Deborah S. Ballard-Reisch's vita is 27 pages long including academic appointments, awards, honors, publications, courses taught and professional service, among other highlights of her career. But it's the way her face lights up, the sparkle in her eyes and the enthusiasm in her voice as she talks about her current role that draws you in as she describes her journey indirectly and directly to Wichita State and her plans for the future. That current role is as the new Kansas Health Foundation Distinguished Chair in Strategic Communication.
The Kansas Health Foundation gave $2 million to the WSU Foundation to fund Deborah's position in the Elliott School of Communication, which is part of the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The donation is the largest gift endowed to support faculty in the history of Fairmount College.
Deborah came from the University of Nevada, Reno, where she spent 22 years in the departments of speech communication and theater, and health ecology—now called the School of Public Health. She was co-architect of the strategic plan that initiated the School of Public Health, which is grounded in an ecological approach to health. In short, it means the school believes that maintaining health is a lifelong process that involves negotiating a variety of personal, cultural, ethical and communication issues.
Deborah was chosen for the WSU position because of her varied work in public health and strategic communication initiatives, and her ability to collaborate with students and to focus on diverse audiences. With this experience she was able to produce relevant community projects that made a difference in the lives of Nevadans.
One example is a partnership she developed with Sierra Pacific Resources (SPR), the home energy provider in Nevada, to promote both the health of its employees and effective communication with its customers. A team of students and faculty made recommendations for improving the health of company employees that resulted in SPR building a running track in its Southern Nevada office building, offering healthy menu options in company cafeterias and developing an incentive program to reward employees for positive health behavior changes. Key informant interviews and focus groups were conducted, and materials analyzed to help Sierra Pacific determine how to communicate effectively with its diverse client base. In response to recommendations, Sierra Pacific has enhanced community partnerships.
Deborah's areas of specialty include judicial education, communication, leadership, gender, culture and advocacy. She has taught and worked with judges and health professionals from more than 20 countries. Deborah has taught throughout the United States, and in Canada, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia and Zimbabwe. She was a Fulbright Scholar in Russia in 1996-97 and received a Fulbright Alumni Initiatives Award in 2001 to study women's health in the Tatarstan Republic of Russia. Deborah holds three degrees in communication: a doctorate and a bachelor of arts from Bowling Green State University, and a master of arts from Ohio State University.
Deborah was extremely impressed with the forward-thinking philosophies of the WSU administration and their commitment to the entrepreneurial spirit.
"What was most attractive to me about this position was the unbeatable combination of community-focused scholarship, philanthropic vision and community partnerships illustrated by the collaboration among the Kansas Health Foundation, the WSU administration, the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Elliott School of Communication that led to this grant," said Deborah. "In my opinion, the collaboration fits well with the entrepreneurial spirit at WSU that encourages faculty and students to think outside the box and vision possibilities."
Deborah is anxious to design innovative programs in Wichita and throughout Kansas with the assistance of her students, the Kansas Health Foundation and other community partners. Students in her fall '07 strategic communication class developed presentations for the Kansas Health Foundation that they hoped might influence the foundation's next campaigns, including childhood obesity prevention, oral health, HPV prevention and grief support.
Deborah is looking forward to promoting the best and the brightest WSU has to offer to Wichita and strengthening community connections.
"I have great energy for this type of work," Deborah emphasized. "There are endless possibilities here, and I want to be responsive to my students and the needs of Kansans."