Matt Ragas, Ph.D., is a tenured professor in the College of Communication at DePaul University. He served as the founding director of the Master's in Professional Communication (PROCMN) program and as academic director of the nationally-ranked Master's in PR and Advertising (PRAD) program. An award-winning teacher and scholar, he is a "pracademic" with 20+ years of professional experience in financial communications and business publishing positions. Matt earned a Ph.D. in mass communication from the University of Florida, and an M.S. in management and B.S. in business administration, both from the University of Central Florida. He teaches courses at the intersection of business and communication, as well as core PR courses. He provides professional development workshops and trainings for top agencies and in-house communication department teams. Matt's scholarly research interests include corporate communication, financial literacy for communicators, media relations, business journalism and agenda-setting/agenda-building processes. He is co-author or co-editor with colleague Ron Culp of the books, "The Business Acumen Workbook for Strategic Communicators" (Emerald Publishing, 2024), "Business Acumen for Strategic Communicators: A Primer" (Emerald Publishing, 2021), "Mastering Business for Strategic Communicators" (Emerald Publishing, 2018), and "Business Essentials for Strategic Communicators" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014). He also co-authored "The Power of Cult Branding" (Crown Business, 2002) and "Lessons From the E-Front" (Prima, 2001). His research has been published in journals including Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Public Relations Journal, Mass Communication & Society, Journal of Communication Management, Corporate Communications, Journalism Studies, Journalism, Public Relations Review, International Journal of Strategic Communication, and Case Studies in Strategic Communication. He has contributed to the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Institute for Public Relations (IPR), PR News, PRSA Strategies & Tactics and NIRI IR Update publications. A member of the board of trustees of the Page Society, Matt serves on the editorial boards of Public Relations Journal, Journal of Public Relations Research, Journal of Public Relations Education and Journal of Public Interest Communications. He has served as faculty advisor on 13 award-winning student case studies. A New Orleans native, Matt is passionate about good food, traveling, politics and public affairs, sports, and the stock market. For more information: http://www.mattragas.com