Kelley Macek

Specializations: rhetorical criticism, critical scholarship, political rhetoric, veteran/military culture.

Kelley Macek retired from the United States Army in 2010 and returned to college on the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill as a photojournalism student in southeast Kansas. Realizing she had developed a passion for communication studies, she chose to pursue graduate-level research and scholarship, teaching and mentoring students. Her research interests currently focus on rhetoric of social change, political discourse on social media, and military identity specifically revolving around combat veterans.

As a military intelligence soldier, Kelley specialized in the Middle East area of operations and Arabic language, obtaining a B.S. in 2000 through her service and training. She has lived and worked in various locations across that region, deploying to Iraq multiple times. She holds a deep affection for Arabic language and culture, and often find they intersect with her research.

When she is not deep in the books or teaching public speaking, Kelley enjoys riding her Harley Davidson around Athens County, or spending time with her fellow veterans at any one of the local veteran service organizations in town.