Hailey Nicole Otis

Dr. Hailey Nicole Otis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland, College of Arts and Humanities. Her research focuses on critical rhetorical approaches to social justice, leveraging communication tools for advocacy and worldmaking.

• Rhetoric of intersectional and queer liberation
• Digital activism in fat and disability studies
• Anti-ableist and abolitionist pedagogy

Her work synthesizes intersectional feminist theory, queer theory, and fat studies to analyze embodied rhetorical tactics in digital spaces and pandemic health discourse. Recent publications interrogate colonial beauty standards through Lizzo's visibility politics and the disposability of marginalized bodies during public health crises.

Scientific awards include:

• Stephen E. Lucas Debut Publication Award (2020)
• Multiple Excellence in Teaching Awards

Dr. Otis develops pedagogical workshops on disability justice and anti-racist communication while advising graduate students in rhetorical theory and civic engagement.