UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — At a young age, Erica Hilton was destined for a career in communications. She worked behind-the-scenes for a number of school organizations. She predicted her “job in public relations” in her high school yearbook. And today, as a doctoral candidate at Penn State, she is aiming a critical eye at the communication industry’s grasp of social issues.
Hilton’s research interests are based on media representation and diversity in public relations. All of her research has had a racial/ethnic or gender component. After working for nearly three years as the online activism manager for the Laborer’s International Union of North America (LiUNA), a union group consisting of more than a half million construction workers, Hilton found new ways to incorporate her research with issues in the public relations industry.
“I’ve always been in the digital part of communications and PR,” Hilton said. “At LiUNA, I organized digital media trainings and managed the website and social media. I loved it.”
Research-wise, Hilton initially targeted media representation — examining reality TV and news on how certain groups of people were represented. While she continues that work, her focus changed after working at LiUNA.
“I had the opportunity to participate in social movements when I worked for the labor union,” she said. That experience opened doors to new research ideas.
Hilton has studied media representation on television and YouTube, diversity in public relations, and diversity in corporate social responsibility at companies. While her research areas cover a lot of ground, they all circle back to public relations’ understanding and ability to effectively communicate those issues.
Originally from Fayetteville, North Carolina, Hilton graduated from Johnson C. Smith University and earned her master’s degree from American University. She began her doctoral candidacy at the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications in 2015, positioning herself to graduate in 2018 with the skills to research and work in the industry, as well as teach.