Lanita Foley

Lanita Foley teaches students to speak in public settings with confidence. Her Fundamentals of Speech Communication course at Emerson makes practice playful and low-stakes, including an impromptu topic spinner her students spun more than 260 times. She presented the project, recognized as a Great Idea for Teaching Students, at the International Communication Association’s 76th annual conference in Cape Town, South Africa (June 2026), as well as at the Emerson-Blanquerna Global Communication Summit in Barcelona, Spain (October 2025).

A Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow at Stanford, she worked in admissions at Stanford and the University of Southern California before teaching, guiding students through high-stakes transitions. She serves on Emerson’s Emerging Technology Initiative, with interests in media ethics, film, and innovation.