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Biography

I teach courses in interpersonal communication, family communication, and nonverbal communication, and am a recent recipient of the NMSU College of Arts and Sciences award for outstanding achievement in teaching. I love working with our fabulous undergraduate and graduate students both in the classroom and on research projects.

In my own research, I study how people develop and maintain their romantic and family relationships. Two of my most current research projects focus on (1) the disruption of family rituals during the pandemic and (2) relationship development and dating apps.

I am also co-author (with Chris Segrin) of Family Communication. Family Communication is a comprehensive review of research that explores basic family communication processes (e.g., conflict, power, decision making) and forms (e.g., family stories, secrets, and rituals), as well as communication in family subsystems such as sibling, parent-child, extended family, romantic and marital relationships. The book examines how families communicate during stress, including the role of communication in mitigating or exacerbating stress, and focuses on theoretical models of family stress, stressors associated with changes over the lifespan, and stressors associated with divorce, remarriage, and the creation of stepfamilies. In addition, Family Communication examines the fascinating links among family communication, family relationship quality, and mental and physical health, as well as ways to improve family relationships.

I completed my undergraduate degree at Manchester University in 1994 and my graduate studies at the University of Kansas (M.A., 1996; Ph.D., 1998). 

Some of my research can be found in journals such as Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Journal of Family Psychology, Journal of Family Communication, and Human Communication Research. I also invite you to explore our book: Family Communication (3rd ed.) by Segrin & Flora.