Dave Tell

Professor Dave Tell is a faculty member in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Kansas (KU), holding the rank of Professor since 2018. He also serves as Co-Director of the Institute for Digital Research in the Humanities. His work focuses on rhetoric, race, memory, and digital humanities, particularly centered on the legacy of Emmett Till. Tell earned his Ph.D. in Communication Arts and Sciences from Pennsylvania State University.

Education:

• Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University (2006)
• M.A., Speech Communication, Pennsylvania State University (2002)
• B.A., Religious Studies, Westmont College (1998)

Research Interests: Tell’s research bridges rhetoric, African American history, and digital storytelling. He leads the Emmett Till Memory Project, a public humanities initiative using digital tools to document Till’s legacy. His award-winning book *Remembering Emmett Till* (2019) explores memorialization in the Mississippi Delta.

Awards & Grants:

• 2021 Byron Caldwell Smith Book Award
• 2020 McLemore Prize from the Mississippi Historical Society
• NEH Fellowship (2016–2017)
• Over $1.4M in grants for collaborative projects, including Mellon Foundation funding

Labs/Teams: Co-directs the Institute for Digital Research in the Humanities and co-founded *Humanities in the Wild*, a public lecture series. Collaborates with the Emmett Till Memorial Commission and institutions like the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.