Skip to main content Skip to navigation
Edward R. Murrow College of Communication

Cara Hawkins-Jedlicka

  1. Assistant Professor
  2. Professor of Practice
  3. Faculty Advisor for PRSSA
LocationJackson Hall 200 A

Biography

Biography

Cara Hawkins-Jedlicka has more than a decade’s worth of experience as a content producer and strategic communicator specializing in digital advertising strategy, with an emphasis in social media and online communities. Her research examines the intersection of brand, women’s sport communication and influencer culture. Notably, her recent publications shed light on the evolving brand images of women athletes, particularly in the context of the Name, Image, and Likeness. She is the co-founder of the oral history podcast, Starting Line 1928, which documents the lived experiences of women distance running pioneers.

Throughout her career, she has adeptly integrated social media strategies into broader marketing campaigns, leveraging these platforms to identify and connect with diverse audiences while promoting organizational brands. Hawkins-Jedlicka joined the Murrow College of Communication faculty in August 2018 following four years at the University of Idaho, where she served as the marketing and communications manager in the College of Law. Before arriving on the Palouse, she gained experience in both corporate and start-up organizational settings, developing point-of-purchase campaigns as an account manager at GSP, Inc. (a national retail branding and marketing services firm) and building clients’ online communities at Social Distillery (a boutique social media marketing agency). Hawkins-Jedlicka got her start in advertising with Flocasts (now FloSports, Inc.), an online sports broadcasting company. She earned an M.A. in Advertising from the University of Texas at Austin and received her undergraduate degree from Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee.

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/carahawkinsjedlicka/

Education

  • M.A. Advertising, University of Texas at Austin, 2012
  • B.A. Communications: Public Relations, Carson-Newman College, 2010

Classes Taught

  • COMSTRAT 270 – Personal Branding for Athletes, Influencers, and Creators
  • COMSTRAT 383 – Creative Media Strategies and Techniques for PR
  • COMSTRAT 312 – Principles of Public Relations
  • COMSTRAT 562 – Creative Media Strategies and Techniques
  • COMSTRAT 310 – Digital Content Promotion

Research Interests

Her research examines the intersection of brand, women’s sport communication and influencer culture particularly in the context of the Name, Image, and Likeness. She also studies the role of empathy in communication and public relations.

Awards

  • Best Practices in Teaching Skills Courses Online Competition “Innovations in Teaching Digital Campaigns using a Collaborative Teaching Model” Cooney, R., Hawkins-Jedlicka, C., Newman., C.M., (2021)
  • Tracksmith Fellow, 2022

Selected Publications

Download CV

Hall, A., & Hawkins-Jedlicka, C. (Forthcoming in 2024). Putting the Image in NIL: How women’s collegiate basketball players use Instagram and TikTok to build their personal brand. In Branding Women Athletes and Sports., Routledge.

Hawkins-Jedlicka, C., Scovel, S., & Jedlicka, S. (2023). Sign Me MABI? Women Athletes’ Brand Images in the NIL Era. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 16(2333-1577), 83–107. https://csri-jiia.org/sign-me-mabi-women-athletes-brand-images-in-the-nil-era/

Hawkins-Jedlicka, C. (2022) The Magazine that Made Me: Runner’s World. Journal of Magazine Media, 22(1).

Cooney, R., Hawkins-Jedlicka, C., & Newman, C. (2021). “Innovations in Teaching Digital Campaigns using a Collaborative Teaching Model”. Best Practices in Teaching Skills Courses Online , 9–13. Published by Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Elected Standing Committee on Teaching.

Conference Presentations

Hawkins-Jedlicka, C., Hall, A., (2023, August 7 -10). Flips & Football: Collegiate Athletes and
gender presentation within Name, Image, and Likeness [Poster], Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication National Conference, Washington D.C.

Hawkins-Jedlicka, C., (2023, August 7 -10). Adding to the PR Writer’s Tool Kit through a Mindfulness based Journaling Practice [Poster], Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication National Conference, Washington D.C.

Bhalla, N., Hawkins-Jedlicka, C., (2023, August 7-10) Student-centered approach: Using Clippings. me to create a professional portfolio [Poster], Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication National Conference, Washington D.C.

Rundio, A., Barnhill, C., Hawkins-Jedlicka, C., Everritt, M (2023, May 31-June 3) Empathy in Sport Management Curriculum [20-minute Oral Presentation], North American Society for Sport Management National Conference, Montreal, Canada

Hawkins-Jedlicka, C., Hall, A., (March 4). Flips & Football: Collegiate Athletes and gender presentation within Name, Image, and Likeness [Research in Progress], Association forEducation in Journalism and Mass Communication Southeast Colloquium, Murfreesboro, TN.

Rundio, A., Barnhill, C., Hawkins-Jedlicka, C., Everritt, M (2023,Feb.15). Moving the ball forward: Empathy Discussions in Sport Management Curriculum [Mini Session], Scholarship on Teaching and Learning Commons Conference, Savannah, GA.

Rundio, A., Hawkins-Jedlicka, C., Everritt, M (2022, June 2-4). Who cares? Student perspectives on empathy’s role in the classroom and workplace, [Lightening Talk]. North American Society for Sport Management Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Rundio, A., Hawkins-Jedlicka, C., Everritt, M (2022, Feb.23-25). Gauging empathy to engage with students [Poster Presentation], Scholarship on Teaching and Learning Commons Conference, Savannah, GA.

Cooney, R., Newman, C., Hawkins-Jedlicka, C., Newman., C.M., (2021, Aug. 4-7) Best Practices in Teaching Skills Courses Online: Innovations in Teaching Digital Campaigns Using a Collaborative Teaching Model, [Presentation] Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Annual Conference, Online

Barnes, J., Candello, E., Cooney, R., Hawkins-Jedlicka, C., Newman., C.M., Pingel, R.,
Wilder, C. (2021). Integrating Community Engagement Projects in the Classroom, [Panel] Community Engagement Institute, Spokane, WA.

Phone icon Email icon Website icon