About Natalie

My career has never followed a traditional path, and that's exactly what makes it meaningful.

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I began in the skilled trades as a heavy equipment operator, truck driver, diesel mechanic, welder, and served in the United States Marine Corps as a Heavy Equipment Operator and Safety/HAZMAT NCO. Those experiences taught me discipline, accountability, resilience, and the importance of leadership grounded in service.

 

Returning to higher education fundamentally changed the direction of my life. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and a Master of Arts in Professional Communication from Youngstown State University, graduating with a 4.0 GPA. My graduate research earned the Eastern Communication Association's Top Graduate Paper Award and examined how leadership communication, empathy, and organizational behavior influence employee satisfaction, workplace culture, and organizational effectiveness.

 

Professionally, I have worked across industries that rarely intersect. I have operated my own trucking business, served in university leadership, consulted and presented on leadership communication for the U.S. Department of Labor and EEOC Workforce, worked in journalism, and remained actively involved in nonprofit organizations and community leadership. These experiences have reinforced my belief that the most effective leaders understand both people and systems, and that meaningful change occurs when research is translated into practical action.

 

My intellectual interests extend well beyond communication alone. I am passionate about cognitive communication, leadership psychology, organizational behavior, endocrinology, neurochemistry, and the biological and psychological processes that influence human behavior. I am particularly interested in how cognition, emotion, hormones, and communication interact to shape leadership, decision-making, workplace culture, and interpersonal relationships.

 

Looking ahead, I intend to pursue a Ph.D. and continue conducting interdisciplinary research that bridges communication, psychology, and neuroscience. My long-term research interests include cognitive decline, leadership communication, empathy, neurochemistry, organizational effectiveness, and the ways biological and psychological factors influence human interaction. My goal is to produce research that not only advances academic understanding but also improves leadership practices, workforce development, education, and public policy.

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Outside of my professional work, I have spent decades studying theology, biblical literature, church history, and comparative cultural history. I enjoy examining Scripture within its historical, linguistic, and cultural context, often cross-referencing biblical accounts with archaeology, historical records, and the broader cultures of the ancient Near East and Mediterranean world. My interest is not simply theological, but interdisciplinary, exploring how history, communication, culture, and religion shape one another across time.

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Above all, I am driven by curiosity. Whether I am reading peer-reviewed research on neurochemistry, exploring emerging developments in endocrinology, studying organizational leadership, analyzing media and public policy, or diving into a topic simply because I want to understand it better, I believe knowledge has value when it is approached critically, examined objectively, and shared responsibly. I enjoy learning across disciplines because many of the most meaningful insights emerge where fields overlap rather than where they remain isolated.

 

At the center of everything I do is a simple belief: communication shapes how we understand ourselves, each other, and the world around us. By combining evidence-based research with practical experience, I hope to contribute to stronger leadership, healthier organizations, more informed public dialogue, and communities where people are empowered to think critically, communicate effectively, and continue learning throughout their lives.

 

Whether you're here because of my research, professional work, public speaking, journalism, or community involvement, thank you for visiting. I hope this website serves as a place to share ideas, encourage thoughtful conversation, and demonstrate how lifelong learning can connect disciplines that are too often viewed in isolation.