Hongmei Shen, Ph.D., is an associate professor at San Diego State University. She is a public member of the Commission of Public Relations Education, and chairs the 2012 Work, Life, and Gender Committee. She has published 10 refereed journal articles in various premier academic journals in public relations, journalism and mass communication. She has won top paper awards at top international and national communication conferences, where she has presented 26 refereed research papers.