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.