Courtney S. Pade has a PhD and an MA in organizational communication from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Prior to USC, she graduated with a BA and an MA in media studies from Stanford University.

Pade’s research is centered in the area of new communication technologies, and how brands employ online communities to engage consumers. Pade’s dissertation examined social exchange relationships and motivational mechanisms in online and face-to-face expertise exchange. As an instructor at Annenberg, she has taught undergraduate and graduate classes in organizational communication, marketing, and public speaking. Currently, she teaches in the online and on-campus Communication Management program, focusing on research methods, management communication, and integrated marketing.

Previously, Pade was a marketing professional for technology startups and also served as a facilitator at USC’s Marshall School of Business’s Experiential Learning Center, providing organizational communication training to undergraduates, MBAs, and industry professionals.