Liliana L. Herakova

Lily Herakova (she/her) is an Associate Professor and Director of Communication Education. A native of Bulgaria, Dr. Herakova holds a PhD in Communication from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has taught at various colleges and universities for over 20 years. Her research utilizes critical narrative, performance, and autoethnographic methodologies to study the production and negotiation of relational identities and cultures of support and equity in interpersonal, health, and higher education contexts. She is moved by a lasting interest in engaging (with) differences toward world-building. Most recently, she has focused on practices and impacts of mentorship in education, particularly in relation to faculty and students whose presence and thriving in U.S. academia is precarious. Additionally, as part of an interdisciplinary team, Dr. Herakova is developing a new critical and applied process for ongoing educator development, called Relationships-Systems Pedagogy. As Director of Communication Education, Lily brings consideration of these topics to her direct work with CMJ instructors and Teaching Assistants in preparing them for and mentoring them in their roles as college educators.

Courses Taught

Books & Learning Materials

Herakova, L. L. (2016). The speaker workbook: Custom edition for the University of Maine. Southlake, TX: Fountainhead Press.

Book Chapters (9)

Langellier, K., Peterson, E., & Herakova, L. L. (forthcoming). Narrative performance theory: Making stories, doing family. In E. Suter, K. Floyd, E. Hintz, & D. Braithwaite (Eds.), Engaging Theories in Family Communication (3^rd ed). Routledge. 

Herakova, L. L., Buchanan, R., Pelletreau, K., Chien, M. T., & Roberge, K. (2025). Syllabus unfinishing(s)/Unfinished syllabus-ing as multi-sited feminist mentoring. In J. Pauly, L. Hernandez, & S. Munz (Eds.), Queer, Women of Color, and Critical Approaches to Feminist Mentorship and Pedagogy (pp. 195-215). University of Illinois Press.

Herakova, L. L., Buchanan, R., Hakkola, L., & Ruben, M. (2025). Contouring caring: A faculty community of practice responding to a crisis of equity in higher education. In M. Congdon Jr. & A. Atay (Eds.), Critical Approaches to Crisis Communication in the Classroom and Higher Education Contexts (pp. 81-100). Bloomsbury. 

Congdon Jr., M., & Herakova, L. L. (2025). Staying with: The potential of a critical crisis communication pedagogy for communication education. In M. Congdon Jr. & A. Atay (Eds.), Critical Approaches to Crisis Communication in the Classroom and Higher Education Contexts (pp. 257-270). Bloomsbury

Herakova, L. L. (2025). Epilogue: Patches and connections. In A. Atay & M. Congdon Jr. (Eds.), Critical Approaches to Crisis Communication in the Classroom and Higher Education Contexts (pp. 271-274). Bloomsbury.

Herakova, L. L., & Congdon Jr., M. (2021). Dwelling in revolutionary intimacies: Mentoring and/as reflexivity. In A. Atay & D. Trebing (Eds.), Mentoring and Communication: Theories and Practices (pp. 51-72). Peter Lang Publishing.

Herakova, L. L., & Congdon Jr., M. (2018). Let your self in: Mentoring from/on the margins of academia in the millennial context. In A. Atay & M. Ashlock (Eds.), Millennial Culture and Communication Pedagogies (pp. 21-42). Lexington.

Herakova, L. L., & Congdon Jr., M. (2018). Calling-in identities and communities in the college classroom: What do you say to students. In S. Chen, N. Allaire, & J. Chen (Eds.), What Do You Say? Narrative Constructions for/by Various Populations Surrounding Donald Trump’s Presidential Victory (pp. 7-32). Lexington.

Herakova, L. L., & Correa, E. (2016). Out with the family: A duoethnography of family, prejudice, and critical appreciative inquiry. In S. K. Camara & D. K. Drummond (Eds.), Communicating prejudice: An appreciative inquiry approach (pp. 39-60). Nova Publishers.

Referred Articles (25)

McGuire, J., Herakova, L., Pelletreau, K., Newell-Caito, J. (forthcoming). ReSysting toward transformative connections: Envisioning a relationship-systems pedagogy. To Improve the Academy.

Herakova, L. L., Jayamaha, I., Little, L. (Elle), Oliveira, J. V., Darkwa, E., Christie, B., … Docken, A. (Lexi). (2025). Keepers: Communicating Race and Knowledge in Higher Education. Communication Studies, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2025.2574002

Goodhines, P. A., Rathod, K., Herakova, L., & Cingranelli, L. (2025). Rural college drinking and sexual health behaviors: Implications for tailored multilevel intervention. Journal of American College Health. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2025.2461607 

Herakova, L., Newell-Caito, J., McGuire, J., Pelletreau, K., & Maliwal-Bundy, A. (2024). Culture-centered reflexivity as critical assessment. Communication Teacher, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/17404622.2024.2369719

Bonnet, J., Herakova, L. L., & Karim, T. (2023). Queering/querying educational spaces: The LGBTQIA2+ learning and affirming challenge. Feminist Pedagogy, 3. https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1071&context=feministpedagogy 

Herakova, L. L., Babb, L., & Roberge, K. (2023). Academic spaces of possibility? A proleptic dialogue with BlackFeminism at the center. Feminist Pedagogy (Special issue, Honoring the Immeasurable: bell hooks’ Feminist Pedagogy in Teaching). https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1128&context=feministpedagogy 

Kellet, P., O’Lynn, C., Herakova, L. L., & O’Connor T. (2023). Gender role conflict (GRC) and male nursing students’ academic and program success. The Journal of Nursing Education, 62(1), 42-46. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20221109-07

Buchanan, R., Herakova, L., Hakkola, L. & Ruben, M. (2022). Breathing in, breathing out: the structure of conversational sense-making around equity in higher education teaching. Teaching in Higher Education, doi: 10.1080/13562517.2022.2034145 

Hakkola, L., Ruben, M., Buchanan, R., Herakova, L., McDonnell, C., & Robbie, K. (2021). An equity-minded approach to faculty development in a community of practice. Innovative Higher Education, 46, 393-410. https://doi-org.wv-o-ursus-proxy02.ursus.maine.edu/10.1007/s10755-020-09540-8 

Congdon Jr., M., & Herakova, L. L. (2020). Envisioning critical social entrepreneurship education: Possibilities, questions, and guiding commitments. Partnership: A Journal of Service Learning and Civic Engagement, 11, 287-306. Retrieved from: libjournal.uncg.edu/prt/article/view/1986

O’Lynn, C., O’Connor, T., Herakova, L. L., & Kellet, P. (2020). Men’s decision-making to become nurses: Gendered influences and fit with gender role conflict theory. Advances in Nursing Science. doi: 10.1097/ANS.0000000000000310

Bonnet, J. L., Herakova, L., & Deng, R. (2019, April). Setting the stage for civic-minded education: Casting new roles for librarians in critical information literacy instruction. In Recasting the narrative: The proceedings of the ACRL 2019 Conference, Edited by Dawn M. Mueller.  

Bonnet, J., Herakova, L. L., & McAlexander, B. (2018). Play on? Comparing active learning techniques for information literacy instruction in the Public Speaking course. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 44 (4), 500-510. doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2018.04.014

Congdon, M., Herakova, L. L., & Bishop J. (2018). Calling-in the family: (En)Acting relationality in dialogic performances of tense family interactions. Communication Teacher, 32, 8-12. doi: 10.1080/17404622.2017.1372614 (Special issue, Critical Communication Pedagogy)

Herakova, L. L., & Cooks, L. (2017). Hands in the dough: Bread and/as a pedagogy of performative remembering. Text and Performance Quarterly, 37, 239-256. doi: 10.1080/10462937.2017.1308543

Herakova, L. L. (2017). Moving wor(l)ds: Practicing evocative language use through fairy tales. Communication Teacher, 31, 1-5. doi: 10.1080/17404622.2017.1243979

Herakova, L. L., Bonnet, J., & Congdon Jr., M. (2017). Centering information literacy (as) skills and civic engagement in the basic communication course: An integrated course-library collaboration. Basic Communication Course Annual, 29. 

Herakova, L. L. (2016). Walking on by is just the beginning: Dialogically interrogating face-work. Communication Techer, 30, 136-140. doi: 10.1080/17404622.2016.1192665 (Special issue, Teaching Diversity)

Correa, E., Herakova, L. L., & Jelaca, D. (2014). Racing (for) social justice: Performing apologia and accountability in dialogues about race. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 15, 3, n.p.. Available at: http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/2159/3710

Herakova, L. L. (2012). Nursing masculinity: Male nurses’ experiences through a co-cultural lens. Howard Journal of Communications,23, 332-350. (Special Issue, Co-cultural Theory)

Herakova, L. L., Jelaca, D., Sibii, R., & Cooks, L. (2011). Voicing silence and imagining citizenship: Dialogues about race and whiteness in a “post-racial” era. Communication Studies, 62, 372-388. (Special Issue, Race Matters in the Obama Era)

Pearson, J. C., Semlak, J. L., Western, K. J., & Herakova, L. L. (2010). Answering a call for service: An exploration of family communication schemata and ethnic identity’s effect on civic engagement behaviors. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 39, 49-68.

Pearson, J. C., Child, J. T., Herakova, L. L., Semlak, J. L., & Angelos, J. (2010). Competent public speaking: Assessing skill development in the basic course. Basic Communication Course Annual, 22, 39-86.

Herakova, L. L. (2009). Identity, communication, inclusion: The Roma and (new) Europe. Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 2, 279-297.

Burnett, A., Mattern, J., Herakova, L., Kahl Jr, D., Tobola, C., & Bornsen, S. E. (2009). Communicating/ muting date rape: A co-cultural theoretical analysis of communication factors related to rape culture on a college campus. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 37, 465 – 485.