Matt Taylor is an associate professor in the School of Journalism and Strategic Media at Middle Tennessee State University. His teaching and research are informed by more than a decade of professional communication experience concentrated primarily in the areas of nonprofit education and health. Before joining the faculty at MTSU, he taught courses at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, George Washington University, and Mount St. Mary’s University.

Matt’s expertise in strategic communications is based in part on his work leading the multifaceted communications programs of two different preK-12 independent schools in North Carolina. In his role as Director of Strategic Communications, he guided messaging and  implementation for a rebranding campaign that included an award-winning marketing video. He oversaw content strategy for all institutional communications, coordinated crisis communications strategy, managed annual advertising campaigns, and developed leadership communications materials. Matt also guided alumni and development communications at Duke University School of Law. He has applied his expertise by volunteering to develop and help implement a strategic social media plan for MapYourVoice, a free, anonymous nonprofit service for sexual violence survivors worldwide.

Matt’s career in strategic communications was born out of his love for writing and journalism. He started his career as a newspaper reporter and earned multiple awards from the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association. He also worked as an assistant to the senior producer for the television program “America’s Most Wanted” and as a senior writer for advocacy communications at the National Government Relations office of the American Cancer Society in Washington, D.C. In addition, his volunteer work has included writing fundraising materials for Gregory House Programs in Hawaii and The ARC of Essex County in New Jersey.

Throughout his career, Matt has combined his love for writing and journalism with his interest in sports. A Maryland native, he was among the first baseball bloggers credentialed by the Baltimore Orioles to work in the press box at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. He also served as a weekly guest blogger for the team’s regional sports network. He has been a public address announcer for the University of Maryland-Baltimore County’s men’s and women’s basketball teams and was a promotions announcer for the Durham Bulls’ Triple-A baseball team in North Carolina. He was a walk-on basketball player during his senior year at Rutgers University and earned Big East Academic All-American honors.

Matt received his doctorate in mass communications at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a Roy H. Park PhD Fellow. He is a member of the Kappa Tau Alpha National Honor Society and serves as the adviser for the MTSU chapter of the organization. His research examines digital media with a focus on nonprofit advocacy communication and sports communication. He is a member of the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA), the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSSA).

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Taylor, M.P. (2023) Crowd Pleasers: Exploring Motivations and Measuring Success Among Independent Sports Podcasters. Journal of Radio and Audio Media. DOI: 10.1080/19376529.2022.2143775

Taylor, M.P. (2022). PR in Real Time: A Problem-Based Approach to Generating Engagement and Learning, Journal of Public Relations Education, 8(3).

Taylor, M.P. (2022). Can We Chat ... Privately? Using Twitter Chats to to Facilitate Offline Engagement for Nonprofits. Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector Quarterly, DOI: 10.1177/08997640221111937

Taylor, M.P. (2022). Social Media Practices of Independent Sports Podcasters, in Lipschultz, J.H., Freberg, K. and Luttrell, R. (Ed.) The Emerald Handbook of Computer-Mediated Communication and Social Media, Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 431-448. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80071-597-420221025

Taylor, M.P. (2021). All Talk and No Action? A Comparative Analysis of Nonprofit Twitter Chats, Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, DOI: 10.1080/10495142.2021.1953668

Taylor, M. P. (2021). Book Review: Podcasting: The Audio Media Revolution by Martin Spinelli and Lance Dann. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 98(1), 310–311. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699020984804

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Fellowships

PhDigital Bootcamp Fellowship, The Knight Foundation and Texas State University, Summer 2022 (Virtual)

MTSU Faculty Fellow, MTSU Academy of Teaching Excellence, 2019-2020

Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs, St. Louis, Mo.2001-2002

Teaching Awards

Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Influential Faculty Recognition, Fall 2022

Top Three, Great Ideas For Teaching (GIFT), Public Relations Division, Annual Conference, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), 2022

Graduating Seniors Recognition, MTSU Division of Student Affairs, May 2019, August 2019, May 2020, December 2020, May 2021, May 2022

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• Generation #Branded: More newsrooms are requiring influencer-type skills. Journalism schools are adapting. Nieman Reports, Feb. 26, 2024.
• Universities follow student interest in social media with courses, Times Higher Ed, Dec. 11, 2023
• WGNS Interview about social media research and MTSU's Social Media Insights Lab, WGNS Radio, Nov. 21, 2022.
• Verified Twitter accounts impersonate major companies and celebrities, cause issues, News Channel 5, Nov. 11, 2022
• Big social media purchase for Parler, WRKN, Oct. 19, 2022.
• Does Facebook reward outrage? What leaked papers show the company knew, Christian Science Monitor, Oct. 29, 2021.
  
  

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