with the Levine Museum of the New South in Center City Charlotte. I know Ashli will do an outstanding job representing our department and our college and that we wish her well and will support her fully in her work as center director.”
Stokes’ research focuses on public relations and communication, specializing in rhetorical approaches to analyzing public relations controversies. She has co-authored a the textbook “Global Public Relations: Spanning Borders, Spanning Cultures” with colleague Alan Freitag, and she has been published in various academic journals, such as the Journal of Public Relations Research, Public Relations Review, the Southern Communication Journal, Journal of Communication Management, Studies in Communication Sciences.
Upon the completion of a master’s degree at Wake Forest University, Stokes worked in agency and corporate public relations. She then returned to academia and completed a doctoral degree at the University of Georgia in 2004.