The Department of Communications welcomes a new Associate Professor of Practice this semester, Carla Kath. In her first semester, she is teaching COMM 186 Introduction to Public Relations and Integrated Marketing Communications, COMM 286 Introduction to Advertising Practice and Branding and two upper-level courses, COMM 324 Social Media: Social Listening and Analytics and COMM 312 Health Communications.
In a department notorious for adjuncts, students are undoubtedly thrilled to have a familiar face teaching multiple courses.
Lilybee Wilcox, a junior Public Relations & Marketing Communications major, is currently enrolled in Kath’s COMM 286 and COMM 324 courses.
When asked about her thoughts on the new full-time professor, Wilcox shared that, “having her as a through line in the department is so important. We haven’t had a PR-specific professor in a couple of years, and we’ve been in limbo ever since. It’s nice having her as a resource for multiple classes.”
Kath shares a similar sentiment, noting, “I do have some students in more than one class, so I’ve gotten to know everybody pretty closely. I love that the classes are smaller. So you do have that kind of community family feel, which is one of the reasons why I like Simmons.”
She made the move from industry to education in 2024, when she worked as both the Director of Communications at Boston Globe Media and an adjunct professor at Boston University College of Communication.
She held many roles earlier in her career, including Regional Communications Director for the American Cancer Society in Kansas City and Director of Communication at Franciscan Children’s.
When asked about her various positions in the health and human services industry, Kath remarked that “I think that’s the area that I care the most about.”
She was drawn to education as a way to give back to the field and help shape the new generation of communicators.
She remarked, “I feel like all of these experiences, I’ve learned a lot, and so I want to be able to transfer that knowledge to help new communicators know what to expect in the real world so that they can be successful.”
As a professor, Kath knows education is a two-way street. She believes that she and her students can all learn something from each other, stating, “everyone that is in a classroom together, we’re all people, and we’re all bringing really different experiences and backgrounds and ideas to that environment and that’s awesome. The diversity and the richness of that experience is something that we need to be open to.”
When asked what drew her to Simmons, Kath spoke about the uniqueness of the institution, and specifically the Department of Communications.
She remarked on Simmons’ “community feel and the quirky, laid back, but very smart vibe,” highlighting its differences from other institutions and its importance, saying more of that is “needed in the field of communications and PR.”
Kath graduated from Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, with a degree in English and Creative Writing in 2003. She went on to earn her Master’s in Broadcast Journalism from Boston University, where she met her now-husband in the program. Together, they share two daughters and a rescue dog, Pancake.
Kath is elated to be able to show her teenage daughters around Simmons, noting its distinctiveness as the only women-centered institution in the Boston area.
“I think it’s really awesome for my girls to be able to come to a women-centered college and see what a lovely experience it can be. It’s nice for them to know that this is a community for them too, should they decide to apply and want to go here.”
