Stacie Rivera

Stacie M. Rivera joins the West Virginia University College of Creative Arts and Media Online Programs instructor faculty as an accredited public relations professional with more than 20 years’ experience in health care communications.

Currently serving as a public affairs specialist for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in Washington, D.C., Rivera has designed and delivered award-winning communications campaigns yielding positive results for VA. She has won multiple awards and recognitions for her work, including the national Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Silver Anvil Award of Excellence for Marketing Consumer Services, in the Health Care Services Category.

Rivera earned her undergraduate degree in Communications from Loyola University New Orleans and a Master of Public Health from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, and holds an Accreditation in Public Relations (APR). A PhD candidate, Rivera’s dissertation is focused on understanding what motivates patients to choose non-VA care for preventive health services. Her research focus is qualitative, seeks to assess the lived experiences of veteran patients and understand what impact a person’s choice has on future health policy in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

A life-long learner and part-time instructor, Rivera has served as a public affairs mentor, taught introduction to public relations at Loyola University New Orleans, spoken at the PRSA Health Academy, and conducted webinars for Ragan Communications.

Rivera lives with her family, including her husband of 20 years, three grown children, one turtle and three birds, in New Orleans, LA. In her spare time, she can be found volunteering in her community with The St. Vincent de Paul Society and sharing her communications skills at De La Salle High School. She also is quite busy keeping up with her teenagers’ busy schedules.

Meet Stacie

Chapters:  
0:00 Introduction  
3:11 Why do you teach in the program?  
4:46 How do you bring the real world into your online classes?  
10:29 Fun (surprise) question