Chair: Dr. Michael Palenchar (Public Relations)
Committee Members: Dr. Candace White (Public Relations),
Dr. Lisa Fall (Public
Relations), and Dr. Praditha Dabholkar
(Marketing).
University of Southern California, Masters in Strategic
Public Relations
Los Angeles, California
August 2005 - August 2007
Thesis:
The impact of personality on corporate reputation:
Recovery from crises as a function of the degree of
overlap between corporate and individual personalities
Thesis Chair: Jennifer Floto (Public Relations)
Thesis Committee Members: Tom Hallahan (Communication
Management) & Michael Parks (Journalism)
University of Florida, Bachelors of Science in Public
Relations
Gainesville, Florida
August 2002 - August 2005
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, Texas
August 2001- May 2002
UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE
Research and Teaching
Graduate Teaching Associate, University of Tennessee,
Knoxville
School of Advertising
and Public Relations: Dr. Michael Palenchar
January 2010 –
Present
Classes:
PR 370 - Public Relations Cases (Freberg)
PR
270 – Public Relations Principles (Palenchar ; GTA)
Adjunct
Instructor, West Virginia University, Morgantown
Integrated Marketing
Communications (IMC) Master’s Program
P.I. Reed School of
Journalism
October 2009 –
Present
Class: IMC 618 – PR
Concepts & Strategies (Online course / Freberg)
Graduate Teaching Associate, University of Tennessee,
Knoxville
School of Advertising
and Public Relations:
August 2009 –
December 2009
Classes:
PR 370 - Public Relations Cases (Freberg)
PR 270 – Public Relations
Principles (Hilyard; GTA)
Graduate Teaching Associate, University of Tennessee,
Knoxville
School of Advertising
and Public Relations: Dr. Karen Hilyard
January 2009 – May
2009
Classes: PR 270:
Introduction to Public Relations (Hilyard; GTA)
CCI 150:
Communication in an Information
Age
(Gary & Campbell; GTA)
Graduate Teaching Associate, University of Tennessee,
Knoxville
School of Advertising
and Public Relations: Dr. Michael Palenchar
August 2008 –
December 2008
Classes: PR 380:
Public Relations Professional Seminar (Palenchar; GTA)
CCI 150:
Communication in an Information Age
(Gary & Campbell;
GTA)
Graduate Research Assistant, University of Tennessee,
Knoxville
School of Advertising
and Public Relations: Dr. Michael Palenchar
January 2008 – August
2008
Guest Lectures
University of Tennessee, Knoxville (2008 - Present)
PR
270:
Social media and Public Relations – Summer 2009; Spring
2010
(Ms. Tatjana M. Hocke); Fall 2009 (Dr. Karen Hilyard & Ms. Tatjana Hocke).
PR
270 :
Program Planning – Spring 2010 (Dr. Michael Palenchar)
PR
320:
Social Media and Public Relations – Spring 2010 (Dr.
Lisa Fall)
IS
310:
Social Media & Information Seeking Behavior – Spring
2010
(Mr. Simon Aristeguieta–
Trillos)
COM
340:
Social Media & Research Methods – Fall 2009; Spring 2010
(Ms. Stephanie Kelly)
PSY
201:
Introduction to Psychology – Spring 2009, Social Media &
Managing online reputation (Dr. Laura Freberg,
California Polytechnic
State University, San Luis Obispo, CA)
PR
270:
Public Relations Principles – Spring 2009; Social Media
and
Public Relations, Global Public Relations (Dr. Karen
Hilyard & Ms. Angela Pratt)
PR
370:
Public Relations Case Studies – Spring 2008; Crisis
Communication and Message Strategy Theories in Public
Relations (Dr. Michael Palenchar)
PR
380:
Public Relations Professional Development Seminar – Fall
2008; Spring 2010; How to make an e-Portfolio and
Managing Online Reputation (Dr. Michael Palenchar)
CCI
150:
Communication in an Information Age – Fall 2008; Crisis
Communication and Crisis Management (Mr. Don Campbell)
CCI
150:
Communication in an Information Age – Fall 2008; Public
Relations (Ms. Lisa Gary)
RELATED PROFESSIONAL
EXPERIENCE
“Social
Media Constraints and Opportunities Case Studies and
Industry White Paper Project” – National Center for Food
Protection and Defense Grant Project
September 2009 – Present
Working as a graduate assistant with Dr.
Michael Palenchar on
grant project with the National Center for Food
Protection and Defense (NCFPD).
Monitoring and tracking social media for case study and
industry paper for NCFPD on H1N1 crisis and food safety.
NCFPD
Social media and Public Relations PowerPoint
Presentation – Training Resource
January 2010
Created
a PowerPoint presentation for the National Center for
Food Protection and Defense web site as an instructional
tool about how to use social media within public
relations as well as during a crisis or risk event.
Available to download off the FoodSHIELD web site:
http://www.foodshield.org/education/riskcomm.cfm.
Crisis
and Emergency Risk Training – Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
October 27-28, 2008
Participated in the two-day training session at the CDC
on Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication conducted by
Dr. Barbara Reynolds, Ph.D.
Became
certified for CERC as well as RiskSmart during the
two-day training workshop.
Committee Member, PR Day 2008, University of Tennessee,
Knoxville
June 2008 – November 2008
Worked
as a graduate assistant to Dr. Michael Palenchar, chair
of PR Day 2008.
Designed the PR Day 2008 web site (www.prday2008.com),
PR Day fliers, and the PR Day brochure.
Created
promotional materials for PR Day event as well as
setting up online registration for the event on
Eventbrite.com.
Helped
manage registration and coordinate speakers at PR Day
2008 event.
Served
as moderator for Crises, Public Outrage and the
Challenges of Meeting Societal Expectations: A FEMA Case
Study workshop.
Public
Relations Intern: Total Media, Cape Town, South Africa
May 2007- July
2007
Worked
with public relations professionals at Total Media with
various client accounts including fashion designers
Craig Port and Gavin Rajah, restaurants Forty Ate and
Café Mao, consumer goods Amarula cream liqueur, fitness
center Virgin Active, and South African Fashion events
Cape Town Fashion Week and Joburg Fashion Week.
Responsible to writing fashion designer profiles,
pitching media strategies to various outlets in South
Africa (English / Afrikaans / Xhosa)
Developing PR campaign strategies, conducting public
relations research, making research proposals on brand
image in South Africa, and helping with event planning.
Graduate Assistant with USC Track and Field, Los
Angeles, California August 2006 – May 2006
Worked
with the track and field coaches and staff in recruiting
athletes to the program.
Made
fact sheets about athletes and communicating with
potential student-athletes and their parents on
recruiting trips.
Helped
the assistant throws coach with organization of team and
recruiting activities (ex. researching athletes,
communication, creating media packets).
Helped USC Trojan Force organize the 2006 Golf
Tournament Fundraiser for USC Track and Field on
September 15, 2006.
Publisher and Creator of KarenFreberg.com
1996 - present
Designed and maintained personal web site and online
reputation using Microsoft Front Page and Word Press
software programs.
Posted
pictures, articles, and wrote journal entries discussing
what it was like being a high school and collegiate
track and field athlete (1998 – 2006).
Developed online newsletter while at the University of
Florida and USC competing in track and field
Created
blog discussing issues and events in public relations,
athletics, and reputation management in 2007.
Public
Relations Intern at Living Well Center, University of
Florida, Gainesville, Florida
May 2005 – August 2005
Participated in managing fitness center with other
interns
Involved in designing media and promotional materials
(ex. brochure)
Journal
Contributor for Trackshark.com
December 2003 – July 2004
Wrote
journal entries for the college track and field web site
Trackshark.com about what it was like to be a
student-athlete at the University of Florida.
Journals were published on a weekly basis during the
2004 Track and Field season.
Journal
Contributor for Dyestat.com
July 2000 – November 2000
Wrote a
journal series called “Karen’s Diaries” about what it
was like to be a high school athlete and the recruiting
process.
Had a
series of six diary entries discussing recruiting trips,
questions to ask coaches when being recruited, and
things to think about when taking the recruiting trip.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Freberg, K., Palenchar,
M.J., & Veil, S. (2010). "Social media bookmarking
services: Managing and sharing information from a
centralized source.” Accepted for presentation at the
National Communication Association’s 96th Annual
Convention. November 14-17, 2010. San Francisco, CA.
[Top Four Paper – Applied Communications Division].
Freberg, K. (2010).
“Global reputation sustainability: A case study
analyzing the responses and factors of the WWF and DDB
Brazil ‘Tsunami’ advertisement crisis.”
Accepted for
presentation at the Round Table Session at the
14h
International Conference on Corporate Reputation, Brand,
Identity and Competitiveness. May 19 – 21, 2010. Rio
de Janerio, Brazil.
Freberg, K., & Graham,
K. (2010). “Understanding the effectiveness of a strong
online reputation: Predicting the next social media
influencer using the Q-sort.”
Accepted for
presentation at the Round Table Session at
the 14h
International Conference on Corporate Reputation, Brand,
Identity and Competitiveness. May 19 – 21, 2010. Rio
de Janerio, Brazil.
Hocke, T.M.,
Colon-Aguirre, M., Freberg, K., & Palenchar, M.J.
(2010). “Community
response to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) ash
spill.” Accepted for presentation at the Round Table
Session at
the 14h
International Conference on Corporate Reputation, Brand,
Identity and Competitiveness. May 19 – 21, 2010. Rio
de Janerio, Brazil.
Freberg, K., Adams,
R., McGaughey, K., Rust, M., Blume, M., Menon, A., et
al. (2010). “Leaders or snakes in suits: Perceptions
of today's CEOs.” Poster to be presented at the 22nd
Association of Psychological Science (APS) Annual
Convention. May 27-May 30, 2010. Boston, MA.
Freberg, K. (2010). “The
status quo of master’s level public relations education
in the 21st Century: A pedagogical dispute
between theory and application.”
Presented at the paper session at the University of
Tennessee College of Communication and Information 32nd
Annual Research Symposium. February 26, 2010. Knoxville,
TN.
Colon-Aguirre, M., &
Freberg, K. (2010). “The risks and threats to the
academic library as the ultimate knowledge source: A
case study looking at the impact of Google Books on
academic libraries.”
Presented at the collaborative paper session at the
University of Tennessee College of Communication and
Information 32nd Annual Research Symposium. February 26,
2010. Knoxville, TN.
Colon-Aguirre, M., &
Freberg, K. (2010). “A multidisciplinary case study
analyzing
Google’s key messages concerning the digitalization of
books towards
academic libraries.” Presented in the work-in-progress
poster session at the 2010
Association for Library and Information Science
Education Conference. January 12-15, 2010. Boston, MA.
Freberg, K., &
Palenchar, M. J. (2009). “Current direction of U. S.
undergraduate public relations programs: A pedagogical
struggle.” Presented at the Association for Educators
in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference. August
5-8, 2009. Boston, MA. [Second place - Top Teaching
Paper Category – Public Relations Division].
Freberg, K., &
Freberg, L. (2009). “Relationships between Loneliness
and Perceptions and Use Patterns of Social Networking
Sites in University Students.” Presented at the 3rd
International Conference on Psychology on June 8-11,
2009, Athens, Greece.
Freberg, K.
(2009). “Is there a time and a place for issues
advertising?: A case study analyzing Heineken's ‘Give
yourself a good name’ campaign.” Presented at the
interactive poster session at the 13th International
Conference on Corporate Reputation, Brand, Identity and
Competitiveness. May 28 – 30, 2009. Amsterdam, The
Netherlands.
Ainley,B., Freberg,
K., Adams, R., Enrique, C., & Freberg, L.
(2009).“Loneliness Predicts Perceptions and Use of
Social Networking Sites.” Presented at the poster
presentation at the 2009 APS Annual Convention. May 22 -
25, 2009, San Francisco, CA.
Freberg,
K., & Palenchar, M. J. (2009). “Practitioner or academic
approach: The current direction of U. S. undergraduate
public relations programs.”
Presented in the collaborative paper session at the
University of Tennessee College of Communication and
Information 31st Annual Research Symposium. February 27,
2009. Knoxville, TN. [Top student-faculty collaboration
paper].
Freberg, K., &
Freberg, L. (2008). “Web-based publication on the
perception of avatars in terms of communication and an
online reputation management perspective.” Good web
practices. Oct 23, 2008.
Freberg, K. (2008). “From supersizing to healthy: Can
McDonald’s change its image among today’s college
students?” Presented in the poster session at the
University of Tennessee College of Communication and
Information 30th Annual Research Symposium. February 29,
2008.
Knoxville, TN. [Tied for Top Poster].
Freberg, K. (2008). “Perceptions of sport celebrity
endorsers: Do college students perceive high risk
celebrity endorsers more negatively than low risk
celebrity endorsers?” Work in progress research paper.
Presented at the 11th International Public
Relations Research Conference. March 6-9, 2008.
Miami, FL.
Palenchar, M. J., & Freberg, K. (2008). “Yahoo! Inc.’s
reputation management in China: A case study of
corporate personality and media challenges.” Presented
at the 12th International Conference on Reputation,
Brand,
Identity, & Competitiveness. May 29-June 1, 2008.
Beijing, China.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Presented at the interactive poster session at the
13th International Conference on Reputation, Brand,
Identity, & Competitiveness.
Wrote paper:
"Is there a time and a place for issues advertising?: A
case study analyzing Heineken's ‘Give yourself a good
name’ campaign.’"
Conference sponsored by the Reputation Institute and
the Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus
University.
Athens,
Greece
Presented at the 3rd International Conference
on Psychology on June 8-11, 2009 in Athens, Greece.
Co-authored paper: “Relationships between Loneliness and
Perceptions and Use Patterns of Social Networking Sites
in University Students.”
Conference sponsored by Athens Institute for Education
and Research.
Beijing, China
Presented at the 12th International
Conference on Reputation, Brand,
Identity, & Competitiveness. May 29-June 1, 2008.
Beijing, China.
Co-authored paper:
“Yahoo! Inc.’s Reputation Management in China: A Case
Study of Corporate Personality and Media Challenges.”
Conference sponsored by the Reputation Institute.
Rio de
Janerio, Brazil
Accepted to present at the 14th International
Conference on Reputation, Brand,
Identity, & Competitiveness. May 19 – 21, 2010. Rio de
Janerio, Brazil.
Wrote paper:
Global reputation
sustainability: A case study analyzing the responses and
factors of the WWF and DDB Brazil ‘Tsunami’
advertisement crisis.”
Co-authored paper:
“Understanding the
effectiveness of a strong online reputation: Predicting
the next social media influencer using the Q-sort.”
Co-authored paper:
“Community
Response to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Ash
Spill.”
Conference sponsored by the Reputation Institute.
HONORS & AWARDS
Research
Top Four Paper, Applied Communications Division,
National Communications Association Convention, with Dr.
Michael Palenchar and Dr. Shari Veil. (November 2010).
Second Place, Top Teaching Paper, Public Relations
Division, Association for Education in Journalism and
Mass Communications, with Dr. Michael Palenchar. (August
2009).
Top Student-Faculty Paper, University of Tennessee’s
College of Communication and Information Research
Symposium, with Dr. Michael Palenchar. (February 2009).
Top Poster (tied), University of Tennessee’s College of
Communication and Information Research Symposium.
(February 2008).
Academics
David X. Marks Scholar Student-Athlete Recipient,
University of Southern California. (2007).
Academic All-American, University of Florida. (2003).
All-SEC Academic Team, University of Florida. (2003,
2004).
Athletics
All-American, shot put, University of Southern
California. (2006).
All-West
Regional, shot put, University of Southern California.
(2006).
All-PAC
10, shot put, University of Southern California. (2006).
All-American, shot put, University of Florida. (2003,
2004).
Two-time
Southeastern Conference Champion, shot put, University
of Florida. (2003).
All-SEC
First Team, University of Florida. (2003).
Western
Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year (Indoor Track
and Field), Southern Methodist University. (2002)
ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Public
Relations Judge for ADV 470 Campaigns Presentations
(Advertising Campaigns Course, Dr. Margie Morrison),
Spring 2009.
Conference Student Paper Reviewer, Public Relations
Division, International Communication Association, 2008,
2009.
Committee Member, PR Day 2008, Bi-Annual Public
Relations Conference for Students and Local
Professionals, School of Advertising and Public
Relations, University of Tennessee, 2008.
Doctoral Student Representative, Dean’s Graduate Student
Advisory, University of Tennessee, 2008 - 2009.
PROFESSIONAL
AFFILIATIONS
Public
Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), 2004
Phi
Kappa Alpha Member, 2004
University of Southern California Alumni, since 2007
Reputation Institute, 2008 - present
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass
Communication Member, 2009, 2010
Social
Media Club – Knoxville Member, 2009, 2010
SOCIAL NETWORKING AFFILIATIONS
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/karen.freberg
Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/kfreberg
MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/karenfreberg
LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/karenfreberg
