Stephanie Swindle Thomas has built a career at the intersection of communications, multimedia storytelling, and arts advocacy. She joined the Department of Advertising/Public Relations with nearly 20 years of experience in higher education and nonprofit communications, bringing a background that blends creative practice with strategic thinking within a liberal arts context.
In the classroom, she emphasizes experiential learning, emerging technology, and engaged empathy, with a strong focus on mentoring students and supporting their professional development. Her work reflects a commitment to helping students navigate both creative and professional spaces with confidence while developing skills in digital media, storytelling, and strategic communication. She is also a photographer and published fiction writer who leads writing and storytelling workshops, and her photographs have been featured in exhibitions while she has collaborated with artists, musicians, and directors on projects around the world.
Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, Thomas is a third-generation musician whose early career included work with The Blues Foundation and the Metal Museum before returning to Penn State. Over time, she has held a range of roles across the university, including communications and marketing positions in the College of Arts and Architecture, leadership as director of social media and visual assets, and work as a multimedia consultant with Teaching and Learning with Technology.
She is also affiliate faculty in the Department of Art History, where she teaches museum marketing and virtual reality exhibition design as part of the museum studies certificate.
Across her work, Thomas remains actively engaged in institutional innovation and student-centered initiatives, with particular attention to how emerging technologies are introduced and used within academic communities. She serves on the Teaching and Learning with Technology Faculty Advisory Council, co-leads the IT Student Technology Advisory Representatives group, and was the inaugural faculty participant in Teaching and Learning with Technology’s Dreamery classroom pilot. Her current work includes leading AI literacy initiatives, developing coursework in augmented and virtual reality advertising, and contributing to cross-college efforts that connect technology, communication, and creative practice.
