Katie Olsen, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
olsenk@ksu.edu
Campus office: 227 B Nichols Hall

Education

Ph.D., Kansas State University
M.B.A., Rockhurst University
B.J., University of Missouri-Columbia

Dr. Katie Olsen teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the Advertising & Public Relations Degree Program. Prior to joining K-State, Katie worked in strategic database marketing in the Kansas City area, providing account management and strategic planning for clients like Michelin, John Deere and Bayer Environmental Sciences. She brings to the Miller School a diverse background that includes magazine journalism, integrated marketing communication and national advertising campaign experience. Katie continues to maintain strong relationships with the advertising and public relations industry to the benefit of her students and in consultation with program initiatives and curriculum.

Katie studies diversity issues within strategic communications, corporate and internal communication, employee engagement, organizational culture, and career socialization/psychology. Her research has been published in Feminist Media Studies, Public Relations Journal, and Gender in Management, among others. Katie was recognized by Kansas State University with the 2022 Davids-Dunham Award for her work in diversity, which she credits as a key motivator in developing her research agenda and preparing her students for a dynamic and evolving field.

Selected publications:

LaGree, D., Olsen, K., Tefertiller, A., & Vasquez, R. (2023). Combatting the ‘Great Discontent’: The impact of employability culture and leadership empowerment on career growth, loyalty, and satisfaction. Corporate Communications: an International Journal. Accepted for publication October 2023.

Olsen, K. & LaGree, D. (2023). Taking action in the first five years to increase career equality: The impact of professional relationships on young women’s advancement. Gender in Management: An International Journal, online first. doi: 10.1108/GM-02-2022-0058

LaGree, D. & Olsen, K. (2022). Building a strong career foundation through proactivity behaviors: An exploration of organizational socialization experiences of early-career women in public relations. Public Relations Journal, 15(1). Available at https://prjournal.instituteforpr.org/

Olsen, K., LaGree, D., & Tefertiller, A. (2021). Preparing for a diverse ad industry future: Advantages and challenges for first-generation college students. Advertising & Society Quarterly, 22(3). doi:10.1353/asr.2021.0039

Olsen, K. (2021). “Where’s the beef? How one woman navigated advertising’s male-dominated creative world.” Feminist Media Studies, 22(5), https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2021.1887917

LaGree, D., Olsen, K., & Tefertiller, A. (2020). Preparing mass communications students for an evolving industry: The influence of emotional intelligence and extracurricular involvement on career adaptability. Journalism and Mass Communication Educator, 76(1), pp. 65-77. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077695820924303