Meet the Dean

Dr. Brian Butler is Dean of the College of Communication and Information Sciences at The University of Alabama. Dr. Butler is a nationally recognized leader in the study of online communities, social media and organizational resilience.

He has been a Senior Editor at MIS Quarterly, a Division Chair in the Academy of Management, and has received funding from National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Microsoft, Facebook and Intel.

Prior to joining The University of Alabama, Dr. Butler was a professor and leader at the University of Maryland where he served as the founding co-director of the University of Maryland Social Data Science Center.

Additional roles previously held by Dr. Butler at UMD include director of the Master of Information Management Program and director of the Center for the Advanced Study of Communities and Information.

His research interests include the development and modeling of online communities and social media systems, interplay of power and information technology in organizations, and techniques for deploying complex information systems to support organizational performance, community resilience and individual well-being.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and computer science, and Master of Science and doctorate in information systems from Carnegie Mellon University. His dissertation was one of the first large-scale computational studies of social media dynamics.


Executive Council

The Executive Council of the College of Communication andĀ Information Sciences is composed of the Dean, assistant and associate deans, directors and department chairs who serve the college in a leadership capacity. This council serves in an advisory role to the Dean and represents the faculty and staff as they work to achieve the college’s mission, vision and strategic priorities.

Dr. Darrin Griffin

Chair, Department of Communication Studies

Dr. Brooke McKeever

Chair, Department of Advertising & Public Relations

Dr. Jamie Naidoo

Director, School of Library and Information Studies

Dr. Michael Bruce

Chair, Department of Journalism and Creative Media

Dr. Andrew Billings

Associate Dean of Faculty

Dr. Rebecca Britt

Associate Dean for Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity

Dr. J. Suzanne Horsley

Associate Dean for Communication & Advancement

Dr. William Evans

Dr. William Evans

Associate Dean for Graduate Studies

Dr. Steven Yates

Dr. Steven Yates

Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies

Dr. Jim Bailey

Dr. Jim Bailey

Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives

Melania Danner

Melanie Danner

Director of Financial Affairs

Laurie Wright

Laurie Wright

Director of Development

Angela Hunter

Angela Hunter

HR Business Partner

Ginger Sanford

Ginger Sanford

Executive Secretary