Biography

Pavia-Higel has taught communications, public speaking, and media literacy at the college level for more than 15 years. Her passions are primarily in helping students develop their creative and professional voice so they can be successful no matter where their life takes them. Students have described Lisa’s classes as, “a course in ‘how to human,” a moniker she deeply loves.

Lisa is an award-winning educator dedicated to the classroom. She has been awarded the Phi Theta Kappa Excellence in Teaching award, given by Honor’s Students who select a faculty member annually. This particular award is her proudest achievement as it was given to her during the pandemic, a time when everyone was struggling. She has also received the Outstanding Faculty of the Year and the B. Ray Henry Campus Service award from Jefferson College.

She joined the Missouri S&T English and Technical Communication department as an Assistant Teaching Professor in 2024, and is excited to be continuing her work in the classroom helping students develop their communication and media literacy skills.

When she’s not teaching classes, Lisa works with The Awareness Institute and The SpeakEasy Project to help promote dialog across differences and works with Braver Angels and The People’s Supper in St. Louis as a trained facilitator.

She also writes, trains, coaches, and speaks on media influence, active listening, conflict resolution, and other topics through TheClarityGeek. You can also find her behind the camera making documentaries and short-form content across all platforms. You can follow her writing primarily on Medium.

Away from work, Lisa is active in St. Louis theater and storytelling, and enjoys reading, gaming, and geeking out over all things science fiction and fantasy.

Disciplines

Interpersonal communication
Speech and rhetoric
Media studies and literacy
Media production
Political depolarization
Active listening
Inclusivity in communication

Education

• Master of Arts in New Media Storytelling, Webster University
• Master of Arts in Strategic Communication, Webster University
• Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media Communication, Webster University