Elizabeth S. Parks, PhD

Elizabeth Shun-Ching Parks is an engaged scholar with two decades of academic and non-profit experience related to language and communication, collaboration and teamwork, leadership and ethics. As a researcher, coach, facilitator, and speaker, Parks creates spaces of learning related to relational interactions, cultural diversity and professional life, and engagement with strategic initiatives that study and promote workplace and community well-being. Her work focuses on how we all might listen and dialogue in creative and spacious ways, focusing on the communication and collaboration challenges found in Higher Education and community care contexts.

Dr. Parks is an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation. She has given hundreds of professional presentations around the world, and researched, written and published over 50 peer-reviewed academic articles and two books, including “Listening: The Key Concepts” (2025) and “The Ethics of Listening: Creating Space for Sustainable Dialogue" (2018). She is the current Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Listening.

She has worked extensively as administration, faculty, staff and consultant in a variety of public and private higher education and non-profit contexts, including as a Fulbright Specialist. Parks’ award-winning international and intercultural scholarship is grounded in the belief that our individual, relational, and organizational lives are enriched by bravely creating hospitable spaces of dialogue across difference. Her passion is to work collaboratively with others to make those spaces grow in number, depth and breadth.

advanced degrees:

2017 PhD, Communication; University of Washington

2017 Graduate Certificate, Values in Society; University of Washington

2013 MA, Communication, University of Washington

2006 MA, Deaf Studies: Cultural Studies, Gallaudet University

2003 BA, Communication Studies, Creighton University

2001 AAS, Sign Language Interpreting, Iowa Western Community College

Academic Positions:

2024 - Present International Journal of Listening. Editor-in-Chief.

2024 - Present Colorado State University, Department of Journalism and Media Communication. Affiliate Associate Professor.

2024 University of Nevada - Las Vegas, Department of Communication Studies. Instructor

2019 – 2024 Colorado School of Public Health, Department of Community and Behavioral Health. Affiliate Faculty (2022-2024); Adjunct Assistant Professor (2019-2022).

2021 – 2023 Colorado Mountain College, Leadville. Associate Dean of Academic & Student Services.

2018 – 2022 Colorado State University, Department of Communication Studies. Associate Professor (2022); Assistant Professor (2018-2022)

2018 – 2021 Center for Public Deliberation, Colorado State University. Dialogue and Diversity Specialist (2019-2021); Assistant Director (2018-2019).

2017 - 2018 University of Minnesota Duluth, Department of Communication. Assistant Professor of Communication.

2014 - 2016 Central Oregon Community College, Department of Fine Arts and Communication. Assistant Professor of Speech Communication (2014-2016); Adjunct Instructor (2014-2015)

2012 - 2016 University of Washington, Department of Communication. Instructor of Record, Research Assistant, Teaching Assistant.

2013 Seattle Pacific University, Communication, Journalism, and Film Department. Adjunct Instructor.

2006 - 2012 SIL International. Americas Area Sign Language Assessment Research Coordinator.

2006 - 2009 University of North Dakota – Summer Institute of Linguistics. Adjunct Instructor, Teaching Assistant.

Awards and honors:

2024. Synergist Research Award. International Listening Association.

2024. Convention Top Paper Award for Sustaining a Radical Listening Ethic in Liminal Times. International Listening Association.

2023. Outstanding Coach Award. National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity.

2023. J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Award. United States Department of Education.

2022. Top Paper (Language and Social Interaction Division) for A Transcription System for Nonverbal Listening Behavior. Western States Communication Association.

2021. Presidential Citation for Service. NCA Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) Council. National Communication Association.

2021. Top Paper (International and Intercultural Division) for Bimodal multilingual education: Recognizing the linguistic resources of a diverse deaf world. National Communication Association.

2021. Top Paper (Instructional and Developmental Communication Division) for A bridge for communication: Negotiating intergenerational listening expectations in face-to-face interactions and digital platforms.” National Communication Association.

2020. Presidential Citation for Service. NCA Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) Council. National Communication Association.

2020. Ann Gill Faculty Development Award for Outstanding Research and Creative Activity. College of Liberal Arts, Colorado State University.

2018. Top Paper (Communication Ethics Division) for Ethical listening across difference: Inviting hope for sustainable hospitality. National Communication Association.

2018. Top Paper (Language and Social Interaction Division) for Responses to third-party complaints in opinion formulations about others’ technology use. National Communication Association.

2018. Top Paper (Feminist Scholarship Division) for Are you my mother? Perpetuating gender inequality through listening expectations and relational roles. International Communication Association.

2017. Best PhD Dissertation: Faculty Awards for Outstanding Completed Research. Department of Communication. University of Washington.

2015. Top Paper (Asian/Pacific American Caucus) for Hybridized heads: A critical analytic autoethnography of mixed Asian American and disability identities. National Communication Association.

2015. Top Paper (Ethnicity and Race Group) for Extinction, genealogy, and institutionalization: Challenging normative values in popular endangered language discourse. International Communication Association.