Educational Background
- California Institute of Integral Studies, Doctor of Philosophy, Humanities
- University of Hawaii, Master of Science, Communication
- San Francisco State University, Bachelor of Science, Psychology
Industry Experience
While at the University of Hawaii, Dr. Sawyer taught a wide range of courses in communication and speech, including communication research, organizational communication, and interpersonal communication. In addition to teaching these courses and serving as faculty instructor for the department's capstone senior thesis course, she developed a very successful internship program for communication majors, recruiting more than 60 business organizations (in advertising, video productions, television, and pubic relations) to participate in the program, while personally mentoring and placing over 420 students in internship positions.
Prior to teaching, Dr. Sawyer worked as a consultant in the health care industry, and has direct experience in marketing and public relations for community services and organizations. During this tenure she was the recipient of ten awards in excellence for writing, photography, and editing for such publications as newsletters, annual reports, specialty newsletters, and magazines. She has owned three businesses, and, as an entrepreneur, believes in bringing real-world experiences to the classroom.
Dr. Sawyer is also an accomplished sculptor and has many of her art works of bronze sculpture on permanent display in Honolulu, Hawaii.