Rita Kirk
Professor, Chair, Division of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs
Ph.D., University of Missouri

Professor Rita Kirk is a Meadows Distinguished Teaching Professor. As an academic, she is recognized for her analysis of political and persuasive campaigns. She is the author of several award-winning books and articles, including Political Empiricism: Communications Strategies in State and Regional Elections; Hate Speech, a book analyzing implications for hate discourse in public communication, with co-editor David Slayden; and her most recent effort, Solo Acts: The Death of Discourse in a Wired World. Kirk was awarded the "M" Award in 2001 and the Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award in 2000 by the SMU student body. Specializing in communication strategy, she has more than 15 years of experience as a strategist for city council, mayoral, state, U.S. Representative and gubernatorial races. In addition to her political consulting, she has served as a communications consultant to several national and multinational corporations on public policy matters. Kirk holds a bachelor's degree in communication/political science and a master's degree in communications, both from the University of Arkansas. She received her Ph.D. in communications from the University of Missouri.
rkirk@smu.edu
214.768.2123