Angelo State University Communications Department Chair Receives Outstanding Service Award

SAN ANGELO – Dr. Leslie Y. Rodriguez, chair of the Angelo State University Department of Communication and Mass Media, received the 2022 Outstanding Service Award from the Texas Speech Communication Association (TSCA) at the organization's annual conference earlier this month in Rockwall.

A maximum of one Outstanding Service Award honoree is selected each year, and Rodriguez's award is just the 35th handed out by TSCA since 1974. To be eligible, a TSCA member must have made distinguished, long-term, continuous service contributions to TSCA.

Rodriguez was recognized for:

• Serving as chair of the TSCA College & University Committee
• Rebranding and restructuring the Texas Speech Communication Journal while editor from 2016-2020, which resulted in national recognition for the journal
• Recruiting an Editorial Board for the TSC Journal that consists of 50 communication scholars from universities nationwide
• Serving as chair of the TSCA Communication Theory and Rhetoric Interest Group
• Designing and coordinating TSCA's first Graduate and Undergraduate Research Conference

"I am honored to have received the Outstanding Service Award from TSCA at this year's convention," Rodriguez said. "TSCA has provided me the opportunity to represent Texas communication educators and students in discussions surrounding communication education, scholarship and research at the local, state and national levels. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve in this role."

This is also the second TSCA national honor for Rodriguez. In 2019, she was named the TSCA Educator of the Year in the Four-Year College and University category.

An ASU alumna and ASU faculty member since 2011, Rodriguez is also an associate professor in the Department of Communication and Mass Media. She teaches both undergraduate and graduate communication courses and serves on numerous university committees. She previously served as faculty advisor for ASU's student chapter of the Lambda Pi Eta communication honor society, and as assistant director of the annual UIL Speaking Events Tournament.

In addition to her teaching duties, Rodriguez is an avid researcher in several communication fields, including racial discrimination in the workplace, Hispanic students in higher learning, and communication strategies in the workplace, among others. She has presented her research at over 20 professional conferences and conventions.

Rodriguez is also a member of the Southern States Communication Association and National Communication Association. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in communication at ASU and her Ph.D. at the University of Southern Mississippi.