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Photograph of Gemma Puglisi

Gemma Puglisi Assistant Professor Public Communication

Additional Positions at AU
Public Relations Student Society of America Faculty Advisor
Mentoring Committee
Merit Committee
Degrees
MA Drama, Catholic University of America; BA (magna cum laude) Music, Trinity University

Bio
Gemma Puglisi is a full-time professor of Public Communication. She is an award-winning media strategist and producer with more than 25 years of experience. During her career she has worked in broadcast news, public relations, entertainment and the financial sector, where she was a market reporter/media relations specialist for Nasdaq. Her SOC classes have won recognition from the Washington Post, the Washington Times, the D.C. Mystics and other organizations. Puglisi is often sought as an expert on crisis public relations, media issues, and women in communications. In 2006, she received the Order of the Star and was knighted by the Republic of Italy for her contributions to education and promoting Italian language and culture.

She has also been recognized with some of the top awards in her field including the following:
o The National Capital Chapter PRSA Hall of Fame Honoree
o PRNEWS Top Women in PR, Mentor
o The 猫咪社区app Compact Mid-Atlantic Award: The Alan G. Penczek Service Learning Faculty Award
o The 猫咪社区app University's School of Communication's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Faculty Award
o The Washington PR Woman of the Year by the Washington PR Women
o RAGAN's PRNEWS Communicator of the Year Award, Honorable Mention
See Also
For the Media
To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.

Teaching

Fall 2024

  • COMM-310 Public Speaking

  • COMM-310 Public Speaking

  • COMM-437 Public Relations Portfolio

Spring 2025

  • COMM-310 Public Speaking

  • COMM-310 Public Speaking

  • COMM-437 Public Relations Portfolio

Partnerships & Affiliations


  • Judge for Competition


  • Member


  • Elected Member


  • Board of Directors


  • Volunteer


  • Member

Scholarly, Creative & Professional Activities

Research Interests

Professor Puglisi鈥檚 area of interest involves the role of women in the fields of communications including broadcast journalism, print and public relations. She has worked in a network newsroom for many years in addition to serving as a media executive in the field of PR.聽 Her experiences and her research have included the role of women in these areas. She has interviewed many of the top journalists in the country including Tom Brokaw, Brian Williams, Connie Chung, Linda Ellerbee, and Susan Zirinsky on the role of women in the newsrooms. In the spring of 2008, she travelled to Florence, Italy to interview several individuals about the last days of Italian journalist, Oriana Fallaci.聽 Professor Puglisi鈥檚 expertise in the media is often sought by many for analysis and commentaryon controversy issues/news.聽 These have included comments about Rosie O鈥橠onnell鈥檚 opinions on the ABC鈥檚 鈥淭he View;鈥 Britney Spears鈥 career; former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer鈥檚 demise;聽 China鈥檚 hiring a public relations鈥 firm before the Olympics in 2008; and a book about Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.In the classroom, Professor Puglisi鈥檚 work has been recognized by the Washington Post, the Washington Business Journal, W猫咪社区appA-TV Channel 9, the Washington Mystics, the United Nations鈥 鈥淣othing But Nets鈥 Organization, and Washington鈥檚 Mayor Adrian Fenty.聽 Students in both her PR Portfolio and Public Communication Practicum classes have worked with 鈥渞eal鈥 clients and a majority have been nonprofits in the DC community. In the Summer of 2008, Professor Puglisireceived a 鈥淗ometown Hero鈥 award from the Washington Mystics for the class鈥檚 work on the鈥淣othing But Nets鈥 campaign.聽 Her classes have also helped 鈥淎 Wider Circle;鈥 鈥淛oseph鈥檚 House;鈥 the Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc.; 鈥淒C Books to Prisons;鈥 and the 猫咪社区app Marines鈥欌淲ounded Warrior Regiment.鈥澛 The Regiment presented Professor Puglisi and her students a plague for their service and cooperation in the spring of 2008. 聽

Honors, Awards, and Fellowships

Honors, Awards, and Fellowships

    聽 聽
  • Knighted 鈥溾 (Cavaliere) by Italian Government 2006
    • 聽 聽
  • Alpha Kappa Psi鈥攊nitiated into Alpha Kappa Psi鈥攖he Professional Business Fraternity 2007
    • 聽 聽
  • Student Activities Superstar Award鈥斺淓xcellence in Advising,鈥 猫咪社区app U, Spring 2008
    • 聽 聽
  • 鈥,鈥 Presented by the UN Foundation and the Washington Mystics, Summer 2008

IN Career:

    聽 聽
  • 鈥淲ho鈥檚 Who Among Young Professionals鈥
    • 聽 聽
  • 鈥淭wo Thousand Notable 猫咪社区app Women鈥
    • 聽 聽
  • 鈥 Who鈥檚 Who of 猫咪社区app Business Women鈥
    • 聽 聽
  • 鈥淚nternational Who鈥檚 Who of Professional and Business Women鈥

Awards in PR career:聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽

    聽 聽
  • Three Edelman 鈥淕reat Performance Awards鈥
    • 聽 聽
  • Two Mercury Awards
    • 聽 聽
  • International PR Award
    • 聽 聽
  • Two 鈥淧R WEEK鈥 Awards
    • 聽 聽
  • Sabre Award

聽In Journalism:

    聽 聽
  • 鈥淲omen鈥檚 Sports Foundation Award鈥澛 and a 鈥淗eadliner Award鈥 for Best Sports Reporting by a TV Network

Media Appearances

    聽 聽
  • CNN International鈥斺,鈥 April 2008
    • 聽 聽
  • KMOX-Am and FM radio, St. Louis, MO鈥斺淪tand By Your Man,鈥 Radio Interview聽 聽 聽 聽聽聽聽 to discuss the Spitzer saga, March 2008
    • 聽 聽
  • W猫咪社区appA-TV, Channel 9, 猫咪社区appA, 鈥淭he Writers鈥 Strike.鈥 Interview with Derek McGinty on the impact the writers鈥 strike had on the Golden Globes, 2008
    • 聽 聽
  • XM-Satellite Radio鈥斺淏roadminded,鈥 Interview about Troy Anthony Davis, on death row in the state of Georgia, December l8th, 2007
    • 聽 聽
  • Fox Newschannel, 鈥淭he O鈥橰eilly Factor,鈥 NBC and 鈥淭he Predator鈥 Series, August 2007
    • 聽 聽
  • The Retirement Living Television Network (Cable), 鈥渨omen in News,鈥 aired July l0th, 2007
    • 聽 聽
  • Fox Newschannel, 鈥淭he Big Story,鈥 The Jon Benet Ramsey Story, August 2006
    • 聽 聽
  • Fox Newschannel, 鈥淭he O鈥橰eilly Factor,鈥 The Hillary Clinton Book, June 2005

Quoted in following (2008):

    聽 聽
  • The Hilltop, 鈥淩ally Columbia Heights to Free Felon Troy Davis,鈥 (Howard U paper), Sept. l9
    • 聽 聽
  • readingeagle.com, 鈥淚nternet Puts Personal Data within Reach of Wrong People,鈥 Aug. 31
    • 聽 聽
  • Agence France-Presse, 鈥淐hina Faces Uphill Task Polishing Image Ahead of Olympics,鈥滱pr.9
    • 聽 聽
  • Yahoo.com, (China article above reprinted), Apr. 10
    • 聽 聽
  • www.tibet.fr (China article above reprinted), Apr. 10
    • 聽 聽
  • 聽www.abcnews.net (China article above reprinted), Apr. 10
    • 聽 聽
  • 鈥,鈥 Mar. 11 (on the Spitzer scandal)
    • 聽 聽
  • Kansas City Star, (Spitzer scandal), Mar. 11
    • 聽 聽
  • Huffington Post blog, (article above reprinted), Mar. 11
    • 聽 聽
  • www.redorbit.com, (article above reprinted), Mar. 11
    • 聽 聽
  • bruneinews.net (article above reprinted), Mar. 11
    • 聽 聽
  • malaysiasun.com (article above reprinted), Mar. 11聽 聽 聽 聽

Selected Publications

    聽 聽
  • "," Chronicle of Higher Education
    • 聽 聽
  • 鈥,鈥澛 exclusive one-on-one interview, Voce Italiana, October 2008
    • 聽 聽
  • 鈥,鈥 The Washington Post, Outlook section, 鈥淐lose to Home,鈥 September 28, 2009, Op.Ed.聽 (also reprinted in washingtonpost.com and the peoples-forum.com)
    • 聽 聽
  • 鈥,鈥 Atlanta Journal-Constitution, September 23rd, 2008, Op-Ed. (Also reprinted in ajc.com)
    • 聽 聽
  • 鈥,鈥 AEJMC Blog, July 2l, 2008 (also reprinted in the Poynter Blog Network Northwestern University鈥檚 Medill Journalism School)聽
    • 聽 聽
  • 鈥,鈥澛 Voce Italiana, June issue, page 2.聽
    • 聽 聽
  • 鈥淐ourt鈥檚 Chance to Do the Right Thing,鈥 Atlanta Journal Constitution, November l3, 2007,聽 聽 聽 Op-ed. (Also reprinted in ajc.com)
    • 聽 聽
  • 鈥,鈥 Women鈥檚 Media Center, March 2007.
    • 聽 聽
  • 鈥淐an a Reality Show in the Classroom Prepare Students for the Real World?鈥 PR Tactics,聽 聽 聽 October issue, 2006
    • 聽 聽
  • 鈥淟en Bias鈥檚 Legacy,鈥 The Washington Post, Editorial Page, July 9, 2006, B8.
    • 聽 聽
  • 鈥淐atch and Release,鈥 Chesapeake Bay Magazine, April issue.

Professional Presentations

    聽 聽
  • PRSA 鈥揚ublic Relations Society of America鈥擡ducator鈥檚 Academy, Detroit, Michigan, October 2008 Presenter鈥擯oster Presentation鈥擮ne of 20 academics honored and awarded to present
    • 聽 聽
  • , 鈥淧romoting Your Artwork-How You Can Use Media to Publicize Your Art,鈥 Florence, Italy, March 2008.
    • 聽 聽
  • , Panelist,聽 2009, 鈥淏ridging Classroom and Community: Bringing Community-Based learning and Teaching to Your Syllabus.鈥
    • 聽 聽
  • Ann Ferren Teaching Conference, Moderator, 2008, 鈥淗ow to Publish That Book.鈥
    • 聽 聽
  • Ann Ferren Teaching Conference, Panelist, 2007, 鈥淕uest Speakers in the Classroom.鈥
    • 聽 聽
  • , Moderator, 猫咪社区app University, September 2007
    • 聽 聽
  • 鈥淧itfalls in International Public Relations,鈥 Panelist, National Press Club, PRSA, Summer 2007
    • 聽 聽
  • 鈥淎doption in America,鈥 Moderator, National Press Club, December 2006聽 聽 聽 聽

Work In Progress

    聽 聽
  • 鈥淗appy Birthday, Broadcast News,鈥 article on the 20th anniversary of the movie.

AU Experts

Area of Expertise

Media relations, women in the media, public relations, crisis communications, media scandals

Additional Information

Gemma Puglisi is a leading expert on several topical news stories, including the fall of Governor Elliott Spitzer, the 2008 presidential election, the WGA strike, human rights issues in China, the fate of a death row inmate in Georgia, and the personal lives of celebrities such as Britney Spears and Rosie O鈥橠onnell. She has appeared on CNN and Fox News Channel鈥檚 The O鈥橰eilly Factor,among other television outlets and shows. She has been interviewed by numerous print and Web media, including abcnews.com, Hollywood Reporter, Reuters, and Entertainment Weekly. She has published works in the Washington Post, the Women鈥檚 Media Center Web site, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the AEJMC Web site, Voce Italiana, and Chesapeake Bay Magazine. Puglisi鈥檚 classes have been featured in the Washington Post, Washington Business Journal, and on W猫咪社区appA-TV. In 2008, she was recognized by the WNBA鈥檚 Washington Mystics as a Hometown Hero. Puglisi鈥檚 career includes 25 years of experience divided among talent agency work, broadcasting, and media and public relations. Her broadcast experience includes NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, the Today Show, Sunday Today, and MSNBC. She received two broadcasting awards, the Headliner and the Women鈥檚 Sports Foundation Award. As a media relations manager for the Nasdaq Stock Market, Puglisi was instrumental in changing business news coverage for network television. She later worked for such PR firms as Powell Tate and Edelman PR Worldwide. As a vice president/group manager in media relations at Edelman, she spearheaded major campaigns, such as the ringing of the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange by the Taco Bell Chihuahua. She won three Edelman Great Performance Awards, two Mercury Awards, two PR Week Awards, and an International PR Award. In 2006, she was knighted by the Italian Republic for her work promoting Italian language and culture.

For the Media

To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.

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