Holtzhausen is currently the director of the school of Media and Strategic Communications at Oklahoma State University. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Johannesburg, a M.A. from the University of South Africa; and a B.A. from the University of South Pretoria.
Growing up in South Africa, she experienced discrimination in all forms, against gender, race, class and culture. Even within her immediate family, women were not treated equally. Her scholarship in public relations comes from her experience and research into discrimination and diversity.
Movie credit: Oklahoma State University.
Before moving to the United States in 1997, Holtzhausen was a journalist and and communication executive in public and private settings. Of special interest, she worked with the South African Tourism Board preparing the country for the political change brought about with the end of Apartheid and later had the opportunity to study with Larissa and James Grunig at the University of Maryland as she prepared for her Ph.D. and established her distinct call for activism.
Public Relations as Activism: Postmodern Approaches to Theory and Practice, by Derina R. Holtzhausen was published in August 2011. The book is a comprehensive look at how her life experiences have shaped her practice in public relations and contributed to her call for public relations professionals to become activists for the profession and for others.
I am ready, as a public relations professional, to answer her call to action.
Before moving to the United States in 1997, Holtzhausen was a journalist and and communication executive in public and private settings. Of special interest, she worked with the South African Tourism Board preparing the country for the political change brought about with the end of Apartheid and later had the opportunity to study with Larissa and James Grunig at the University of Maryland as she prepared for her Ph.D. and established her distinct call for activism.
Public Relations as Activism: Postmodern Approaches to Theory and Practice, by Derina R. Holtzhausen was published in August 2011. The book is a comprehensive look at how her life experiences have shaped her practice in public relations and contributed to her call for public relations professionals to become activists for the profession and for others.
I am ready, as a public relations professional, to answer her call to action.
