Dr. Karen Freberg is a professor of strategic communications in the Department of Communication at the University of Louisville where she teaches courses in social media, strategic communication and strategic communication writing.
Karen is also a research consultant in social media, public relations and crisis communications and has worked with organizations and agencies such as Hootsuite, IMC Agency, CDC, Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates, Kentucky Derby Festival and General Motors where she was a Plank Center Fellow in 2015. Here she worked with the public relations and social media teams to form the best practices and recommendations on social media measurement strategies and influencer marketing practices.
Her research has been published in several books and academic journals such as Public Relations Review, Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management and Health Communication. She also serves on several editorial boards and the executive committee for PRSA’s Entertainment and Sports Section.
Karen earned her bachelor’s degree in public relations from the University of Florida in 2005, a master’s degree in strategic public relations at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California and her Ph.D. in communication and information at the University of Tennessee.