Bonita Neff

Bonita Neff

Bonita Dostal Neff, Ph.D. and Institute of Educational Leadership (IEL) Fellow, is professor and chair of the Department of Communication, Indiana University Northwest.  As chair, she is developing the public relations curriculum for the undergraduate and graduate levels at IUN and advises the newly created Public Relations Student Society of America. 

She published chapters of books, contributing as co-editor of the Pride award-winning theory text as well as several journal articles on speech act theory, technology, and teaching.  Her presentations of over 180 refereed papers relate to public relations in respect to theory, practice and related areas of intercultural, global, and integrated communication issues. Neff founded and served as chair of the PR division for the National Communication Association (NCA) and the Public Relations Interest Group for the Central States Communication Association (CSCA).

She was one of the founders and chair of the PR division for the International Communication Association (ICA), a co-founder of the International and Interdisciplinary Public Relations Research Conference (IIPRR), and track chair for Public Relations and Corporate Communication for the International Academy of Business Disciplines (IABD), chair of the PR Division for the Association of Educators in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) and one of the founders of the Intercultural Division for CSCA. She has chaired and served on numerous committees for AEJMC, ICA, and NCA, and served on two executive task forces for the Commission on Undergraduate and Graduate Education in Public Relations.

Neff is a member of the editorial boards for the Journal of Public Relations Research, Public Relations Review, International Quarterly Review of Business, and the Journal of Promotion Management. Dr. Neff is co-Editor of the Fourth Edition of Learning to Teach Public Relations.

Dr. Neff also serves as chair of the Board of Directors for Lakeshore Public Media, both PBS (Public Broadcasting System) and( NPR National Public Radio) affiliates.  She is also the voting representative for Indiana at the Association of Public Television Systems (APTS), a national association for public television.