Don’t let his playful demeanor fool you. When it comes to developing communication strategies and coaching, Billy is a no-nonsense kind of guy. With over 15 years of experience, he has worked in broadcast news, served as a municipal public information officer, consulted on national advertising campaigns and served as the state director of communication for the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church. Currently he resides as an assistant professor of multimedia journalism at Arkansas Tech University where he teaches new media, public relations and has worked over the past four years to expand the multimedia journalism graduate program. He continues to travel extensively training on social media and branding.
One of the great things about Billy is though he is a big time advocate for new media, he hasn’t forgotten that the best communication is almost always in person and ends with a handshake. It’s one of the reason he likes working on his homestead when he’s not at a computer or teaching classes. It keeps him grounded and ultimately makes him a more effective communicator.
One of the great things about Billy is though he is a big time advocate for new media, he hasn’t forgotten that the best communication is almost always in person and ends with a handshake. It’s one of the reason he likes working on his homestead when he’s not at a computer or teaching classes. It keeps him grounded and ultimately makes him a more effective communicator.
Billy holds a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism and an M.A. in Multimedia Communication.
What’s up with all this log cabin stuff? I thought this was a social media site? We’re glad you asked. Billy walks this unusual line with one foot in all that is happening with changes in media and culture and the other firmly planted in an old world work aesthetic where you can’t substitute faux for the real thing. Working at a computer is only fulfilling to a degree. Getting outside and breaking a sweat trying to manhandle a 6X12 timber reminds us what it is to be fully human. Billy likes to describe himself as the guy who goes on eBay to purchase 18th century woodworking tools. Another way of putting it is this; This “log cabin stuff” keeps him grounded. It’s easy and far too common for new media evangelists to spout off how Facebook or Twitter are the end all of modern communication. But that’s simply not true. They’re amazing tools, but they’re just tools. Something will come along and be the next big thing, but nothing ever trumps a good old fashioned face to face conversation with someone. It can be slow, it can be painful, but it almost always yields results.
