James Mcdonald

Dr. James McDonald is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), where he has been a faculty member since 2013. His work bridges organizational communication, identity studies, and social justice, with a focus on intersectionality, closeting processes, and qualitative methodologies.

• Ph.D., Organizational Communication, University of Colorado Boulder (2013)
• M.Sc., Organizational Communication, Université de Montréal (2008)
• B.Sc., Communication and Political Science, Université de Montréal (2006)

Dr. McDonald’s research interrogates how identities are negotiated in organizational contexts, particularly through discourses of immigration, national difference, and LGBTQ+ experiences. He is a co-editor of Movements in Organizational Communication Research (Routledge, 2019) and has received national recognition for his scholarship, including the 2021 National Communication Association Organizational Communication Division Top Paper Award and the 2024 UTSA President’s Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching Excellence.

His recent publications explore decolonizing organizational communication, feminist futures in organizational praxis, and critical approaches to disclosure. A 2025 study on undocumented students’ experiences with resource centers exemplifies his commitment to social justice. His grant-funded research on DREAMers (2019–2020) further underscores this trajectory.

• UTSA President’s Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching Excellence (2024)
• National Communication Association Organizational Communication Division Top Paper Award (2021)

As an educator, Dr. McDonald teaches graduate and undergraduate courses including Communication Theory, Qualitative Research Methods, and Organizational Communication, emphasizing critical thinking and independent analysis. His scholarship has appeared in top journals such as Communication Theory, Communication Monographs, and Management Communication Quarterly.