Growing up in the rough terrains of Pine Bluff, AR was no easy feat for Shaun Marq Anderson. His formative years were marked by financial and familial struggles, including growing up in a fatherless home and bouts of extreme poverty. As he grew older, he had to deal with times of homelessness as well.

With all of these obstacles, he could have easily followed in the path of drug dealing, stealing, prison, or the grave that many of his childhood friends have succumbed to. The thing that saved him from that path was his passion to succeed and to leave a lasting legacy for his family. He can only thank God for these accomplishments!

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He completed his B.A. (2005) in Mass Communication at The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in which most of the time he workes as a full-time janitor! He also earned his M.S. in Mass Communication (2007) at Arkansas State University. He received his Ph.D. from West Virginia University where his primary research emphasis is in Organizational Communication.

 

From an engaged scholarship perspective, he investigates how effective professional sport organizations are in their corporate social responsibility efforts with regards to their surrounding diverse communities. Furthermore, he examines the influence of social support from family-like relationships developed among teammates and coaches to help student-athletes cope with their day-to-day lives. Also, he examines the impact felt obligation from biological family has on the work/life balance of these athletes. His work has appeared in Psychology of Popular Media Culture, Sport Marketing Association conference proceedings, and in the book, Fantasy Sports and the Changing Sports Media Industry: Media, Players, and Society.

 

Professionally, he has several years of industry experience which includes sports reporting for two Arkansas newspapers, television production for a top 60 DMA Fox News affiliate, public relations work for a National Basketball Association Development League team, and strategic communication consulting for various youth, collegiate, and professional sport organizations in the areas of leadership communication and diversity.

 

He plans to continue to his research using the engaged scholarship approach in the areas of organizational and sport communication. For speaking engagements please contact Shaun below and he will contact your as soon as possible.