Sara DeTurk

Sara DeTurk is a Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), where she serves as Co-Director of the Center for Dialogue & Deliberation. She has established herself as a leading scholar in intercultural communication and social justice activism, with a career spanning over two decades of research, teaching, and community engagement across multiple national and international conferences.

Dr. DeTurk earned her Ph.D. in Communication from Arizona State University in 2004, with a focus on Intercultural Communication. She also holds an M.Ed. in International Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (1992) and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville (1986), where she was an Echols Scholar. Her interdisciplinary background bridges communication, education, and psychology.

Her qualitative research centers on social justice activism, intergroup alliances, and the role of communication in shaping ideologies about identity and difference. Dr. DeTurk's scholarship explores how communication practices can both perpetuate and challenge systems of oppression, with particular attention to the experiences of allies in social justice movements. She has made significant contributions to understanding intercultural empathy, diversity discourse, and the effectiveness of intergroup dialogue programs, including co-authoring a manual for community development practitioners working with immigrants and refugees. Her work consistently bridges academic theory with practical community applications.

Dr. DeTurk's publication trajectory reveals increasing focus on migrant advocacy, institutional intersectionality, and the tensions between equity and excellence in higher education, particularly within Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Her recent scholarship critically examines university pursuit of "tier-one" status through social justice lenses while maintaining her foundational interest in communication dynamics of social change movements.

• 2022 Runner-up for COLFA Stumberg Researcher of the Year Award (professor rank)
• 2021 UTSA President's Distinguished Diversity Award (team)
• 2019 UTSA President's Distinguished Diversity Award (individual)
• 2018 and 2017 Outstanding Graduate Faculty Award (UTSA Department of Communication)
• Paper selected as Eastern Communication Association Article of the Year (2012)
• Multiple Western States Communication Association Top Three Papers awards (2002, 2005, 2007)

Dr. DeTurk has received multiple teaching awards recognizing excellence in graduate instruction, including the Platinum Star Award for Graduate Teaching (2011). She has secured research funding including the "Refugee Advocacy and Coalition Building in the U.S. Southwest" grant (2018-2019, $5,000). Her commitment to connecting academic work with community engagement is reflected in her co-authored book "Activism, Alliance Building, and the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center" and her leadership of UTSA's Center for Dialogue & Deliberation.

As Co-Director of UTSA's Center for Dialogue & Deliberation, Dr. DeTurk facilitates programs that create spaces for meaningful intercultural dialogue about complex social issues. Her work with the Center operationalizes her scholarly focus on communication as a tool for social change, bringing together diverse stakeholders to address systemic inequalities through structured dialogue processes.