Eletra Gilchrist-Petty

Eletra S. Gilchrist-Petty (Ph.D., The University of Memphis) is an Associate Professor of Communication Arts at The University of Alabama Huntsville. She earned her B.A. and M.A. degrees in Communication Studies from The University of Alabama and her Ph.D. in Communication Studies from The University of Memphis. Gilchrist-Petty is a former Interim Chair of the Communication Arts Department at The University of Alabama Huntsville. Her programs of research focus on instructional communication, interpersonal communication, and African American communication from both the quantitative and qualitative perspectives. Gilchrist-Petty is the co-editor of Contexts of the Dark Side of Communication, published in 2016 by Peter Lang. Her premier edited text is Experiences of Single African-American Women Professors: With this Ph.D., I thee Wed, which was published in 2011 by Lexington Books. She has also published in many leading scholarly outlets, including Review of Communication, Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, Communication Reports, Journal of the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA), NIDA Journal of Language and Communication, Communication Teacher, Southern Communication Journal, and The Northwest Journal of Communication. Gilchrist-Petty has authored a number of book chapters and presented scholarly research at many academic conferences spanning the international, state, regional, and local levels. Additionally, Gilchrist-Petty has held several offices with the National Communication Association (NCA), including chair of the African American Communication and Culture Division (AACCD), Legislative Assembly, Nominating Committee, and Affirmative Action and Intercaucus Committee. Gilchrist-Petty is the 2012 winner of the Top Research Journal article presented by the AACCD of NCA, and she received the 2012-2013 Martin Luther King Jr. Service Award presented by the University of Alabama in Huntsville’s Minority Graduate Student Association. She also serves as a motivational speaker and organizational trainer/consultant. Gilchrist-Petty was previously employed as an Assistant Professor at Middle Tennessee State University and teaches a mix of communication classes, including Instructional Communication, Interpersonal Communication, Dark Side of Communication, Research Methods, Public Speaking, Media Writing, Small Group Communication, Persuasion, Senior Seminar, African American Communication, and Intercultural Communication.

Publications

“You're Very Smart for a Black Woman”: A Case of Microaggressive Communication
“You're Very Smart for a Black Woman”: A Case of Microaggressive Communication
Eletra Gilchrist-Petty. © 2022. 11 pages.
This case study explores an instance of microaggressive communication occurring at an organizational professional meeting. The case examines how “You're very smart for a...
Deviant Communication in Teacher-Student Interactions: Emerging Research and Opportunities
Deviant Communication in Teacher-Student Interactions: Emerging Research and Opportunities
Eletra Gilchrist-Petty. © 2018. 133 pages.
Instructional communication is a pivotal concept in the relationship between an educator and a student. However, if not carried out properly, a variety of deviant behaviors can...