I am honored to be running for president of ICA. The association has played a key role in my professional socialization and intellectual growth since 1994, when I was a doctoral student, and I am eager to work to make a successful organization even more so.

By way of introduction, I am the Christy Cressey Professor of Communication and adjunct professor of political science at the University of Washington. Before earning my doctorate at the University of Wisconsin, I worked for the Munich-based Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, studying media and public opinion in the former Soviet Union. Within ICA, I have served as chair of the Political Communication Division and have been an active member of the Mass Communication Division. In addition, my current research on the political effects of infotainment has brought me into the sphere of the Popular Communication Division. I have served on the B. Aubrey Fisher Award Committee and currently chair a publications committee that serves the Political Communication Divisions of ICA and the American Political Science Association. This latter position involves working with members and publishers on issues related to copyright, dissemination, and online access. As I detail below, my service to the field includes leadership roles in numerous professional associations and work as an editor or editorial board member for nine journals and an online bibliographic research tool.

Goals
ICA has met many markers of success since it was founded 6 decades ago. Its members present and publish high-quality research in top-tier journals; its Divisions and Interest Groups address important sociopolitical, cultural, and technological developments; and its diverse membership spans 80 countries. But during a time of shrinking resources, increasing competition, and growing academic uncertainty, more needs to be done. I will focus my efforts as president on three areas: global outreach and support; career advancement opportunities; and enhanced visibility for the field.

Global outreach and support. First, ICA has an imperative to reach out to and support those who are underrepresented in our intellectual conversations. If the organization's mission involves promoting inclusiveness and debate among scholars of diverse backgrounds, regions, and intellectual perspectives, ICA needs to invest more heavily in building and fostering research networks. By working with both young and established transnational organizations such as the Asociación de Comunicación Política (ACOP) and the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC), ICA can raise its profile and membership. But equally importantly, it can support research in regions with much to contribute to the study of communication phenomena that transcend national boundaries.

Career advancement. Second, ICA should actively provide resources for its members' professional development. After all, the strength of a discipline rests on its members, and scholars rarely study the same phenomenon over their academic career. ICA can expand its array of annual and regional conference opportunities to include short courses or webinars that introduce members to new methods, theories, and approaches; it can host and archive sessions with program officers from national and international funding agencies; and it can facilitate in-person and virtual workshops on pedagogical techniques. These professional development opportunities speak to the needs of scholars around the world who are at different stages of their careers and whose teaching and research collectively span a vast array of topics. Whether it is the graduate student preparing for an academic job or the midcareer faculty member exploring nonacademic opportunities, ICA should leverage its website and conference to become a definitive resource for its members.

Enhanced visibility. Third, ICA needs to work with journalists, NGOs, and policy-makers to get members' research directly into the hands of opinion leaders outside the academy. The creation of ICA's press officer position moves us in this direction, but ICA needs to support an infrastructure that elevates the significance of communication research to different communities - communities that both inform and benefit from our research. Workshops with various constituents, which can be held around the globe and disseminated online, would make our research accessible to many others. These interactions also would help generate research and funding opportunities for members. In addition, ICA can work with publishers to promote access to members' research by these diverse communities. The formation of "expert panels" or a "speakers bureau" are initiatives that can be explored.

About Me
My goals for ICA are informed by what I have accomplished and learned from leading other professional organizations.

Since 2003, I have served as the Conference Committee Chair for the World Association for Public Opinion Research (WAPOR). In this capacity, I have collaborated with others to coordinate and promote regional conferences around the globe. We have developed a vibrant research network in Latin America and have engaged in successful outreach to various publics in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Western and Eastern Europe. Currently serving my second term as WAPOR's Professional Standards Committee Chair, I work with related organizations to assess best practices in the conduct and disclosure of scientific research. My committee also responds to social and political events that have implications for the field. I have chaired the annual conference for WAPOR and its sister organization, the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), and served as membership chair for the latter. In addition, I am a past president of the Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research (MAPOR).

For the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), I have chaired its Communication Theory & Methodology Division and sat on its Task Force on Diversity. I currently serve on its elected Research Committee. I also have chaired or been a member of various committees for the American Political Science Association and its Political Communication Section.

I currently serve on the editorial boards of eight international journals that traverse various social science disciplines and value both theory and application - Journal of Communication, Communication Research, Political Communication, Journal of Applied Communication Research, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, International Journal of Public Opinion Research, Political Science Quarterly, and Mass Communication & Society. I am entering my fifth year as Associate Editor of the interdisciplinary journal Public Opinion Quarterly. And, as information dissemination moves increasingly online, I serve as Editor-in-Chief of the communication module of Oxford Bibliographies Online (www.aboutobo.com), which will be launched in early 2011 by Oxford University Press.

My service to the field complements my own research on the political and social effects of mediated and interpersonal messages. I study how messages from traditional news, talk radio, websites, entertainment shows, and other people influence our perceptions of the world, our attitudes, and our sense of engagement in our communities. My interest in these underlying questions has allowed me to study trust in government, social capital, and communication across contexts that include crime policy proposals, affirmative action, religion, and science and technology. This larger body of scholarship is represented in one book, With Malice Toward All? The Media and Public Confidence in Democratic Institutions (with Michael Pfau), and 40 refereed articles and contributions to edited works. My research draws an international audience; I have presented at academic and research institutions in Europe, China, India, Israel, and Turkey. In 2008, I received AEJMC's Hillier Krieghbaum Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in research, teaching, and public service.

In sum, my efforts as an academic reflect a deep appreciation of communication inside and outside the academy, an unflagging commitment to collaborative work, and an unwavering dedication to individual and collective excellence. These are traits I will bring to ICA if elected president.