UNC Hussman strengthens faculty with 6 strategic communication leaders of industry and academia 

This fall, the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media proudly welcomes six accomplished educators and professionals to its faculty.  

Lorra Brown, Josh Carlton, Harsha Gangadharbatla, Deepti Khedekar, Renee Mitson and Torod Neptune bring a wealth of expertise in public relations, brand strategy, advertising education, organizational communication, technology and corporate reputation management.  

“Our UNC Hussman community continues to grow and grow stronger with the addition of six incredible new faculty members whose expertise spans industry and academia,” said Raul Reis, dean of the school. “This stellar group of incoming faculty members build on our commitment to combining real-world experience with academic rigor to guide students through the complexities of today’s communication landscape.” 

Lorra Brown 

Assistant Professor 
Director of Online Graduate Certificates  

Lorra Brown joins the school with more than 30 years of experience in public relations, strategic communication and higher education leadership. A former senior executive at Ogilvy and Weber Shandwick, she has led award-winning campaigns for major brands including Royal Caribbean International, Johnson & Johnson, the American Red Cross and Target.   

At William Paterson University, she launched the institution’s first public relations bachelor’s degree and developed New Jersey’s first fully online master’s program in integrated marketing communication (IMC).  

As the Public Relations Student Society of America adviser and communication internship coordinator, Brown developed a strong mentorship, internship and career pipeline for students and alumni. She is a frequent contributor to PRSA Strategies & Tactics and the PRSay blog.  

Brown holds an M.A. in corporate and organizational communication from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a B.A. in mass communication and public relations from Mansfield University.   

At UNC Hussman, she will teach strategic communication courses and lead the school’s online graduate certificate programs.  

“I’m honored to join a nationally recognized faculty and professional community. This role reflects my commitment to academic excellence, inclusive and civic-minded innovation and industry collaboration,” said Brown. “I’m excited to expand UNC Hussman’s reach in public relations, advertising and IMC — and to further develop flexible, career-ready programs that empower both emerging and experienced professionals.” 

Josh Carlton  

Assistant Professor 
Director of the Master’s in Digital Communication Program

Josh Carlton joins UNC Hussman with more than two decades of experience in brand strategy, marketing communications and customer insights consulting. He has worked with more than 140 brands across most industries, including automotive, retail, CPG and technology.  

Carlton has held leadership roles at agencies including The Martin Agency and McKinney. He served as an adjunct professor at Virginia Commonwealth University from 2008-10 and was initially introduced to UNC Hussman as an adjunct instructor from 2014-21. 

He specializes in uncovering human insights through data and translating them into actionable strategies.   

Carlton earned a B.A. in psychology from the University of Richmond and holds an M.A. in advertising, communications and account planning from the University of Texas at Austin. At UNC Hussman, he will teach advertising and strategic communication courses; mentor students; and direct the school’s M.A. in Digital Communication program. 

“Opportunity truly abounds at UNC Hussman,” Carlton said. “The energy of our colleagues and students is what drew me here. I’m looking forward to future collaborations at Hussman and across campus and also working with our amazing students to help them launch new careers and initiatives.” 

Harsha Gangadharbatla 


Professor
 
Senior Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs 
 
 

Harsha Gangadharbatla is a nationally recognized scholar and academic leader in the field of advertising. He previously served as professor and associate dean in the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was also the founding chair of the Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design.  

 

Gangadharbatla’s research explores the role of technology in advertising, societal impact and environmental communication.  

 

He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, an M.A. from Michigan State University and a B.E. in electrical engineering from MNNIT in India.  

 

At UNC Hussman, he will teach strategy and an advertising capstone course while also serving as the school’s senior associate dean for academic and faculty affairs.  

 “I am excited to join the oldest and one of the top public universities in the nation. Both UNC and the J-school are at the precipice of significant changes, and I am eager to roll up my sleeves and get to work on furthering our academic mission and ensuring our faculty have the support they need to succeed and thrive.” 

Deepti Khedekar 

Teaching Assistant Professor in Strategic Communication 

Deepti Khedekar brings an interdisciplinary background in branding, advertising, marketing and communication to her students and colleagues at UNC Hussman. Her research explores the intersection of communication, advertising, technology and marginalized populations, with work published in leading academic journals. 

Khedekar has taught a range of courses in branding, business communication, organizational communication and group interaction. Her industry experience with multinational brands such as Clorox, P&G and Danone informs her teaching — offering students practical insights into branding, marketing, account planning, strategy and communication. 

 She holds a Ph.D. in communication from the University of Colorado Boulder, an MBA from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and M.A. and B.A. degrees from the University of Pune in India. 

At UNC, Khedekar holds joint appointments in UNC Hussman and the Kenan-Flagler Business School. She will teach courses in advertising, branding and marketing. During her time at UNC Hussman, she aims to deepen her teaching practice, advance her research agenda and contribute meaningfully to the campus and broader community. 

Renee Mitson 

Assistant Professor 

Renee Mitson joins UNC Hussman as an assistant professor with a research portfolio focused on internal public relations, employee well-being and the impact of technology in organizational life.   

Her work explores how leaders and employees interact in modern workplaces, particularly through the lenses of identity, communication and digital transformation.  

Mitson’s scholarship has been published in leading journals, and she has received top-paper awards from the National Communication Association, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and the International Communication Association.  

She earned her Ph.D. in mass communication from the University of Florida; holds master’s degrees from the University of Minnesota and Toronto Metropolitan University; and a bachelor’s degree from Simmons University.   

Mitson brings more than a decade of professional experience in strategic communication, having worked with brands such as Virgin Group, Burger King, Yelp, Cornell University, Schneider Electric and Hasbro. 

At UNC Hussman, Mitson will teach courses in public relations and strategic communication with a focus on digital strategy, research methodology and content positioning. 

“UNC Hussman has always been a dream school of mine. From the strong public relations scholarship and mass communication focus, to a shared vision of career-readiness, to how alumni speak of their time at the school,” said Mitson. “The school cares deeply about helping to nourish undergraduate students and graduate researchers into becoming thoughtful leaders in their field, and I am so excited to join that mission.” 

Torod Neptune  

Assistant Professor  
 
Torod Neptune joins UNC Hussman as an assistant professor after more than 25 years of executive experience advising Fortune 500 companies, CEOs and corporate boards on stakeholder value creation, reputation management and organizational transformation.   

Neptune most recently served as senior vice president and chief communications officer at Medtronic, where he led global corporate marketing, communications, brand strategy and corporate responsibility. He has also held senior leadership roles at Lenovo, Verizon and Bank of America, and has served as a strategic adviser to global brands including Nike, GSK, Mastercard and Delta Airlines.   

His professional focus includes the evolution of the chief communications officer role; the integration of data and analytics in communications strategy; and the role of business in advancing stakeholder capitalism.  

He holds an M.S. in communications management from Syracuse University and a B.A. in government and international relations from the University of South Carolina, with a minor in journalism and mass communications. Neptune has been recognized as one of the “Most Influential Executives in Corporate America” by Savoy Magazine and was inducted into the North Carolina Media & Journalism Hall of Fame in 2020. Most recently, he was named to the PR Week Power List 2025.  

At UNC Hussman, Neptune will teach courses in communications management and strategic leadership, bringing a global perspective and deep industry insight to the classroom.  

“As a North Carolina native, I’ve long admired Carolina’s legacy of excellence and its deep impact across the state. More recently, serving as a member of the UNC Hussman advisory board has only deepened that respect, giving me a firsthand view of the faculty’s exceptional scholarship and commitment to preparing students for a dynamic media landscape,” said Neptune. “Joining UNC Hussman as a faculty member is both an honor and an exciting opportunity. I look forward to contributing to its tradition of innovation, mentoring the next generation of communicators and collaborating with colleagues to advance research that shapes the future of journalism and media.”