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Richard D. Waters is an assistant professor in the department's public relations concentration and advisor of the Public Relations Student Society of America chapter at North Carolina State University. He has previously taught at the University of Florida and Syracuse University, and he has given guest lectures at more than 15 different universities in the Southeastern United States. Prior to earning his doctorate, Waters was the Vice President of Development and Communications at Operation Access, a statewide healthcare nonprofit in California. His public relations and fundraising experiences includes managing the national Toys for Tots campaign, strategic planning for Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts, and conducting media relations work for the Harry Potter movie franchise. He has received a Golden Flame Award from the International Association of Business Communicators, three Phoenix Awards from the Public Relations Society of America, and a Telly Award for regional advertising.

 

Waters holds a doctorate in mass communication from the University of Florida. He teaches public relations and nonprofit management courses. His research focuses on the fundraising process, management of the organization-public relationship, and the impact of new technology on public relations and fundraising. His research has been published in Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Public Relations Review, Journal of Health Communication, Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, Nonprofit Management & Leadership, Journal of Communication Management, Teaching Public Relations, and Journal of Volunteer Administration among other scholarly and trade publications. Waters was named an "Emerging Scholar" by the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action in 2005, and he was the recipient of the Chaffee-McLeod Top Communication and Theory Paper award from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in 2007.

 

Waters is a fan of college football, especially the Georgia Bulldogs.  During breaks 

from school, he can also be found serving as a bellhop at the Tower of Terror at

Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando.

 

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Richard D. Waters, Ph.D.

 

 

Researching and Teaching a Strategic Approach to Public Relations and

 Nonprofit Management while Maintaining a Sense of Fun and Adventure