Brenda J. Allen, Ph.D.

Biographical Sketch

Brenda J. Allen (Ph.D., Howard University) is an Associate Dean in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and a Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Colorado Denver.  Her research and teaching areas are organizational communication, diversity, group communication, and computer-mediated communication.  Among her numerous publications is a groundbreaking book entitled Difference Matters: Communicating Social Identity (2004, Waveland Press). She currently is co-editor of the International and Intercultural Communication Annual, and a member of several editorial boards.  She also serves as Master Mentor of the Tenure Track Faculty Mentoring Program at UCD. In addition, she presents keynote speeches and conducts workshops for various groups on a range of topics, including diversity, teamwork, self-empowerment, and presentational speaking.
            Dr. Allen has received numerous awards and accolades, including the Francine Merritt Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Lives of Women in Communication from the National Communication Association (2004).  In January 2006, she received the first Annual Award for Outstanding Achievement for Commitment to Diversity at UCD. She recently was named a Master Teacher (2007-2008) by the Western States Communication Association.

Select Publications

2007 Allen, B.J. Theorizing communication and race. Communication Monographs 74, pp. 259-274. Allen-CM

2006    Allen, B.J.  Communicating race at WeighCo.  In J.T. Wood and S. Duck  (Eds.)  Composing relationships:  Communication in  everyday life (pp. 146-154). http://www.cudenver.edu/clas/communication/fauclty/documents/AllenWeighCo.pdf

2005    Allen, B.J.  Social constructionism.  In:  S. May and D. Mumby (Eds.).  Engaging organizational communication theory and research:  Multiple perspectives (pp. 35-53).   Thousand Oaks, CA:  Sage Publications.

2004    Allen, B. J. (2004).  Sapphire and Sappho:  Allies in authenticity  In A. Gonzales, M., Houston, & V.  Chen: Our voices:  Essays in culture, ethnicity, and communication  (4th Edition) (pp. 198-202).  Los Angeles:  Roxbury Publishing Co. http://www.cudenver.edu/clas/communication/faculty/documents/AllenSapphire.pdf

Allen, B.J. (2002).  Goals for emancipatory communication research on Black women.  In M. Houston & O. Davis (Eds.)  Centering ourselves: African American feminist and womanist studies of discourse (pp. 21-34).  Creskill, NJ : Hampton Press. C:\Documents and Settings\ballen.CUDENVER\My Documents\Allen - Research Goals.pdf

1998    Allen, B.J. Black womanhood and feminist standpoints.  Management Communication Quarterly 11: 575-586. http://www.cudenver.edu/clas/communication/faculty/documents/AllenBlackFem.pdf

1999    Allen, B.J., Orbe, M., & Olivas, M.O.  The complexity of our tears:
Dis/enchantment and (in)difference in the academy. Communication Theory 9: 402-430. http://www.cudenver.edu/clas/communication/faculty/documents/allen.orbe.olivas.pdf

2003    Ashcraft, K. L., & Allen, B. J.  The racial foundation of organizational communication.  Communication Theory 13: 5-33. http://www.cudenver.edu/clas/communication/faculty/documents/AshcraftAllen.pdf

Complete list of publications on Dr. Allen's Vitae (.doc)