Dr. Julie Gochenour is a lecturer in the School of Communication Studies (SCOM), and winner of both the Madison Vision in Teaching award and the SCOM Lecturer of the Year award. She specializes in teaching skills-acquisition courses and particularly enjoys introducing JMU freshmen to core communication practices, including public speaking, in the basic course.

A communication professional with three plus decades of experience in journalism, organizational communication, and public relations, Gochenour earned her Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies (communication studies and religious studies) in 2012 from Union Institute and University. She researches religious and spiritual communication in contemporary culture focusing on “spiritual but not religious” rhetoric and practices and continues work on a long-term project examining intersectionality in the context of place studies.

She and husband, Gary, both natives of the Shenandoah Valley have been married for more than 40 years and live on their 250-acre working farm in Shenandoah County.