Avery Holton
Avery is a professor and Chair of the nationally ranked Department of Communication at the University of Utah. Under his leadership, the department has expanded undergraduate enrollment by nearly 50%, launched the University of Utah Asia Campus’s first Communication Master’s Program, and manages more than $80 million in grants. It ranks among the Top 10 nationally in research citations, book publications, and grant engagement. In recent global rankings by Shanghai University, the department was listed No. 29 worldwide and No. 16 nationally—its highest placements to date.
Avery also serves as Vice-Head of the Council of Divisions for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). Additionally, he previously served as Co-Coordinator of Research for the University’s Center for Excellence in Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications, which was supported by $8.1 million in NIH funding over eight years.
He has held numerous leadership roles within the Department of Communication and across the university, including Associate Chair (2018–2020), Director of the Communication Institute (2020–2021), and Faculty Advisor for Student Media (2016–2023). As director of the Communication Institute (now the Edna Anderson-Taylor Communication Institute), he helped secure a historic $1.5 million gift to create a new communal space and support local journalism.
His research explores media identity, emerging technologies, and individual well-being. He is co-author of The Paradox of Connection (University of Illinois Press, 2024), co-editor of Happiness in Journalism (Routledge, 2024), and author or co-author of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications. He serves on the editorial boards of Digital Journalism, Health Communication, and several other international journals, and reviews for more than 30 academic publications.
Avery was named a Vice President’s Clinical and Translational Research Scholar (2018–2020), a Digital Journalism Research Fellow with Oslo Metropolitan University (2019), and a National Humanities Center Summer Fellow (2018). He earned his PhD as a William Powers Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, along with a Doctoral Certification in Disabilities Studies.
Prior to academia, Avery worked as a journalist covering sports, enterprise stories, and profiles for local, regional, and national outlets. He also served as Director of Communications for the Triple-A Round Rock Express, then an affiliate of the Houston Astros. He lives in Salt Lake City with his wife, Katy, their daughters, Luna and Bea, and their pup, Dezi.
Address: Salt Lake City, UT
Avery also serves as Vice-Head of the Council of Divisions for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). Additionally, he previously served as Co-Coordinator of Research for the University’s Center for Excellence in Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications, which was supported by $8.1 million in NIH funding over eight years.
He has held numerous leadership roles within the Department of Communication and across the university, including Associate Chair (2018–2020), Director of the Communication Institute (2020–2021), and Faculty Advisor for Student Media (2016–2023). As director of the Communication Institute (now the Edna Anderson-Taylor Communication Institute), he helped secure a historic $1.5 million gift to create a new communal space and support local journalism.
His research explores media identity, emerging technologies, and individual well-being. He is co-author of The Paradox of Connection (University of Illinois Press, 2024), co-editor of Happiness in Journalism (Routledge, 2024), and author or co-author of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications. He serves on the editorial boards of Digital Journalism, Health Communication, and several other international journals, and reviews for more than 30 academic publications.
Avery was named a Vice President’s Clinical and Translational Research Scholar (2018–2020), a Digital Journalism Research Fellow with Oslo Metropolitan University (2019), and a National Humanities Center Summer Fellow (2018). He earned his PhD as a William Powers Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, along with a Doctoral Certification in Disabilities Studies.
Prior to academia, Avery worked as a journalist covering sports, enterprise stories, and profiles for local, regional, and national outlets. He also served as Director of Communications for the Triple-A Round Rock Express, then an affiliate of the Houston Astros. He lives in Salt Lake City with his wife, Katy, their daughters, Luna and Bea, and their pup, Dezi.
Address: Salt Lake City, UT
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