Professor Karen Shearer Dunn, Assistant Professor in the School of Communication, served as the keynote speaker for a joint seminar of the Coca-Cola Executive Women's Council and the Coca-Cola Women's Forum in Atlanta, Georgia on February 24, 2009. Professor Dunn's presentation was titled:  "Are You Sending the Right Messages?  Verbal and Nonverbal Challenges in Gender Communication."

Professor Dunn's experience includes advertising for Leo Burnett & Company in Chicago, instructional design and training for Arthur Anderson & Co., and training for clients such as IBM, Wachovia, Motorola, the U.S. Postal Service, the State of North Carolina and Philip Morris. At Queens University of Charlotte, she is a two-time recipient of the Fuqua Distinguished Educator Award and serves as Department Chair. She teaches classes including Interpersonal Communication, Communication and Gender, and Small Group Communication in the undergraduate day and Hayworth evening programs.