Michelle A. Holling

Michelle A. Holling, Ph.D. is a Full Professor of Communication at California State University San Marcos, where she also serves as Director of Ethnic Studies. She joined the Department of Communication at CSUSM in 2007 and has held significant leadership roles including Director of the Ethnic Studies Program, Chair of the Communication Department, and member of the Ethnic Studies Steering Committee.

Dr. Holling earned her interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Communication from Arizona State University and her M.A. and B.A. in Communication from San Francisco State University. Her academic journey has been marked by leadership and scholarly excellence within the field of communication studies with a focus on ethnic and gender perspectives.

Her research expertise centers on Chican@-Latin@ vernacular discourse; testimonio and gendered violence; and womyn of color, academe, and intersectional microaggressions. Dr. Holling's work bridges critical race theory, gender studies, and communication scholarship, examining how marginalized communities navigate systems of power through discourse and performance. She has developed innovative courses including COMM 405, Feminist Rhetorics and COMM 485, Chican@s-Latin@s in Film & TV.

Dr. Holling's scholarly contributions demonstrate a consistent focus on intersectional approaches to communication, with particular attention to Latin@ experiences, gendered violence, and critical race perspectives. Her work often examines how marginalized communities use discourse to resist oppression and create liberatory spaces.

• Outstanding Article Award (2022) from Feminist Gender Studies Division of NCA
• Outstanding Book Chapter Award (2021) from Latino/a Communication Studies Division of NCA
• Cordova-Puchot Scholar of the Year Award (2009) from Latino/a Communication Studies Division of NCA
• B. Aubrey Fisher Outstanding Journal Article (2007) from Western States Communication Association

Dr. Holling has been actively involved in professional organizations, founding the Communication, Identities, and Difference interest group in the Western States Communication Association (WSCA), where she served as President (2017-2018) and Immediate Past President (2018-2019). She was also President of the Organization for Research on Women and Communication (2007-2010). Her leadership extends to editorial work, including co-editing "Race(ing) Intercultural Communication: Racial Logics in a Colorblind Era" (2016) and "Latina/o Discourse in Vernacular Spaces: Somos de Una Voz?" (2011).