Professional Experience
Assistant Professor (tenure-track) (August 2019 to present)—University of Central Oklahoma. Teach in-person and online sections of Fundamentals of Speech, Strategic Communication Writing, Principles of Public Relations, Digital and Social Communication, Media Research, Strategic Communication Campaigns, and Digital Media Strategy. Supervise STLR (Student Transformative Learning) students on professional projects. Give presentations at department events for students and faculty. Assist on committees as needed.
Contract Writer/Blogger (April 2016 to present)—Write breaking news, heath marketing blogs, and health quizzes for Coffey Communications, a company that provides digital health content to hospital and health insurance networks nationwide. Includes attending meetings and training on strategic writing and social media skills.
Freelance Journalist (April 2012 to March 2020)—“Mom Around Town” columnist for the Edmond Sun. Wrote feature stories and breaking news for the publication. Responsible for maintaining favorable relationships within the community to gain knowledge on best practices for encouraging parental involvement in Edmond.
Staff Editor/Social Media Manager (January 2014 to August 2017)—Today’s Veterinary Practice & Today’s Veterinary Technician. Conducted interviews, wrote articles, edited technical articles, and managed and developed web content and social media for the North American Veterinary Conference’s (NAVC) peer-reviewed journals. Also worked as the onsite writer for the NAVC’s daily publication at the 2016 & 2017 annual conference in Orlando, Florida.
Public Affairs Specialist/Writer-Editor (May 2007 to September 2010)—National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hyattsville, MD. Wrote press releases and speeches, handled press conferences/interviews, worked on website updates and analytics, conducted fundraising campaigns with web-based communication strategies, and produced the National Health and Examination Surveys’ 50th anniversary video. Also wrote and presented a paper about media policies at the U.N. Economic Commission for Europe in Warsaw, Poland (2009) and worked with other international presenters on a manual titled Making Data Meaningful.
Health and Metro Reporter (2005–2007)—Wrote articles covering breaking news, health, business, and entertainment for the Moore American and Norman Transcript newspapers, Oklahoma City metropolitan area.
Contributing Editor (graduate internship May 2006–August 2006)—American Indian Horizons Magazine, the public relations newsmagazine of the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic.
Video Producer & Script Writer (2002–2005)—Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage New England Corporate Office, Waltham, Massachusetts. Wrote, directed, and produced home tours and real estate agent video resumes. Assisted in the planning for the yearly awards conference in downtown Boston.
General Assignment Reporter and Business/Marketing Manager (2000–2002)—The Scribe, a publication of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
Education
Ph.D. Strategic Communication, December 2022, Summa Cum Laude
University of Oklahoma—Norman, Oklahoma
Emphasis—Strategic Communication (health and digital communication)
Dissertation topic: Social media message framing for suicide gatekeepers
M.A. Journalism and Mass Communication, May 2007, Summa Cum Laude
University of Oklahoma—Norman, Oklahoma
Emphasis—Health communication; professional writing and editing
Thesis: Constructing a New Ethical Framework for Health Reporting
B.A. Mass Communication, May 2002, Summa Cum Laude with Honors of Highest Distinction
University of Colorado—Colorado Springs, CO
2002 Outstanding Communication Undergraduate and Outstanding Social Science Undergraduate
Emphasis—Media management and recording arts
Publications
Cox, M.M. (2022). Cultural continuance and agency in Cherokee biographical storytelling. Journal of Communication Inquiry. https://doi.org/10.1177/01968599221120
Cox, M. M., & Yetter, C. B. (2022). “This is so cool”: A phenomenological study on virtual reality novelty. Journal of Communication Technology, 5(1), 84-103. https://doi.org/10.51548/joctec-2022-004
Cox, M. M. (2021). Framing social posts for suicide gatekeepers through theory of planned behavior. Southwestern Communication Journal, 36(1). https://swecjmc-ojs-txstate.tdl.org/swecjmc/index.php/swecjmc/article/view/90
Blessing, C., Comerford, F., Cox, M., Debusschere, M., Dickinson, J., Dougherty, E., & Flanders, J. Making data meaningful part III: A guide to communicating with the media. Geneva: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 2010.
Grants, Scholarships, and Awards
Top Abstract Award, 2021 Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Mid Winter Conference.
Top Paper Award, 2020 South Western Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Symposium.
Kopenhaver Center Fellow – accepted to the workshop for new women faculty in mass communication at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Annual Convention. Workshop title: Women Faculty Moving Forward: 100 Years from Suffrage to Academic Leadership (2020)
Creative Women of Oklahoma Award for Young Adult Book, Delta Kappa Gamma Society International (2014)
Oklahoma Writer’s Federation – 1st place – Young Adult Manuscript (2013)
Leadership Award, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2010)
Kappa Tau Alpha Top Scholar Award, University of Oklahoma (2007)
Student Emmy winner for Public Service Announcement, National Association of Television Arts and Sciences (2001)
Junior Ladies National Collegiate Figure Skating Champion, United States Figure Skating Association (1999)
Professional Development
Google Analytics Certification (Google Academy, 2020)
eLearning Facilitation Certification Course (University of Central Oklahoma, 2018)
Student Transformative Learning Training (University of Central Oklahoma, 2018)
SEO Training for Writers (Coffey Communications, 2016)
Web Design & Development (Today’s Veterinary Practice, 2015)
Web Design and Development (National Center for Health Statistics, 2010)
Leadership Training (Combined Federal Campaign Administration, 2009)
Toastmasters International Public Speaking Training (National Center for Health Statistics, 2008–2010)
mmcoxbooks.com 