Matt Brigham is an associate professor in the School of Communication Studies (SCOM), where he is also a graduate faculty member. He attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, for both his undergraduate degree (with majors in political science, philosophy, and environmental studies, and a minor in gender studies), and for his master’s degree (in Communication Studies). Continuing what he had started in high school, Matt was a debater and then debate coach at Baylor. Matt then attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned his Ph.D. in Communication (with a focus on rhetoric, argumentation, and debate) in 2012.

Matt joined the faculty at JMU in August 2009, and teaches classes for SCOM majors concentrating in advocacy, for political communication minors as well as sports communication minors, for our Communication and Advocacy graduate students, as well as for our core classes in the SCOM major and our communication general education class (SCOM 123). Matt proudly represents and draws strength from his Mexican American heritage. He appreciates the opportunity to have had his identity enriched at each stop in his life journey, from Montana (here he was born and raised), to Texas, to Pennsylvania, and now here in Virginia. He has also served previously as an officer for the Latino/Latina Communication Studies Division and La Raza Caucus for the National Communication Association. Matt is also a Faculty Friend for the Office of Disability Studies at JMU, and a Phi Beta Kappa member.