Lena M. Chao

Lena M. Chao is Associate Professor of Communication Studies at CaliforniaState University, Los Angeles where she also serves as Director for theAsian and Asian American Institute. Prior to joining the faculty at CSULA,she was on the administrative staff of the Media Institute for Minorities atthe University of Southern California and worked as a Public ServiceCoordinator at KFWB News radio in Los Angeles. She also has worked at RadioEspanol and served as Media Director for the American Civil Liberties Unionof Southern California. Her areas of scholarly specialization include public relations, masscommunication, and intercultural and interpersonal communications. Heracademic work has been published in Human Communication, California Politicsand Policy, and Feedback among others. She was on the founding board of the Media Action Network for AsianAmericans (MANAA), a watchdog group that monitors communications media inthe United States for fair, balanced and accurate portrayals of AsianPacific Americans. Her public service activities also includes membership onthe advisory boards of two non-profit organizations, The Coalition ofBrothers and Sisters Unlimited, and the Estelle Van Meter MultipurposeCenter, both located in South Central Los Angeles. She is Faculty Directorfor Service Learning at Cal State L.A., promoting curriculum development andfaculty and student involvement in community service learning opportunities.Ms. Chao received her B.A. in English Literature from the University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles, and her M.S. in Print Journalism and Ph.D. inCommunication Arts and Sciences from the University of Southern California.