Isenberg’s Gail Cruise Co-Chairs International Conference; Receives Honor

Gail Cruise, a senior lecturer in Isenberg’s George W. Spiro ’71 Business Communications Program, recently excelled as co-chair of the Association for Business Communication’s (ABC) 82nd annual conference. On the gathering’s final night, Gail received the Association’s Spirit of ABC Award, which recognizes “members who exemplify friendliness and openness to both newcomers and current members [of the organization].”

Attended by 400, the mid-October gathering in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland (nine miles southeast of Dublin) included four days of speakers, research roundtables, workshops, and other activities. ABC is the signature organization for business communication educators. To that end, Cruise’s key role at the conference (and the presence of other Isenberg participants) brought the school international reputational kudos. Staffed by Cruise and nine other faculty members, Isenberg’s own Business Communication Program imparts critical communication skills through coursework and one-on-one and small group assistance through its Channing L. Bete Communications Center, coordinated by Cruise.

The annual gathering, notes Cruise, was the Association’s first in an international setting outside North America. Cruise and others in the organization plan to honor ABC’s strong international membership and cachet by holding their annual conference at an international site every four years. That will likely expand Isenberg’s own international footprint, given its ongoing participation in the organization. At the October conference, Isenberg business communication faculty members Holly Lawrence (the Isenberg program’s director), Michael Schurter, and Dina Friedman gave papers.

“For me, co-chairing the conference was both a personal and professional honor,” emphasizes Cruise.  “I am quite familiar with Dun Laoghaire, with close family living in the area, so I was well-versed in the conference venue and location. Although it was a lot of work and a year of intense planning, it allowed me to use my knowledge of Ireland to plan a highly rewarding and welcoming conference while combining my love of business communication in a location that is dear to me!”