This fall, the Cronkite School welcomes three dynamic new professors in strategic communication. Though their expertise varies from misinformation to entrepreneurship to health communication, all three are excited to work with Cronkite students as they advance their academic and professional careers. Meet them:
Crystal Houston, visiting professor
Crystal Houston built her career as an entrepreneur, media innovation scholar and startup business coach. She also writes and speaks on blockchain technology and media, serves as a mentor for entrepreneurs and previously spent more than 20 years developing strategic marketing and communications at Fortune 500 companies, agencies and nonprofits such as General Motors, PetSmart and United Way.
(CRONKITE) What question do you hope a student brings to your office hours?
(FACULTY) “How might I combine my passions with my education to create a satisfying career in communications?”
Who are you following on social media that informs your work?
I am a fan of expertise over thought leadership, and follow a range of topics and professionals, such as leadership communications with Sabine Raabe on Medium, the Field Notes Substack by Admired Leadership, and big tech and media moves with Evan Shapiro on LinkedIn.
What was your favorite class in college?
The digital media entrepreneurship course [at Syracuse University] was my favorite.
Dave Keating, associate professor
Dave Keating’s academic and career journey has taken him all over the country, from his hometown of Salt Lake City to Washington, D.C. where he worked for a consulting firm doing applied research on messaging and campaigns for government and industry clients. Some of his most notable work includes message design research for the smokeless tobacco prevention arm of the “Real Cost” campaign.
What is a good question/discussion topic a student might bring to your office hours? Basic clarification questions about what a concept or idea really is. We must have a full understanding about something before we can use it to benefit our strategic communication efforts.
Who are you following right now on social media that informs your work?
I have a very boring answer: People whose research I value. There are a lot of talented researchers out there doing important and valuable work (including folks at the Cronkite School!).
What was your favorite class in college?
I took a class on persuasion from (University of Arizona professor) Steve Rains, who is a very humble guy despite being an incredibly prolific researcher, about 15 or 16 years ago. I was completely wrong about some things and half-wrong about a lot of others, but Steve was always very nice when correcting me. I learned a lot. A close second was a general education class simply called “Dinosaurs.”
Ali Zain, assistant professor
Ali Zain began his career as a content editor with the Daily Pakistan before moving to the nonprofit Alkhidmat Foundation, where he used his skills in search engine optimization, social media integration, targeted content creation, digital advertising, influencer engagement and strategic campaigns. Now, Zain’s research focuses on strategic message features that drive public perception, engagement and behavioral outcomes across health and science communication, societal disparities and more.
What is a good question/discussion topic a student might bring to your office hours?
While students are welcome to my office to discuss anything communication-related, questions like why some messages are more effective and how we can design more engaging messages and topics of research methods certainly generate great discussion.
Who are you following on social media that informs your work?
I follow @quarterchart, @lisaremillard, @zeteo, @thegoodliars, @staycuriousmyfriends on TikTok to satisfy my news diet, stay updated and contextualize my research work.
What was your favorite class in college?
When I was in college, Research Methods was my favorite class. And after all these years, I truly understand that all the skills that we use as communication practitioners and researchers are actually based on different research methods. It all goes back to it!