Heather Ashley Hayes

Dr. Heather Ashley Hayes is a researcher, educator, author, speaker, & consultant as well as a nonprofit director. She is an advanced assistant professor in the College of Communication & Information Sciences at the University of Alabama. She serves as Director of The Teach Out, a nonprofit aimed at breaking down barriers to educational access. She is the recipient of numerous awards for her teaching & research including the 2023 Donald H. Ecroyd Award for Outstanding Teaching in Higher Education from the National Communication Association. She is the author of two books (one forthcoming) in the field of communication, social change, and public discourse and is currently working on a book about how what we know about the brain helps us understand how we learn. Her work was placed on pause in 2019 when Heather faced a life-threatening brain tumor diagnosis. Her less than optimistic prognosis was followed by treatment, a 17-hour brain surgery, and a year long recovery that included adapting to the loss of sight in her right eye. Through her recovery, Heather discovered the power of knowing our brain, learning, & resilience, as she relearned everything from how to walk to how to shower by herself. She now advocates for new ways to think about community, fearlessness, and accessibility as they relate to education, the intersections of public discourse & social change, and everyday communication spaces.