Dr. Brian Richardson

Dr. Richardson (Dr. R.) and his wife Cheryl have two children: Keith, who is a Business major at Baylor University, and Ella Kate, who majors in musical theater at Southeast Missouri State University. Dr. R. enjoys working out, running, fantasy football, reading, and traveling. He also conducts communication-related training for various organizations, including the Texas Fire Chiefs Association, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, UNT Health Science Center, and the UNT System.

Research Interests:
Dr. Richardson's primary research interests include organizational whistle-blowing, communication and sport, and disaster/crisis communication. He has published articles recently in the areas of parental decision-making about youth tackle football and how whistleblowing affects families.

He is currently working on two projects: one proposes a way of characterizing organizational retaliation against whistleblowers and the other addresses the experiences of school district public information officers during the COVID pandemic.

Notable Activities:
Faculty Advisor for COMM Future Pros
Faculty Advisor for COMM Alumni Mentoring Program.

Editorial Board Member - Management Communication Quarterly.

Recent Publications:

Richardson, B. K., & Garner, J. (2022). Stakeholders' attributions of whistleblowers: The effects of complicity and motives on perceptions of likeability, credibility, & legitimacy. The International Journal of Business Communication, 59(3), 334-354. doi: 10.1177/2329488419853096

Richardson, B. K. (2022-online). "Death threats don't just affect you, they affect your family": Investigating the Impact of Whistleblowing on Family Identity. Management Communication Quarterly.

Richardson, B. K., & McGlynn, J. (2021). Constructing the heroic whistleblower: A social scientific approach. Heroism Science, 6 (2), 1-28. Special issue - Whistleblowers as Heroes. (lead article)

Richardson, B. K., & Scott, C. R. (accepted for publication). "Who do you think wrote it?": Stakeholder tensions in a case of anonymous organizational whistleblowing. Western Journal of Communication.

McGlynn, J., Boneau, R. D., & Richardson, B. K. (2020). "It might also be good for your brain": Cognitive and social benefits that motivate parents to permit youth tackle football. Journal of Sport & Social Issues, 44(3), 261-282. DOI: 10.1177/0193723520903226

Teaching:
COMM 3320 - Conflict Management

COMM 4120 - Communication & Sport
COMM 4220 - Theories of Crisis Communication

COMM 5220 - Organizational Communication
COMM 5221 - Crisis and Disaster Communication
COMM 5625 - Communication Consulting

Recent Awards and Honors:
Recipient, 2023, Ulys and Vera Knight Faculty Mentor Award, University of North Texas.

Recipient, 2022, CLASS Advisory Board Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching, UNT's College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.

Recipient, 2020 Dr. Charles Eberly Oracle Award which recognizes the outstanding written contribution to Oracle: The Research Journal of the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors during the academic year.