Jessica Furgerson is an Assistant Professor in Communication at the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College where she works with undergraduate students to hone their communication skills and develop confidence in their abilities to collaborate, advocate, and lead. Jessica also serves as the Tournament Director for Pi Kappa Delta one of the oldest collegiate speech and debate organizations in the country. Jessica has over twenty of years of experience with competitive speech and debate as both a coach and competitor and she credits this experience with her love of communication and research. 

In her research, Jessica explores how rhetoric works to (re)produce systems of power and knowledge that (dis)privilege various stakeholders. Through this lens, she seeks to understand the consequences of rhetorical acts both as unique communicative events and components of distinct discursive patterns. Jessica is particularly concerned with how rhetoric works to inform our cultural understanding of reproductive justice, contraception, abortion, and women’s bodily autonomy.