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Barbara Ryan

Lecturer in Public Relations | University of Southern Queensland

Toowoomba, AUSTRALIA

Disaster communication

Media

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Biography


Barbara Ryan is a Lecturer in Public Relations who started teaching and research with USQ in 2005. She came to the university after a career in journalism and public relations. In public relations, her field of teaching, she held positions as event organiser, media officer and marketing officer with schools, TAFE and an event consultancy before moving to Brisbane to work with Porter Novelli, the international public relations consultancy. From there she moved to Toowoomba City Council, where she spent three years managing the corporate communication branch.
Her work in local government gave her a taste for crisis and disaster communication and the strong link between effective handling of these situations and the reputation of the organisations involved.
In 2002, she was seconded under state disaster management arrangements to the local disaster management group to handle public information during bushfires at Toowoomba, and consequently is doing her PhD on how people get information when they are hit by a disaster.
She has also conducted a number of other studies relating to crisis and disaster communications.

Industry Expertise (3)

Government Relations

Government Administration

Public Relations and Communications

Areas of Expertise (4)

Social Media in Disaster

Crisis Management

Crisis Communication in Local Government

Disaster Communication

Education (1)

University of Southern Queensland: Masters in Professional Communication 2004

Currently undertaking Doctorate in Management with University of South Australia, expected completion, 2013

Affiliations (1)

  • University of Southern Queensland

Event Appearances (2)

Title

Emergency Media and Public Affairs: Partnering with the Media  Canberra

2011-04-09

Title

Mine Rescue and Emergency Management 2011  Brisbane

2011-05-30

Style

Availability

  • Panelist
  • Workshop Leader

Fees

*Will consider certain engagements for no fee