Carla Bevins
Assistant Teaching Professor
- Pittsburgh PA UNITED STATES
Carla Bevins’ expertise includes business, executive, crisis and interpersonal communication, leadership, and business presentations.
Biography
Her work focuses on how professionals and leaders communicate clearly, credibly, and persuasively across written, oral, and digital channels. Areas of particular interest include CEO and C-Suite communication, executive presentations, audience-centered communication, persuasion and influence, executive presence, managing up, stakeholder communication, and communicating complex information to support organizational decision-making.
Bevins also examines communication in high-stakes and rapidly changing environments, including crisis communication, reputation management, social media communication, and the ways organizations and leaders build and maintain credibility with internal and external stakeholders. Her interests in interpersonal and leadership communication include feedback, emotional intelligence, team communication, and the communication skills managers need to lead effectively.
At Carnegie Mellon, Bevins teaches undergraduate, graduate, MBA, and executive education courses in business and management communication. Her teaching and applied work emphasize translating communication research and theory into practical strategies that professionals can use to strengthen presentations, navigate difficult conversations, influence decision-makers, and communicate effectively with executives and other key stakeholders.
Her broader interests include the evolving role of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies in professional communication, including how AI is changing the ways organizations create, evaluate, and deliver business communication.
Areas of Expertise
Media Appearances
How Companies Can Prepare For And Respond To Boycott Threats
Forbes online
2026-08-01
Business leaders should avoid knee-jerk responses to threatened boycotts or allow chatter on social media to dictate their actions. Instead, they should focus on the organization’s most important stakeholders and ensure that its response aligns with its values and long-term strategy, Carla Bevins, an associate teaching professor in business management communication at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business, advised in an online interview with me.
‘AI is just amplifying that weakness’: The dangers of having AI draft difficult conversations for you
Fast Company online
2026-05-07
Carla Bevins, associate teaching professor of business management communication at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business, tells Fast Company she’s increasingly seeing people rely on AI-generated language in high-stakes moments.
Car shaming is real: What to do if someone criticizes your gas-powered vehicle
USA Today online
2025-05-27
This article suggests carshaming, the act of criticizing others for driving gas-powered vehicles, is on the rise. "As more people become aware of environmental issues, some feel strongly about encouraging greener choices, which can sometimes result in criticizing others' decisions," said Carla Bevins (Tepper School of Business).
Meetings, egos, ‘circling back’: The ‘corporate ick’ that drives workers away
Fast Company online
2026-04-15
Carla Bevins, an associate teaching professor of business management communication at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business, says corporate speak erodes trust because the language and intent do not line up.
Why The Trade Desk has come out swinging against the press, Wall Street, Madison Avenue, and Amazon
Business Insider online
2026-03-18
Carla Bevins, a professor of business management communication at Carnegie Mellon University, told me that a direct, defensive strategy can rally supporters and reinforce the company's identity as a disruptor. Think Apple's privacy marketing or Netflix's framing of streaming as the future, both of which challenged prevailing industry narratives.
Slow travel: Why is everyone losing it with the laggards?
Raleigh News & Observer online
2025-03-23
Carla Bevins (Tepper School of Business) offered her insight as to why slow travelers at the airport feel like a huge inconvenience. "Crowded airports and the surge in travelers post-pandemic have created a pressure cooker environment," said Bevins.
Comeback Attempt By Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo Has Corporate Parallels
Forbes online
2025-03-02
Andrew Cuomo's bid for NYC mayor highlights the potential for political and corporate comebacks. Carla Bevins (Tepper School of Business) noted that effective crisis management requires quick, transparent communication and empathy, ensuring that leaders acknowledge challenges while maintaining credibility.
'People became more entitled': Enough with bad tourists ruining everyone's experience
USA Today print
2023-07-07
What's going on? People are making up for lost time after the pandemic, experts said. They're flooding popular destinations but leaving their manners at home. "And that's resulting in disruptive or disrespectful tourist behaviors," said Carla Bevins, an assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business.
On 10th Anniversary Of Boston Marathon Bombing, Several Crisis Management Lessons Still Resonate
Forbes online
2023-04-15
“When a crisis happens, being prepared is my number one, most important recommendation,” Carla Bevins, an assistant teaching professor of business communication at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business, said via email.
Paypal, PwC, Edelman share internal employee memos about Roe overturn. Here are 5 things to consider when drafting a memo on the abortion decision.
Business Insider online
2022-06-29
CEOs can't afford to stay on the sidelines on the issue of abortion, Carla Bevins, a professor of business communication at Carnegie Mellon University, told Insider before the Supreme Court handed down its decision. Companies that choose to remain silent do so to the detriment of employees relying on employers' benefits packages for abortions and aftercare, she said
Post-pandemic travel: Is it OK to ask another passenger's vaccine status or request they mask up?
USA Today online
2022-05-06
Carla Bevins, an assistant professor of business communication at Carnegie Mellon University, recommends finding common ground. "Look to find something in common and start a dialogue," she recommends. "Be polite and discreet."
Why Companies Should Practice Responding To Tomorrow’s Crisis Today
Forbes online
2022-04-16
Carla Bevins is an assistant teaching professor of business communication at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business. She observed that, “Many businesses and organizations have given little thought to the types of crises they may face and even less time on deciding how they will plan for and respond to a crisis.
Media
Social
Industry Expertise
Education
University of Kentucky
Graduate Certificate
Distance Education
2014
University of Kentucky
Ph.D.
Communication
2011
University of Kentucky
Graduate Certificate
Health Communication
2011
University of Kentucky
Graduate Certificate
Medical Behavioral Sciences
2011
Butler University
B.A.
English and Creative Writing, Minors in Public Relations and Journalism
2001
Affiliations
- Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society
- Golden Key
- National Communication Association
- International Communication Association
- Sigma Tau Delta