Yeonsoo Kim

Yeonsoo Kim is an Associate Professor at the Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations, The University of Texas at Austin. Previously serving as public relations concentration coordinator at James Madison University and faculty associate at the Center for Faculty Innovation, she directs the Strategic Social Responsibility and Communication Lab and currently presides over the Korean-American Communication Association (KACA) for 2023-2025.

Dr. Kim's research centers on strategic communication with emphasis on corporate social responsibility (CSR), diversity and inclusion in public relations, corporate social advocacy, reputation management, and crisis/issue management. Her work investigates organizational communication of social initiatives, stakeholder perception management, and leadership communication's role in fostering inclusive workplace climates through motivating language and dialogic practices.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2023-2025) reveals dominant trends in corporate social advocacy and CSR, particularly examining consumer/employee responses to diversity initiatives (LGBTQ+ and ethnic minorities) and environmental programs. Her work extensively explores digital-age crisis communication including social media complaint management, negative word-of-mouth strategies, and emerging applications of AI in healthcare marketing, consistently emphasizing strategic issue selection and authenticity-building communication approaches.

Dr. Kim has received professional recognition including:

• Accredited Public Relations (APR) professional designation
• Statewide Public Relations Awards in Virginia

With extensive experiential learning experience founding student-run public relations agencies at prior institutions, she actively enhances diversity, equity, and inclusion in PR education as evidenced by her 2022 research on teaching practices. Her prolific publication record indicates substantial research funding despite no explicit grant details provided.

As director of the Strategic Social Responsibility and Communication Lab, Dr. Kim leads research on CSR, diversity communication, and advocacy. Her professional leadership extends to the Korean-American Communication Association where she serves as President (2023-2025) after previously holding Vice President position (2021-2023), demonstrating sustained commitment to advancing communication scholarship.