Professional Summary
??????? Dr. LaPoe also served on a Future of News innovation team that researched and implemented real-time newsroom strategies for explaining major weather events to audiences.
?? A former student now working at a Cleveland television station said it best: Journalism “runs in her veins.”
??Dr. Victoria LaPoe earned degrees in journalism, worked as a journalist and media strategist and received recognition for both journalism research and professional practice. ?? LaPoe is thankful to be part of a department that understands journalism is grounded in history, ethics, law, public accountability and civic responsibility. ??Her work bridges journalism, digital media, public relations, strategic communication, organizational communication and public affairs. Her professional background includes television news, international media consulting, audience research, talent coaching, public relations and higher education leadership.
??After entering high school at age 13, Dr. LaPoe was selected at age 15 as an editor of her high school newspaper while enrolled in an advanced math and science program in a major television market. ?? Through a university-supported “NewsWhys” program, she wrote and anchored televised news cut-ins that aired on local NBC and PBS affiliates.
?? At age 17, she began writing for her college newspaper, The Daily Iowan, while studying broadcasting at the University of Iowa. ???? At age 18, she covered the Iowa caucuses and reported from a Des Moines event featuring then-Vice President Al Gore, examining health care and regional medical systems during the Clinton-Gore administration. ?? Her reporting also explored national legal advocacy efforts tied to health care litigation and the Emma Goldman Clinic in Iowa City. ?? At the same time, she interviewed U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin while covering his 1996 re-election campaign strategy and outreach efforts to University of Iowa students on issues including federal student loans and youth political engagement.
?? At 19, she contributed reporting to The Gazette’s Iowa City bureau, covering local government, municipal development and community issues in the greater Johnson County area, including Iowa City and surrounding communities such as Solon, Iowa.
???? In addition, her reporting on a domestic violence shelter aired on public broadcasting television.
?? During the event, she asked Dr. Koop direct questions about his anti-smoking campaign, which later aired on the ABC affiliate. ?????She also interviewed nationally prominent political figures, including former Vice President Dan Quayle and future presidential candidate Bill Bradley.
?? She later contributed to research and strategy initiatives at the internationally recognized media consulting firm Frank N. Magid Associates, as well as Crawford, Johnson & Northcott.
?? At those companies, she specialized in strategy research, marketing communication, audience analysis and talent coaching. Her work supported television, political, entertainment and sports clients, as well as digital media initiatives across the United States and internationally. ????????????
??????? Separately, during this period, she voiced radio and online advertisements and appeared in television commercials.
???????? She contributed to industry research and strategic guidance related to television news coverage following the Sept. 11 attacks. Her work focused on audience and programming considerations related to breaking-news coverage and the return of commercial advertising during crisis reporting.
???????? Her broadcasting career centered on producing in major and politically significant news markets, including Des Moines, Iowa, and Louisville, Kentucky.
???????? She produced multiple daily newscasts, political and breaking-news coverage, high school sports programming and major special-event coverage ranging from the Olympics to the Kentucky Derby. ?????? During the early evolution of digital media delivery systems, she also voiced news headlines for a television station’s website bot, reflecting an early intersection of broadcasting and digital news technologie.
While working in Louisville, Dr. LaPoe became part of an early generation of hybrid newsroom professionals who combined producing, writing, reporting, research and on-air work across multiple newsroom functions. Her work contributed to one of the top-rated 6 p.m. newscasts in the country, and she earned an Associated Press regional award for Best Newscast coverage of breaking news. A series project she pitched, researched and helped produce was later featured on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
Alongside her journalism career, Dr. LaPoe continued graduate study focused on longstanding interests in research, statistics, strategy, organizational communication and audience behavior. Drawing from both newsroom and consulting experiences, she completed coursework in the MBA program at the University of Iowa, including Corporate Financial Reporting and Marketing and Management, before redirecting her graduate studies toward a Ph.D. track.
Her interdisciplinary interests in media research, sports communication, quantitative reasoning and public affairs eventually led her to Louisiana State University, where she earned her Ph.D. Approximately half of her doctoral coursework was completed with political science faculty focused on advanced population statistics, quantitative reasoning and public affairs research.
Following LSU, Dr. LaPoe joined Western Kentucky University in 2013. As a pre-tenure assistant professor, she was appointed overall sequence coordinator for broadcasting and film. In that role, she oversaw approximately 500 of the program’s 700 students within the university’s state-recognized Program of Distinction in broadcasting and journalism. The program was accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications, and she played a key role in the school’s successful reaccreditation efforts, including serving on assessment initiatives and meeting directly with the ACEJMC site team during the accreditation review process.
She also helped lead significant financial and technological upgrades to a newsroom while advising news, sports, television and radio programs. She later held interim management responsibilities for Revolution 91.7 (WWHR), WKU’s student-run FCC-licensed radio station. In addition to teaching writing for broadcasting, advertising, public relations and film, she taught news and sports reporting, producing and broadcast performance for both radio and television.
Her teaching and producing experiences included live breaking-news and tornado coverage during broadcast events.
In 2017, Dr. LaPoe joined the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University, where she taught in both journalism and strategic communication. She advised award-winning students, chaired the school’s contest committee and served as director of studies in journalism for the Honors Tutorial College from 2020 to 2024, guiding a cohort through the COVID-19 pandemic.
During her time at Ohio University, students earned placements in Hearst’s and Society of Professional Journalists competitions, and she advised a first-place nationally recognized Public Relations Student Society of America chapter. She also served on assessment initiatives related to ACEJMC accreditation and program review. In 2018, she received national recognition from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication with the Outstanding Woman in Journalism and Mass Communication Education award. In spring 2025, she was named Overall Outstanding University Professor and received the Scripps College Discovery Award for fostering creativity, collaboration and innovation.
Dr. LaPoe joined the University of Cincinnati in fall 2025. Her current scholarship explores journalism, academic communication systems, ethics in sourcing, artificial intelligence, public relations, environmental communication and crisis communication.
She is a lifetime member of the Indigenous Journalists Association. She served as vice president from 2017 to 2019 and education chair from 2016 to 2019 and has been a member of the education committee since 2015.
In 2026, Dr. LaPoe was elected programming chair of the Public Relations Society of America Educators Academy after serving on the programming committee in 2025. PRSA is a national organization representing nearly 20,000 members.
She also serves on the inaugural editorial board of the Diné College Press, based on the Navajo Nation in Arizona and New Mexico.
In her spare time, Dr. LaPoe enjoys attending Urban Native Collective events and spending time with her husband, two sons, Cane Corsos, and cats.
Dr. LaPoe has one son born in Athens, Ohio, and another born near Tiger Stadium. Her name is engraved on a brick outside LSU’s journalism school alongside her husband’s, commemorating their Ph.D. graduations and reflecting a fitting connection for a Bengals fan and graduate of LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication.
Education
Ph.D.: Louisiana State University (Media and Public Affairs)
M.A.: University of Iowa (Journalism and Mass Communication)
B.A.: University of Iowa (Journalism and Mass Communication & Theatre)
Research and Practice Interests
- Media sourcing
- Digital media and technology
- Journalism education
- Public relations and strategic communication
Positions and Work Experience
- Television News Producer (Best Newscast Award Winner/Associated Press, Region),
- Client Strategist,
- Marketing Communication Specialist,
2008 -2009 Hybrid Special Projects Producer,
2023 -2025 Nonprofit Founder,
Honors and Awards
2025 Outstanding University Professor Ohio University
2025 Discovery Pillar Award (Outstanding Innovation in Research) Scripps College of Communication, Ohio University
2018 Outstanding Woman in Journalism and Mass Communication Education Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), Commission on the Status of Women Division
2009 Best Newscast (State Level) Associated Press
Post Graduate Training and Education
2023-2024 Artificial Intelligence Institute Graduate,
2024-2024 Mediation Training Certificate,
2024-2024 Wellness Education Training, Center for Teaching Learning Assessment, , Ohio University
2025-2025 Scholarly Teaching and Learning Certificate, Center for Teaching, Learning and Assessment, , Ohio University
2025-2025 Experiential Learning Certificate, Center for Teaching, Learning and Assessment, , Ohio University
2025-2025 Engaging Alumni Training, Center for Teaching, Learning and Assessment, , Ohio University