Carl Botan

Carl Botan is a Professor of Communication at George Mason University, specializing in strategic communication, public relations, and emergency communication. He holds affiliations with the National Center for Biodefense, the Center for Social Research, the Center for Health and Strategic Communication Research, and the Center of Excellence in Climate Change Communication.

Education: B.S. from Western Michigan University; M.S. and Ph.D. in Communication and Rhetorical Processes from Wayne State University.

Research focuses on strategic communication theory, risk communication, and public relations practice. He has delivered over 50 international lectures on these topics in countries such as Korea, Norway, Brazil, and Germany. His work emphasizes the cocreational model of communication and its application in crisis management and civil society.

Award-winning co-author of five books, his articles appear in journals like Public Relations Review and Journal of Communication. Key themes in his publications include publics theory, organizational communication, and ethical messaging.

Advising: Supervised four Ph.D. dissertations focusing on crisis communication, governmental renewal discourse, environmental decision-making, and racial discrimination strategies. Active in curriculum design for graduate programs in communication and strategic communication.

Notable personal history: Born in northern Canada’s wilderness and raised on a remote island without electricity, shaping his unique perspective on human-environment interactions and communication challenges in isolated communities.