معرفی
Dr. Kathleen LeBesco serves as Associate Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Professor of Communication and Media Arts at Marymount Manhattan College (MMC). With over 25 years of service at MMC, she is a member of the President's Cabinet and has held numerous leadership positions including Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty, Interim Vice President for Student Success and Engagement, and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
Dr. LeBesco earned her Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, following B.A. and M.A. degrees in Communication and Rhetoric from The State University of New York at Albany.
Dr. LeBesco's research spans several interconnected fields at the intersection of food, culture, and identity. Her work in Food Studies examines how culinary practices reflect and shape social identities, with particular attention to issues of cosmopolitanism, tourism, and national identity. In Body Studies, she has pioneered scholarship on fat identity and representation, challenging dominant cultural narratives about body size and health. Her Media Studies research analyzes how food and bodies are represented across various media platforms, revealing underlying ideologies and power structures. She also contributes significantly to Cultural Studies through examinations of consumption practices, identity formation, and social distinction.
Her publication record demonstrates a consistent trajectory from early work on body politics and identity to more recent explorations of food systems, tourism, and national parks. While her initial scholarship focused on marginalized identities (particularly fat studies and drag performance), her research has expanded to examine broader cultural systems of meaning-making around food and consumption. A unifying thread across her work is attention to how everyday practices of eating and bodily presentation reflect and reinforce social hierarchies and cultural values.
- Teaching Excellence Award (awarded by faculty)
- Outstanding Faculty (named by several graduating classes)
Dr. LeBesco has demonstrated exceptional leadership in academic administration, co-chairing two strategic plans, leading the Presidential Task Force to Restart MMC during the early months of the COVID pandemic, and co-chairing the President's Council on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Her administrative work complements her scholarly contributions, reflecting her commitment to creating inclusive educational environments. While specific grant information isn't provided in the available materials, her publication record suggests successful research funding to support her scholarly activities.
