The Leadership Communication doctoral program at Kansas State University proudly announces its spring 2024 graduates. Anisah Ari, Ph.D., N’Zoret Innocent Assoman, Ph.D., Sakshi Bhati, Ph.D., Cale Morrow, Ph.D., Chase Spears, Ph.D., and Keyhan Shams, Ph.D. have completed their doctorates in Leadership Communication, an interdisciplinary program between the Department of Communications and Agricultural Education, the Staley School of Leadership, and the A.Q. Miller School of Media and Communication.
Anisah Ari has a bachelor’s degree in public administration and a master’s of arts in peace and security. Ari’s dissertation in the leadership communication doctoral program was entitled, Emerging leadership practices in extremity: Case study of women advancing collective enterprise in peace building processes, Plateau State, Nigeria. Her research explored how context shapes emerging local leadership behaviors in challenging environments. It specifically examines a group of women involved in peacebuilding efforts in Nigeria, who expanded cultural norms through their everyday leadership practices, thus redefining leadership as a dynamic and adaptive endeavor. Ari’s major professor was Dr. Brandon Kliewer, associate professor of civic leadership, Staley School of Leadership
Ari currently works with the Kansas Leadership Center, engaging communities in Kansas to solve their most pressing challenges. She also supports nonprofit and public sector institutions in several countries in Africa to advance peacebuilding missions.
“The leadership communication doctoral program has had a profound transformation in my life, transcending mere academic growth to deeply impacting my personal journey,” said Ari. “Through its interdisciplinary lens, I have come to appreciate the intricate interplay of systemic challenges in governance, which keeps me continuously curious. Empowered by this experience, I am driven to pursue scholarship that bridges real-world issues with the creation of knowledge.”
N’Zoret Innocent Assoman holds a bachelor’s of art degree in English linguistics, bachelor of science in entrepreneurship and management, master’s of art in English linguistics and a professional certificate of advisory in strategy. Assoman’s dissertation was entitled, An analysis of graduate students’ perceptions of civic engagement in higher education in Cote d’Ivoire. His study explored the perceptions of civic engagement among graduate students in the Ivorian higher education system, utilizing Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR) inquiry. The study’s themes highlighted the importance of enhancing civic education among graduate students, administrators, faculty, and other key stakeholders within the system, and offered recommendations to address this need. Assoman’s major professor was Dr. Brandon Kliewer, associate professor of civic leadership, Staley School of Leadership
Upon completion of his doctoral studies, Assoman is exploring the job market locally and internationally hoping to land a position in academia. This summer, he will be working with the Mandela Washington Fellowship hosted by the Staley School of Leadership.
“Throughout my time in the doctoral program, I learned and acquired knowledge with technical skills and competencies that are essential for responding to social issues within higher education and beyond. I entered as part of a cohort, I am leaving as a cherished member of a family, which is caring and offers a supportive system,” said Assoman. “Lead comm challenges me to discover my hidden talents.”
Sakshi Bhati has a bachelor’s of science and masters degree in communication. Her dissertation was entitled Let’s talk mental health: Analysis of Indian immigrant women’s culturally centered mental health perceptions and identifying modifiers in interventions. This study highlights the importance of understanding culture in mental health topics among Indian immigrant women living in the U.S. By studying lived experiences, health perceptions and behaviors among these women were understood to elicit recommendations about future intervention enhancements in minority communities’ mental health outreach. Bhati’s major professor was Dr. Nancy Muturi, professor, A. Q. Miller School of Media and Communication.
Bhati is currently an assistant professor of public relations and leadership at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois. She will continue her scholarly endeavors identifying the means to create culturally-attuned mental health outreach programs for minority communities.
“The interdisciplinary nature of this doctoral program has opened doors for me to conduct engaged research where I could see efforts come to fruition. The transformative program coursework and the flexibility to exercise change-driven scholarship really set me up for success” said Bhati.
Cale Morrow has a bachelor’s degree in theatre performance, a master’s degree in communication studies, a professional certificate in dialogue and deliberation, and a professional certificate in conflict management. Morrow’s dissertation was entitled, Theatre skills for conflict management: Using theatre performance techniques to teach college students better conflict management abilities. His study looked at how entry level theatre performance techniques could be used to teach traditional aged college students better conflict management abilities. Theatre performance techniques were chosen as it was theorized that they could help to increase students’ social and emotional intelligence skills. A multiple stage workshop was conducted where the new curriculum was taught to student participants. After completion of the workshop, students were interviewed with their stories becoming the basis for this qualitative, narrative based case study. Morrow’s major professor was Dr. Sean Eddington, assistant professor and associated director of graduate programs and research, A.Q. Miller School of Media and Communication.
Morrow is currently a faculty member for George Mason University, teaching their online communication studies courses. He plans to continue this work, while also expanding the research done through his dissertation.
“Throughout my time in this program I grew to understand and love the idea of community, collaboration, and the importance of shared scholarship. I enjoyed all of the amazing people that I got to work with during my time in the leadership communication doctoral program”, said Morrow. “There is no such thing as a self-made individual, it truly takes a village”.
Keyhan Shams holds a bachelor’s degree in urban planning and design from the University of Tehran, and a master’s degree in urban & regional planning from Iran’s Shahid Beheshti University. He also received two graduate certificates during his PhD at Kansas State University in dialogue, deliberation, and public engagement and qualitative research. Shams’ dissertation was entitled, Bridging the Gap Between Learning & Practicing Leadership: Developing Instruments to Evaluation Leadership & Adaptation. In this research, Shams developed four new instruments to measure people’s leadership competencies and mindsets from an adaptive leadership perspective. These scales consist of leadership behavior, self-awareness, self-efficacy, and reflectiveness. Shams’ mixed-method research outlines people’s decision-making process to exercise leadership and reveals that it starts with cognitive dissonance. His research emphasizes the conflict-ridden and emotion-laden nature of adaptive intervention, which may strain individuals’ cognitive capacity and potentially lead them to withdraw from the intervention process. Informed by this, Shams provides concrete recommendations for leadership educators on how they can better support participants in their leadership development programs. Shams’ major professor was Dr. Tim Steffensmeier, professor, Staley School of Leadership and K-State assistant vice president and director of engagement and outreach.
Effective May 2024, Shams will transition to a faculty position at the Staley School of Leadership as a Research Assistant Professor and Assistant Director of Third Floor Research. He will continue his research agenda, focusing on understanding the impact of leadership development programs in collaboration with the Kansas Leadership Center. His primary focus will be on an upcoming initiative called the “Signature Research Project,” where the impact of leadership development will be studied at four levels: individuals, groups, challenges, and culture.
“It took three years for me to navigate through the immigration process and finally attend the leadership communication PhD program at K-State,” said Shams. “Once I started, I quickly realized that the patience I invested was worthwhile. I told myself that I couldn’t miss even a single moment of learning in this program. From the firsthand materials that connected us to global discourse, to the capacity-building opportunities such as workshops and conferences that expanded our networks, everything was enjoyable. The program gave me a new perspective of observing and interpreting the world around. I truly lived the sentiment of a Persian verse that says, ‘The fish that falls on dry ground knows the worth of water.’”
Chase Spears (U.S. Army Major-promotable [retired]) holds a master of science in journalism, a master of professional studies in public relations and corporate communication, and a master of military art and science. Spears’ dissertation was entitled, Norms over policy: How the military’s apolitical discourse theory drives institutional culture, foments denial of political realities, and undermines service member rights. The premise of this work is that national institutions cannot credibly claim apolitical identity. He explores the history of U.S. civil-military relations, examines social expectations of military members–in contrast to requirements expressed in formal defense department policy, and examines the silencing impact that apolitical institutional norms have on military members. Chase used historical review, policy discourse analysis, and the lived experience of military members to weave a scholarly narrative that highlights the paradox of the military as an institution that exists to protect rights, while stifling the civic agency of the citizens in its ranks. Spears’ major professor was Dr. Brandon Kliewer, associate professor of civic leadership, Staley School of Leadership
Chase recently concluded a 20-year career as a public affairs officer in the U.S. Army. He served in roles that span the range of television content producer through deputy communication director for a senior military command, and organizational executive director. The first seeds of the idea for his dissertation were planted during a Pentagon assignment, where he observed the close linkage between the domestic political debate and defense department operations. In his most recent role, Chase served a military transition fellowship as a legislative chief of staff in the Kansas House of Representatives. He now works as an independent scholar, writer, and communication adviser.
“What I appreciate most about the lead-comm program is the flexibility to integrate knowledge from beyond typical discipline boundaries. A communication scholar by trade and organizational leader by practice, my research evolved to draw primarily from the realms of political science and public policy,” said Spears. “I deeply appreciate that the faculty were willing to support such a journey. This program supported my exploration of the realities of military member citizen rights that are too often selectively ignored by the U.S. Defense Department as a political cabinet agency.”
As part of K-State’s land-grant mission, the Leadership Communication program is dedicated to teaching, research, and engagement that strengthens Kansas and global communities. Answering to a call from various industries, government, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Leadership Communication doctoral students pursue research on leading change, engaging community, and advancing communication. Graduates of this program are using community engagement to transform the academic, nonprofit, government, private and civic sectors in which they live and work.
Applications for spring 2024 and fall 2025 academic year are currently being accepted. Learn more.
