Cara Anne Finnegan

Cara Anne Finnegan is a Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois. She holds affiliated appointments in the School of Art and Design, Center for Writing Studies, Gender and Women's Studies, and Art History. Her administrative leadership includes directing the Oral and Written Communication general education courses (CMN 111-112), overseeing the Communication department's graduate program, serving as associate head of the Communication department, and interim associate dean for humanities and arts at the Graduate College.

Education: Ph.D. in Communication (Northwestern University, 1999); M.A. in Communication (University of Maine, 1995); B.A. in Communication and Journalism (University of St. Thomas, Minnesota, 1992).

Her research focuses on the role of photography in public life, particularly as a rhetorical medium. Finnegan examines how photographs visualize social issues, foster public identification, and influence historical narratives. Key areas include the history of photographic technology, presidential visual rhetoric, and the intersection of visual culture with U.S. political and social movements. Her work integrates interdisciplinary methodologies and emphasizes archival analysis, as seen in her book Photographic Presidents (2021) and prior studies on FSA photography during the Great Depression.

Her articles and reviews reflect a consistent engagement with visual rhetoric's theoretical underpinnings and its application to historical analysis. Recent works analyze daguerreotypes, digital-age presidential imagery, and the visual logics of 19th-century journalism, showcasing her expertise in linking visual communication to broader cultural and political contexts. She has also written extensively on race representation, material culture, and the ethical dimensions of photographic archiving.

• Scientific Awards:
• Distinguished Scholar Award (2021)
• National Communication Association honors (2021, 2017, 2016, 2015)
• NEH Fellowship (2016-2017)
• Public Voices Fellow (2019-2020)
• Teaching Excellence Award (2005-2006)

In advising and grants, Finnegan has received the NCA Faculty Mentor Award (2017) and led projects funded by the NEH. She has contributed to the Center for Advanced Study (2015-2016) and holds editorial roles in journals like Rhetoric Society Quarterly and the RSA Series in Transdisciplinary Rhetoric. Her work extends to labs/teams through affiliations with the Center for Writing Studies and the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities.