Associate professor of English and assistant director of composition Dr. Leslie Seawright was recently elected to the Association for Business Communication (ABC) Board of Directors.
As a board member, Seawright’s responsibilities will include serving on ad-hoc committees and overseeing budgets, membership recruitment, association journals and conferences.
Prior to being appointed to the board, Seawright served two years as co-chair for ABC’s Annual International Conference and remains active in producing the association’s newsletters.
She will serve a four-year term as a Director at Large and has the option to run for a second four-year term.
Seawright has been a member of ABC since 2016.
Brings academic expertise and real-world experience to the position
Seawright brings both academic credentials and experience working in non-academic positions to her new role as board member.
“Prior to getting my PhD, I worked for several non-profits, including the Society of Exploration Geophysicists and the Home Builders Association,” Seawright said. “I intend to bring my knowledge of association work from the staff side to the member side of the organization.”
During her tenure, Seawright also hopes to increase international membership and to see ABC host an annual conference in Europe or Asia.
Seawright believes her students and colleagues at Missouri State already benefit from her connections with ABC.
“Through connections at ABC, I have paired several of my undergraduate and graduate courses with classes in Abu Dhabi,” Seawright said. “These virtual cultural exchanges allowed students at MSU to collaborate on group projects with students at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi.”
Seawright has also assisted MSU faculty with grant writing. She recently worked with members of the Globally Responsive Education and Teaching (GREAT) team to develop a grant application that would create a virtual cultural exchange for students at MSU and an Egyptian university.
“I had the Abu Dhabi experience because of connections made at an ABC conference,” Seawright explained, “so the other two faculty members wanted me to write the grant with them.”
About ABC
The Association for Business Communication (ABC) is an international, interdisciplinary organization committed to advancing business communication research, education, and practice.