Payal Cascio

Dr. Payal Cascio serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Applied Administration at the University of Houston-Downtown, teaching core courses including Administrative Communication, Human Resources Administration, Professional Ethics, Cultural Competence, and Decision Making Skills. Her instructional expertise spans Leadership and Organizational Behavior, Conflict Management, Risk Management, and Business Communication across undergraduate programs.

Her academic credentials feature an Ed.D. in Leadership/Higher Education Administration from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where her dissertation examined effective communication by educational leaders through persuasion and trust-building. Additional qualifications include an M.S. in Speech, Marketing and Advertising from the same institution and a B.S. in Sociology Honors from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University, India.

Research centers on Gender Studies, Toxic Work Culture, and Microaggressions' workplace impact, with specialized focus on LGBTQ student experiences in higher education. She integrates leadership communication theories to address uncertainty reduction in organizational contexts. Her scholarly output examines gender oppression in global education systems, minority challenges in academia, social justice leadership, and crisis communication dynamics in high-profile controversies.

Dr. Cascio actively contributes to institutional governance through university-level General Scholarship Committee service, college-level MDCOB Excellence in Teaching Awards committee membership, and departmental Search Committee participation. Her community engagement includes supporting the Indian Film Festival of Houston and Stroll Magazine's initiatives.