Tom Isaacson - College of Business

Tom Isaacson (Ph.D., Michigan State University 2012) is an Associate Professor of Public Relations and PRSSA Faculty Advisor at Northern Michigan University. Dr. Isaacson started at NMU in 2012 and teaches a variety of core courses in the PR curriculum along with specialty courses in sports PR and international PR.Prior academic appointments include full-time work at Marquette University, graduate assistant teaching at Michigan State University and summer appointments at the American University of Rome. For 12 years, he brought students to Rome, Italy, and Cannes, France, for a 6-week Advertising/PR study abroad program. The program included attendance at the world’s largest advertising festival, the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.

Prior professional experience includes technology PR agency work in the Seattle area, working with early-stage companies seeking VC funding or positioning for future acquisitions. The bulk of the PR strategy and tactics for these companies focused on media and analyst relations. His sports PR work crossed the gamut of levels – NCAA Division I, Division II, Pro Sports, Minor-league Sports – while holding full-time or internship positions with Ferris State University, MSU, Chicago White Sox and Greensboro Bats.

During the summer 2014, Dr. Isaacson served as NMU’s acting AVP of Identity, Brand and Marketing while a search was completed to fill the position permanently. In that position, he assisted with the launch of a new external branding campaign and developed internal launch concepts.Research interests include crisis communication in sports and WOM communication. Dr. Isaacson authored or co-authored three book chapters on Sports PR. His most recent chapter, published in a book titled Reputational Challenges in Sport (2018), is about the PR work behind the Chicago White Sox current rebuilding effort. Research has been published in Mass Communication and Society and Journal of Advertising Research.