Ruth Hickerson Dominiski

Ruth Hickerson Dominiski serves as a Teaching Professor and Director of the Josephine Jones Speaking Lab within the Department of Communication at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her academic career integrates research, teaching, and administrative leadership with a focus on communication as a tool for identity construction and relational sense-making.

Her educational foundation includes a PhD (2006) and MA (2000) from the University of Denver alongside a BS from Regis University (1997). This background informs her dual expertise in theoretical communication frameworks and practical student success initiatives.

Dominiski's research program examines how language shapes self/other identities and relational dynamics, with emphasis on:

• The dark side of interpersonal relationships including bullying and conflict
• Family communication patterns, roles, and coming-out narratives
• Gender as performative communication in organizational contexts
• Narrative analysis of women experiencing homelessness
• Student retention through communication-centered interventions

Her teaching portfolio spans foundational courses (COMM 1210, COMM 2500) to specialized seminars (COMM 3420, COMM 4510) and graduate-level diversity training (ORGL 5405), consistently offered through 2024. Her former administrative role in student retention directly catalyzed current work on universal design for learning and faculty development programs.

As Director of the Josephine Jones Speaking Lab, she oversees campus-wide communication support services while maintaining active research in behavioral/social sciences, cultural identity, and women's studies. Her recent course development (e.g., ORGL 5405 on Diversity and Organizational Communication) indicates ongoing expansion into systemic identity-power dynamics within workplace settings.