María De Moya is the Charles Tombras, Sr. Endowed Professor at University of Tennessee’s  Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations, University of Tennessee- Knoxville. In this role she is tasked with leading Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts for the school. Her research explores messaging, advocacy, and public diplomacy practices by communities, organizations, government, and political actors. She co-edited the book Diaspora Public Diplomacy in Latin America, published by Palgrave in 2020.

De Moya teaches courses on foundations of public relations, communication for social change, public relations in multicultural communities and public relations law and ethics. She has over a decade of combined experience in business journalism, public affairs, and development communication. De Moya was a Fulbright Scholar from Dominican Republic during her master’s studies at New York University. She currently serves as Vice-Head for the Minorities in Communications Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).

Education:

Ph.D. Mass Communication, University of Florida

M.A. Business and Economic Reporting, New York University

B.A. Mass Communication, Universidad Católica Santo Domingo

Research Interests:

Ethnic Advocacy and Activism

Government Public Relations

International Public Relations

Public Diplomacy