Renee Thomas-Woods
Professor of Practice in Journalism and Part-time Associate Professor of English and Communication and Theatre
reneethomas-woods@depauw.edu(765) 658-4029
Statement on Scholarly or Artistic Work
Dr. Renee Thomas-Woods is an Associate Professor of English and Communication & Theatre at DePauw University, Greencastle, IN. She serves as Faculty Advisor to The DePauw newspaper and Faculty Director of DePauw’s Media Fellows Honors Program. Her academic focus includes journalism, media, media literacy, communication and public speaking. Previously, Thomas-Woods taught for over 15 years at St. Louis Community College and served as an adjunct professor at St. Louis University and Maryville University. Her work outside of the classroom includes serving as the Midwest Popular Culture Association Area Chair for Fashion & Materials, St. Louis International Film Festival Short Film Selection Committee, and an Indiana Collegiate Press Association Board Member. A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., she serves as the Central Region Scholarship Committee Chairman. Dr. Thomas-Woods has presented her work at numerous conferences and meetings including the Critical Media Literacy Conference of the Americas , Association of Educators in Journalism and Mass Communication, National Communication Association, Popular Culture Association, College Media Association, American Black Film Festival, ACE Women’s Network Indiana Conference, Midwest Popular Culture Association and Webster University (St. Louis) Film Series. Thomas-Woods’ career began in corporate public relations with AT&T Bell Laboratories in New Jersey and AT&T Central States in Chicago, Illinois before founding the Communique’ Public Relations consulting firm. Throughout this time, she continued freelance writing with newspapers, magazines and online publications. Her creative interest led her to direct numerous plays and a documentary film. Thomas-Woods earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism, a Master’s degree in Communication from St. Louis University and a Ph. D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies with a focus on Adult Education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.