Beth E. Michalec, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of corporate communication at Penn State Lehigh Valley, where she teaches courses centered on strategic integrated marketing communications, personal and organizational branding, crisis communication, and digital and social media marketing. She also teaches courses in Marketing Research and Analysis and public relations for the West Virginia University Integrated Marketing Communications master’s program.

As a prestigious Fulbright Specialist, Dr. Michalec spent the Fall 2022 semester teaching, lecturing, and consulting in Croatia and previously served as a visiting professor at Duquesne University’s Italian Campus in Rome, Italy, in Spring 2013. While in Croatia, Dr. Michalec delivered lectures on a multitude of topics, including corporate social responsibility, greenwashing, philanthrocapitalism, purpose-driven marketing, personal branding, and entrepreneurship. In Fall 2024, the Algebra Bernays University’s executive MBA program in Croatia invited Dr. Michalec to teach a course on behavioral management and stakeholder engagement. She is adept at in-person, online, and hybrid instruction modalities.

Dr. Michalec is known for bridging classroom lessons into marketplace practices. She highlights current and relevant examples, invites diverse practitioner guest speakers, and integrates hands-on, client-based experiences and projects at local, national, and international levels. Her goals are to create unique learning opportunities rooted in strategic critical and creative thinking, and to empower and prepare students with elevated skill sets that directly translate to their career goals and trajectories.

In May 2020, Dr. Michalec earned a Ph.D. in Rhetoric (emphases: integrated marketing communications, media ecology, and communication ethics). She earned a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from WVU and undergraduate degrees in communication and English literature from Bethany College. Prior to her career in academia, Dr. Michalec was program manager and executive director of the Robert H. Mollohan Family Charitable Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization located in West Virginia. She currently provides insights and expertise as a messaging and brand consultant supporting both small start-ups and large national campaigns. 

Additionally, Dr. Michalec has co-led study abroad trips to the Netherlands and Greece and has shared her teaching and research insights at regional, state, national, and international conferences, universities, and events. An avid traveler and music lover, Dr. Michalec has visited nearly 20 countries and 25 U.S. states and has enjoyed over 100 live bands' and artists' performances. She greatly admires Dolly Parton—as a storyteller, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and visionary—and counts seeing her perform live in 2023 as a core memory.