Amy O'Connor

Amy O'Connor is an Associate Professor of Strategic Communication at the Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication, University of Minnesota. Her research centers on corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication, stakeholder engagement, and corporate-community relationships, particularly in extraction industries. She authored The Mine Next Door and edited the award-winning Routledge Handbook on Corporate Social Responsibility Communication (2022). Her teaching emphasizes collaborative learning, critical thinking, and community engagement.

• Ph.D., Purdue University (Communication)
• M.A., Western Michigan University (Organizational Communication)
• B.A., Washington State University (Mass Communication/Advertising)

Research interests include CSR communication, institutionalization of CSR, stakeholder expectations, and ethnographic studies in mining communities. Recent work explores CSR in polarized and digital environments, corporate-nonprofit partnerships, and the interplay between location and CSR practices.

Key article trends highlight CSR communication challenges in polarized societies, digitalization impacts, mining industry dynamics, and stakeholder behavioral intentions. Her 2025 study on SPIRIT in clinical trials bridges health communication and ethical research practices.

• University Honors Program Fellow (2024-2025)
• Recognized as most popular and influential CSR scholar (2020 bibliometric analysis)
• Award-winning editor of Routledge Handbook on CSR Communication (2022)

Amy mentors students through the Dean's First-Year Research and Creative Scholar (DFRACS) program and supervises UROP participants. Her work integrates academic rigor with practical CSR solutions, reflecting the University of Minnesota's land grant mission.