Thomas Burkholder, Ph.D, Chair and Associate Professor
Prof. Burkholder (Ph.D., University of Kansas) teaches courses in rhetorical criticism and theory and the history of U.S. public address. His research interests include 19th century U.S. public address, the rhetoric of woman suffrage, and political and presidential rhetoric. He is co-author, with Karlyn Kohrs-Campbell, of the second edition of Critiques of Contemporary Rhetoric, and is co-editing a volume on the history of 19th century U.S. protest rhetoric with Dean Martha Watson. E-mail Prof. Burkholder.

Donovan Conley, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Prof. Conley (Ph.D., University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana) specializes in rhetorical, cultural, and American studies. He researches 19th century U.S. public culture, especially the effects of national expansion and social reform on the rhetorical practices of antebellum citizenship. As a theorist, Prof. Conley examines the canon of rhetorical invention through the dimensions of style and aesthetics, space and place, and cultural performance. He teaches courses in the history of rhetoric, 19th and 20th century public culture, argumentation, persuasion, and rhetorical theory and criticism. E-mail Prof. Conley.

Beth DeLisle, Ph.D., Visiting Professor
Prof. DeLisle's (Ph.D., The Pennsylvania State University) areas of interest include interpersonal communication and conflict management.  Her research focuses on the argument behavior of friend relationships, specifically regarding relationship satisfaction and maintenance.  At UNLV, she teaches courses in interpersonal and nonverbal communication, small group communication, and conflict management. E-mail Prof. DeLisle.

Tara Emmers-Sommer, Ph.D., Professor and Graduate Coordinator
Prof. Emmers-Sommer (Ph.D., Ohio University), serves as the department's Graduate Coordinator. Her research areas include interpersonal and health communication, media, and sex and gender issues. Prof. Emmers-Sommer's work focuses specifically on sexual coercion, safer sex, and the impact of of mediated sexual violence on attitudes toward women. An award-winning instructor, her work appears in Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Human Communication Research, Journal of Communication, and Sex Roles, among others. E-mail Prof. Emmers-Sommer.

Erika Engstrom, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Prof. Engstrom (Ph.D., University of Florida) teaches courses in gender and nonverbal communication. Her research interests include mass media portrayals of gender and weddings. E-mail Prof. Engstrom. Click here for Prof. Engstrom's home page.

David Henry, Ph.D., Professor
Prof. Henry (Ph.D., Indiana University) teaches courses in political communication, rhetorical theory and criticism, persuasion, and argumentation. He is executive director of the Rhetoric Society of America, and editor of the Quarterly Journal of Speech for 2005-2007. Prof. Henry's research interests include the history of rhetoric and 19th and 20th century public culture. E-mail Prof. Henry.

Erin Sahlstein, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Prof. Sahlstein (Ph.D., University of Iowa) teaches courses in interpersonal communication, communication theory, and research methods. Her research focuses on communication issues in long-distance relationships, most recently military marriages, deployment, and the war on terror. Prof. Sahlstein studies relationships from a dialectical perspective, focusing on the contradictions couples experience and how they communicatively manage their relationships. Her research involves interviews, surveys, and meta-analysis. E-mail Prof. Sahlstein.

Jacob Thompson, Ph.D., Director of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum and Assistant Professor in Residence
Prof. Thompson (Ph.D., University of Kansas) researches argumentation theory and pedagogy, the state argumentation in the American public sphere, and rhetorical criticism of current foreign policy issues. He also directs and coaches UNLV's new NDT/CEDA policy debate team, and the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum, representing UNLV in national competition. He teaches courses in argumentation and debate, public speaking, and rhetorical criticism. Click here for UNLV Debate Team. E-mail Prof. Thompson

Joseph M. Valenzano III, Ph.D, Basic Course Director and Assistant Professor in Residence
Prof. Valenzano's (Ph.D., Georgia State University) research interests include rhetoric, presidential communication, and terrorism, in particular, justifications offered for the war on terror and its impact on certain domestic concerns and practices. Prof. Valenzano serves as the Basic Course Director and supervises instructors for Oral Communication and Introduction to Interpersonal Communication. He teaches courses in political communication, rhetorical criticism, persuasion, and communication pedagogy. E-mail Prof. Valenzano.

Susan Schiller, Administrative Assistant
Ms. Schiller serves as the department's office manager, handling all aspects of office operations, such as course scheduling, equipment procurement, and general information. She has been at UNLV since 1984, after working in the Las Vegas gaming scene. In addition to her years of outstanding service at UNLV, Ms. Schiller has been honored as a Citizen of Distinction by the Las Vegas Foundation for an Independent Tomorrow.

Alysia Peters, Student Worker
Ms. Peters serves as the department's office receptionist and assists in all daily operations. She is a political science graduate of UNLV, and plans to apply to law school and hopes to one day work within the realm of international politics.