Debbie Way

Debbie Way is a Lecturer at the Hugh Downs School of Communication, Arizona State University (ASU). She began her academic journey at ASU in 2002 as a graduate teaching assistant while pursuing her Ph.D. in Communication, which she earned in 2010. After transitioning to online teaching in 2011, she now teaches undergraduate courses and contributes to the online M.A. program, having developed over 18 distinct courses.

Education:

• Ph.D. Communication, Arizona State University, 2010
• M.A. Communication, University of Southern California, 2002
• B.A. Communication, University of Southern California, 2001

Debbie Way specializes in organizational communication, with a focus on emotion in organizations, compassion and positive organizational communication, and health and well-being. Her work explores work/life balance, gender and caregiving, and organizational culture, influenced by her early research on communication of compassion in hospice workers. She also emphasizes qualitative methods, including ethnography and discourse analysis.

Her teaching expertise spans gender and communication, organizational communication, and critical thinking in communication, reflecting her commitment to accessible online education for non-traditional students.