Kara Alaimo

Kara Alaimo

Associate Professor of Communication
Department of Communication

CONTACT INFORMATION

Courses

• Communication and Gender
• Social Media, Communication, and Community

Research

• Social Media
• Gender and Feminism
• International Communication
• Political Communication

Education

• PhD, City University of New York
• MPhil, City University of New York
• MA, City University of New York
• BA, New York University (NYU)

Academic Profile

Kara Alaimo, PhD is an Associate Professor of Communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University. She joined the university in 2023 to create our academic programs in social media. As Deputy Chair of Communication, she runs the communication program on the Metro campus and oversees the social media concentration on both New Jersey campuses.

She writes frequently for CNN about the social impact of social media and issues affecting women. Her book, “Over the Influence: Why Social Media is Toxic for Women and Girls – And How We Can Reclaim It,” was published by Alcove Press in March 2024. The third edition of her book “Pitch, Tweet, or Engage on the Street: How to Practice Global Public Relations and Strategic Communication,” which explains how to adapt communication strategies for different countries and cultures, will be published by Routledge in February 2025. 

From 2012-2013, Dr. Alaimo was Head of Communications for the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, a group of heads of state and other eminent thinkers convened to recommend the world’s next plan for eradicating poverty and achieving sustainable development. In 2011, she was appointed by President Obama as Spokesperson for International Affairs in the U.S. Treasury Department, where she communicated global economic diplomacy initiatives, including America’s bilateral economic relationships; engagement in multilateral institutions including the G-20, World Bank, and IMF; and international monetary, trade, development, environmental, and energy policy. In this capacity, she also served as media adviser to Jim Kim during his successful 2012 campaign for the World Bank Presidency. Dr. Alaimo also previously served as the first Press Secretary of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, as Global Media Coordinator for the United Nations Millennium Campaign, and as a spokesperson for New York City economic development initiatives during the administration of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. In 2017, she received the Titan of the Future award at the World Communication Forum gala in Geneva and was named one of the 50 “game-changers” in the field of Public Relations by PR News.

Prior to joining FDU, Dr. Alaimo taught at universities including Columbia, NYU, and Hofstra. Her academic research has been published in journals including the International Journal of Communication, Communication and the Public, Communication and Democracy, Journal of Communication Management, Journal of Public Affairs, Case Studies in Strategic Communication, and Social Media & Society.