Meet the (New) SOC Faculty, Part 1
Here’s the first of two Emerson Today posts that will help you get to know the newest full-time instructors in the School of Communication.
Nydia Bou
Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Will teach: Speech Pathology
Bou will be supporting the online and on-campus graduate programs admission processes as faculty coordinator for graduate admissions in CSD. With an Ed.D. from Universidad Interamericana in Puerto Rico, Bou has over 20 years of experience in higher education. Her interests include higher education administration, academic accreditation, speech perception, Spanish phonological analysis and treatment options. Bou’s experience includes academic and clinical administration, research, clinical work, and teaching for more than two decades.
ET: What do you want students to learn from your teaching?
NB: Even more important than learning the required material related to the course content, I want them to learn — and practice — ethics, integrity, communication skills, and to develop a fantastic “clinical eye,” which is something that they will not learn from textbooks. I want them to feel empowered and to trust their knowledge and skills. I want them to feel that my lectures are given within a safe learning environment where committing errors and what’s traditionally seen as failure, it’s just part of the fantastic journey to lifelong learning. I want to push them out of their comfort zone and help them see and believe in their individual potential.
ET: What was the last thing you learned?
NB: Each day I learn that I’m stronger than what I thought I was yesterday, and I’m thankful every day for that. Something I have not learned that I would love to… I want to become a guide runner for blind or visually impaired runners.
ET: What do you enjoy when not working?
NB: Running! I’m a marathoner and a triathlete. I love running and swimming the most — not the bike as much (sorry!). I’m not fast, I’m not the first, but at least I’m never last! I also love enjoying time with my dearest friends, my lovely daughters (22-year-old twins and a 19-year-old “baby” girl), and my extremely supportive husband (almost 25 years and counting!). I do also enjoy a nice glass of red wine — why not?
Kenneth Grout
Executive-in-Residence, Department of Communication Studies
Will teach: Speech Communication
Kenneth Grout has been an affiliated faculty member at Emerson since 2011, having taught classes in Professional Voice and Articulation; Introduction to Speech Communication; and Oral Presentation of Literature. During this time, Grout continued his research on gender disparity in the Academy Awards (“Oscar is a Man”) and is working with the Communication Studies Department to revivify the Southwick Recitals at Emerson. Always writing, Grout is currently assembling character narratives in the style of the classic monologists. He wrote and performed the successful one-man show, Thelma Ritter Got Balls, has written several professionally produced plays, and published And the Winner Really Is, an almanac of the Academy Awards.
ET: What do you want students to learn from your teaching?
KG: First, I want students to be excited about learning. I want them to surprise themselves by the depth of their own capacity. I want them to realize that each of us has a voice and each of us has a story, and I want them to realize that there’s great power that comes from sharing their story AND from listening — truly listening — to the stories of others. I want them to be superior communicators. I want them to look back on our class as something that they connected with, as something that somehow made them “better.” And I want them to miss the experience when it’s behind them.
ET: What was the last thing you learned?
KG: Really good scrambled eggs are made with just a splash of milk, a liberal amount of dill, and melted butter as an ingredient (not just as something to keep them from sticking to the pan).
ET: What do you enjoy when not working?
KG: I enjoy lots of things, from walking to cooking to racquetball to reading to working out to painting…but my time and my energy and my focus tends these days to be on my family and my home. And that’s fine with me.
Robert Lyons
Executive-in-Residence, Marketing Communication
Will teach: Business of Creative Enterprises
Robert Lyons holds an MBA from the D’Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University, where he served as executive professor in the Music Industry program. His passions lie at the intersection of business, technology, and the creative industries, with a specialty around streaming and business model innovation in China. He has taught business and strategy classes at Emerson since 2017. Before shifting to teaching, Lyons was director of new media at WGBH in Boston, a leading public media content producer. His projects there pioneered a number of digital innovations in web, streaming, mobile apps, podcasting, and digital non-fiction storytelling, working closely with NPR, PBS, BBC, and PRX. His professional background also includes a specialty in the production of live concert broadcasts of major music festivals, such as the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and Telluride Bluegrass Festival. As an executive producer and producer, his projects have won top industry awards, including a Gold Medal at the International Radio Festival of New York, and a Major Armstrong Award for Technical Innovation. Lyons is founder of a research and strategy consultancy, R.S. Lyons & Associates, focused on early stage entrepreneurs.
ET: What do you want students to learn from your teaching?
RL: How to flip a switch and see the world through the lens of business, to be able to zoom out and zoom in, and to combine good analysis with empathy in pursuit of their own passion.
ET: What was the last thing you learned?
RL: Getting past HSK Level 1 Mandarin. Also, how much I miss going to movies.
ET: What do you enjoy when not working?
RL: Bewildering Spotify’s AI with my listening choices, and playing guitar and Dobro with enthusiasm wildly out of proportion to my skill.
Amy Stuehler
Executive-in-Residence, Department of Marketing Communication
Will teach: Marketing Analytics
Amy Stuehler brings over 30 years of product, sales, and marketing experience in the business services, childcare and education services, higher education, and technology industries. Stuehler is currently the president of Optimum Revenue Consulting, where she is responsible for developing new practice areas and leading consulting engagements focused on revenue generation, strategy design, and implementation. Before her current position, Stuehler was the vice president of product, marketing, and sales at Bright Horizons Family Solutions, a provider of child care and early education, back-up care, and educational advisory services for employers and families. In this position, Stuehler was responsible for managing product development and leading the company’s marketing, sales, client engagement, and account management teams. Previously, she was the executive vice president at ChildrenFirst, LLC, a provider of back-up child care services, which was acquired by Bright Horizons.
ET: What do you want students to learn from your teaching?
AS: I am excited to instill confidence and wonder at the power of digital marketing and data analytics. We are all subject to the implementation of these techniques, even those with minimal social networking presence. Gaining an understanding of the whats and hows of technology-based marketing and analysis methods prepares students for their own implementation of these powerful tools in the marketplace. Even if their roles at their place of work does not include marketing, knowing how their own data is being used can be insightful.
ET: What was the last thing you learned?
AS: I decided to spend more time on an interest in landscape photography. I bought a camera that is smarter than me, so each time I use it I learn something new. Like most hobbies it has its own language and tools, so there is a challenge in acquiring new skills. Luckily, photographers love to share how they accomplished their stunning work, so I can lean on their generosity to accomplish my goals.
ET: What do you enjoy when not working?
AS: My husband and I have six children and 10 grandchildren, soon to be 11. Our children live around the world — China, Australia, Brazil, Canada and the U.S. We love to travel to visit with them and explore new countries on our journeys to and from these visits, and where I can indulge in photography. While COVID-19 has stopped these trips for now, we will travel again once it’s safe to do so.
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