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This past spring, the Eastern Communication Association awarded Danielle Mehlman-Brightwell, PhD, the Donald H. Ecroyd & Caroline Drummond Ecroyd Teaching Excellence Award.

The award recognizes sustained excellence in college-level teaching and a demonstrated commitment to student success through communication education. The award letter stated, “Your record of teaching excellence, dedication to student learning, and thoughtful integration of communication into your instructional practices exemplify the highest standards of our discipline. Your work reflects both a deep commitment to your students and a meaningful contribution to the field of communication.”

At the award presentation in April, Mehlman-Brightwell’s teaching skills were highlighted: 

     •    “Dr. Mehlman-Brightwell’s scholarly expertise in political communication, digital media, and technology policy enriches her teaching. By incorporating contemporary research and emerging issues into her curriculum, she ensures that her students engage with timely and socially relevant questions.”

     •    “. . . Over the years, I have sought her advice on pedagogy, and she has consistently emphasized that effective instruction requires more than delivering content. She stresses the importance of fostering open dialogue, reflection, and critical thinking.”

     •    “Dr. Mehlman-Brightwell brings passion, energy, and rigor to her teaching. She creates a classroom culture that is simultaneously challenging, interdisciplinary, and deeply engaging.”

Mehlman-Brightwell, a resident of Washington, PA, is an assistant professor of public policy and communication and teaches courses in public policy, policy practicum, theories of persuasion, and public speaking. She also serves as the public policy major advisor. She brings more than 16 years of higher education teaching experience and is recognized for her student-centered, applied approach to communication instruction that emphasizes real-world engagement, critical thinking, and civic learning. Her teaching philosophy focuses on helping students connect communication theory with practice in meaningful, timely, and socially relevant ways.

At the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, she teaches courses including argument, interpersonal communication, rhetoric and public policy, theories of persuasion, political communication, policy practicum, interviewing, and public speaking. Across all courses, she emphasizes ethical persuasion, audience analysis, civic engagement, and analytical thinking.
A central component of Mehlman-Brightwell’s teaching is experiential learning. As campus coordinator and faculty liaison for The Washington Center, she has taken nearly 50 students to Washington, D.C., since 2023. Through internships, seminars, and meetings with policy and industry experts, students apply classroom learning in professional environments while gaining exposure to career pathways in government, media, and public service.

She also integrates experiential learning on campus by mentoring undergraduate research and supporting student participation in the 51���� Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium (PURCS), where she serves as co-chair. Since 2023, she has mentored 43 student researchers.

At PURCS 2026, two of her student-mentees and their projects received top honors. First place was awarded to Bryn Riley for Constructing Persuasion: Analyzing Democratic and Republican Rhetoric Through Habermas’s Spheres and Churchill’s Scaffolding of Rhetoric. Second place was awarded to Timaia Lewis for How Lies Go Viral: Systems Thinking and the Politics of Online Attention. Both projects demonstrate the application of communication theory to contemporary issues in political discourse and digital media.

In addition to her teaching and mentorship, Dr. Mehlman-Brightwell has been active in the Eastern Communication Association (ECA) since 2018, beginning as a student member and advancing through multiple leadership roles. Her service includes faculty reviewer, secretary, vice chair, chair/planner of the Political Communication Interest Group, and Executive Council member. She is also a nominee for vice president-elect of the Eastern Communication Association.