Therese Pennell, PhD

Therese Pennell, PhD
Associate Professor, English

Contact Information

Associate Professor, English
Office: Hilliard Hall
Phone: (936) 261-3734
Email     CV     Website
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Executive Statement

Dr. Pennell is an associate professor of English whose area of expertise is technical and professional communication, with a focus on intercultural technical and professional communication. She teaches freshman composition, technical writing, and professional writing for electronic media. She has also taught graduate-level courses. In terms of research, Dr. Pennell is currently a co-principal investigator (co-PI) on an inter-institutional grant, where she serves as the communication and outreach specialist. She also collaborates on numerous research projects with faculty at universities across the United States and internationally. In service, Dr. Pennell served as the director of PVAMU's Center for Writing and Public Discourse, where she led the center to earn Level I certification from the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA).

Teaching/Research Area of Interest

  • Technical Writing
  • Technical Communication
  • Intercultural Technical Writing
  • Professionalization in Technical Communication

Education

  • PhD, Rhetoric, Writing, And Professional Communication, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
  • MA, English, Concentration: Technical and Professional Communication, Certificate in Multicultural and Transnational Literature, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina
  • BEd, English Education, University of Belize, Belize City, Belize

Credentials, Certificates, Memberships, and Badges

  • Special Interest Group: Design of Communication (SIGDOC) 2021-Present
  • TransAtlantic and Pacific Project (TAPP) Member 2020-Present
  • Journal of Technical Writing and Communication 2020-Present
  • Council for Programs in Technical and Scientific Communication (CPTSC) 2013-Present

Selection of Courses Taught

  • English 1301: Freshman Composition 1
  • English 1302: Freshman Composition 2
  • English 3308: Literature of the African Diaspora
  • English 2311: Technical and Business Writing
  • English 3304: Professional Writing for Electronic Media

Selected Research / Creative Activities

  • Forthcoming: Arzu-Carmichael, F., Pennell, T.I., Walwema, J. (Fall 2026). Ten Lessons from International Faculty.
  • Forthcoming: Green, A. & Pennell, T.I. (Fall 2026). My Blood, My Feminist Essence: The Forced Appearance of A Menstrual Health Definition. Journal of Rhetoric of Health and Medicine.
  • Arzu-Carmichael, F., Pennell, T.I., Walwema, J. (2025). Beyond “Maintaining Status”: A Call for Distributed Responsibility in the Professionalization of International Graduate Scholars.
  • In J. Tham & J. Jiang (Eds.) Designing for Social Justice: Community Engaged Approaches in Technical and Professional Communication. Taylor and Francis. Pennell, T.I. (2024). Assessing Sources for Technical Communication Research.
  • In K. St. Amant & P. Zemliansky (Eds.), Technical Writing Spaces. WAC Clearinghouse. https://parlorpress.com/products/technical-writing-spaces and https://wac.colostate.edu/books/writingspaces/ Pennell, T. I. (2023). Designing Interculturally: Adopting a Social Justice Research Framework for “Seeing Difference”. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, 53(1), 33-49. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472816221125191
  • Pennell, T. I. (2022). Teaching and Mobile Learning in International Contexts. AELFE-TAPP Conference Paper submitted to Academia.edu (open access). https://www.academia.edu/61151489/Teaching_and_Mobile_Learning_in_International_Contexts?sm=b
  • Pennell, T.I. (2021). Online Behaviors and Building Community. Journal Council of Texas Women School Executives (JTWSE).
  • Pennell, T.I. (September 2025). Internal Institutional funding-RISE Undergraduate Research Award. (FUNDED: $7,200.00)
  • Muir, J. (P.I.), Pitman, W., Smith W. B., DeStefano, A., Pennell, T.I. (co-PI’s). (November 2024). Ecotypic grassland legume seed for climate-smart grasslands in the southeastern USA. Southern Sustainable Agriculture and Research Education. (FUNDED: $34, 892.00)
  • Thinking outside the Box: English Faculty Collaborations. Caribbean Studies Forum, University of Belize, presented with Dr. Darrel Murray and Dr. James P. Muir. (February, 2026)
  • Faculty Mentoring Program for Second-Year Students Information Session (November 2025)
  • Intercultural Technical Communication and Diverse, Underutilized Native Ecotypic Seed for Climate-smart Grasslands. CPTSC (October 2025)
  • Interdisciplinary Faculty Collaboration. Center for Teaching Excellence, PVAMU (Summer, 2024).
  • A Social Justice Framework for an International and Transdisciplinary Research. SIGDOC (October 2023)
  • Supporting Black and Minority Students at a PWI University in Texas. Co-panelists: Lora Helvie-Mason, Ebony Lang, Lathes Towns. CPTSC (September 23, 2023).
  • Co-panelist Association of Teachers of Technical Writing (ATTW): Preparing International Graduate Students for the Academic Job Market: Lessons from International Faculty. Co-present with Drs. Felicita Arzu-Carmichael and Josephine Walwema. (June 2023)
  • Co-presenter (Tarleton State University) Educational Excellence Week: Experiences from a Transdisciplinary Collaboration (April 2023)
  • Presenter (Tarleton State University) Poster Presentation: Intercultural Communication (ICC) and Transdisciplinary Study (April 5, 2023)
  • Feature presenter for More than Memos (MTM): Designing Interculturally: Adopting A Social Justice Research Framework for “Seeing Difference” discussion with Dr. Daniel Liddle via Technical Communication YouTube Channel (recorded February 2023)
  • Co-presenter (Tarleton State University) Educational Excellence Week: Diverse Faculty Group (April 2022)
  • Co-presenter (Tarleton State University) Educational Excellence Week: ALE: Study Abroad Cohort (April 2022)
  • Co-presenter Texas Women in Higher Education (March 2022) • Presenter AELFE-TAPP (2020 postponed to 2021)

Service Activities

  • Director PVAMU Center for Writing and Public Discourse: 2023-2026
  • Member Toni Morrison Writing Program Fall 2025 Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX
  • Member SACSCOC Student Support Service Committee Fall 2025 Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX
  • Search Committee Chair: English and African American Studies Joint position 2024 Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX
  • Search Committee: Languages and Communication Department Head, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX
  • 2024 Special Interest Group: Design of Communication (SIGDOC)
  • 2023 ongoing Abstract and Conference Proceedings Paper reviewer

Grants and Awards

  • One
  • Two
  • Three