Marnel is a leader in the field of Communication.
Dr. Marnel Niles Goins is President of the National Communication Association (NCA) and the first Black woman to serve in this role. She is a Life Member of the NCA, the Western States Communication Association (WSCA), and the Eastern Communication Association (ECA); she is also a member of The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). She joined NCA in 2003 while in graduate school at Howard University and has been attending the Association’s annual conventions since that period. After she completed her Ph.D., she became more involved in NCA, as well as her regional association at the time, WSCA. She has served NCA and WSCA in the following formal ways:
President of NCA (2023)
President of WSCA (2020-2022)
Member of NCA’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Task Force (2021)
Director and Chair of NCA’s Finance Committee (2016-2019)
President of the Organization for Research on Women and Communication (2016-2018)
Secretary of NCA’s Group Communication Division (2012-2014)
WSCA Legislative Assembly Delegate-at-Large (2013-2014)
Chair of NCA’s Black Caucus (2012-2013)
Local Host of WSCA (2010-2011)
National Communication Association
NCA’s vision is “transforming lives through communication” and its mission is to “advance Communication scholarship, teaching, and practice to foster a better world.” Marnel is excited about NCA’s 2022-2027 strategic plan, which was passed unanimously at NCA’s 2022 Legislative Assembly meeting. As we work toward improve our relationship with our members and publics, the strategic plan also challenges us to grow as an organization.
As a member of NCA’s Executive Committee, Marnel was instrumental in crafting the organization’s strategic plan, and making revisions to NCA’s policies and procedures, and having childcare available at the 2022-2025 conventions. In addition, Marnel served as the Primary Program Planner for the 2023 Convention in National Harbor, MD. Marnel has had the pleasure of working on NCA’s IDEA Task Force and assisted in creating an extensive inclusion, diversity, equity, and access strategic plan. Marnel’s significant service to the Communication discipline has reinforced her desire to see NCA represent a space that is welcoming to all..
Dr. Marnel Niles Goins received a Presidential Citation at the 2019 NCA Convention. She is featured here with all of the award winners.
2023 Convention Recap
Dr. Niles Goins planned NCA’s 2023 Convention, which was held in National Harbor, Maryland. The theme was, “Freedom.”
“Freedom”
The 109th NCA Convention was held in National Harbor, Maryland, located in the Washington, DC area, where historical representations of freedom don the nation’s capital. Washington, DC is home to the White House, Washington Monument, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, Statue of Freedom atop the U.S. Capitol, 17 Smithsonian museums, and numerous other sites, attracting millions of visitors from around the world each year. These historic buildings juxtapose the neighborhoods and people of the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area (DMV), many of whom face inequities that directly contrast the symbols of freedom just miles away. For some, the DMV is a clear representation of freedom. For others, this same area highlights an intense lack of freedom. It is from these divergent places and perspectives that we invite Communication scholars to examine both the meaning and praxis of freedom during the 2023 NCA Convention.
Human communication plays a critical role in our understanding of what it means to be free. Through communication, we determine if we ourselves are free and create our personal and collective journeys to become or remain free. While the idea of freedom has been discussed for centuries and across cultures, central questions remain: What does it mean to be free? Is freedom, simply, the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved? Where do we find freedom and how do we get there? Are we free now? Has freedom been reached in the past? Is freedom a goal of the future? Who is free? The 2023 NCA Convention theme challenged participants to interrogate these types of questions through scholarship that represents the diversity of our discipline.
EXCERPTS FROM COMMUNICATION SCHOLARS
-
![]()
Dr. Brenda J. Allen
PROFESSOR EMERITA, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
“Dr. Niles Goins is an accomplished leader and scholar whose unflagging dedication to the discipline of communication and to NCA distinctively qualify her to become a senior leader of the National Communication Association. She has the demonstrated capabilities needed to lead NCA as it strives to achieve its Strategic Plan during these turbulent, yet promising times.”
-
![]()
Dr. Patrice M. Buzzanell
PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
“Dr. Niles Goins’ administrative roles, association leadership, scholarship, and faculty excellence demonstrate unequivocally that she has a track record of putting her background, values, and talents into practice. She exceeds NCA’s qualifications for nominees. That her scholarly and advocacy work focus on diversity and inclusion can only benefit NCA!
-
![]()
Dr. Raymie E. McKerrow
PROFESSOR EMERITA, OHIO UNIVERSITY
“I don’t think there is any question about Dr. Niles Goins’ understanding of or commitment to the discipline. Nor is there any reason to doubt her very strong commitment to ensuring diverse voices are heard, and making sure the environment in which they are expressed is one that fosters a sincere sense of belonging and being valued. Her voice will be a vital one as we move forward.”
