Stephanie Batson is an Instructor in the Department of Applied Communication Studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, teaching public relations and general communication courses. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and a Master of Science in Organizational Communication from North Carolina State University. She worked at Deaconess Faith Community Nurse Ministries in development and public relations, focusing on special events, grants, and fundraising opportunities to support programs that improve health throughout the St. Louis Metro area. Previously, she worked at several advertising agencies, lived and worked in Paris, France, and had a career in education on the student service side. In those roles, she coordinated large research grant projects, organized fundraisers, created communication campaigns, and became a social media guru to drive constituent engagement. Stephanie is a mother to three young children: Ephraim, Greydon, and Isabella. She also loves spending time with her husband, Jerret; together, they share their personal time and talents with friends in their church community through service, volunteer work and hospitality. In her past life (before kids!), Stephanie loved to travel, read, write and take pictures.