Dr. Jessica Rick

Research Interests & Areas

Dr. Rick's research focuses on organizational policies, how people talk about policies, and the stigma associated with using policies. She also examines how gender, social class, and parenting influence people’s work and personal lives. Currently, she’s researching the challenges mothers face when they exclusively pump breast milk, including how workplaces, families, friends, and medical professionals respond to these choices.

Dr. Rick’s work has been published in several respected communication journals and books, including the Journal of Applied Communication Research, the Journal of Family Communication, Qualitative Research Reports in Communication, and the Journal of Nonprofit Leadership and Management. She has also led trainings for local and national organizations on topics such as microaggressions, diversity and inclusion, effective communication, staying true to one's mission, balancing work and life, and public speaking. She’s a trained mentor through the Lean In Circles program, which supports women in leadership and professional growth.