Hanisha Besant

Student-centered Professor with expertise in business and communication. With extensive experience developing academic programs, supporting students, building instructional plans, and serving on dissertation committees.

• Granted Doctoral Fellowship and Dean’s Scholarship: May 2015-May 2019
• Presented with the Top Student Paper Award from the AEJMC Southeast Colloquium, Baton Rouge, LA, March 2016
• Granted Chaplaincy with the Regent Council of Graduate Studies
• Recommended & Invited to be an Editorial Fellow for Integratio Press, a scholarly communication journal
• Recommended and selected to be a panelist for the Religious Communication Association for an annual scholarly conference.
• Business plan selected for investment by the EVP of Regent University, Aug 2012
• Recipient of Full Dean’s Scholarship
• Dean’s List: spring 07 - fall 09
• Voted Secretary for International Student Organization: August 2007-2008
• Voted Vice President for International Student Organization: August 2008-2009
• Graduated Magna Cum Laude
• Selected as Outstanding Graduate for the year 2010 for the Bachelor of Science programs
• Graduated Summa Cum Laude
• Voted “Most Talented Female” in the University of St. Martin 2006
• Voted “Whiz Kid” of the class of 2006, University of St. Martin
• Designated ambassador of the University of St. Martin

• Elicia Frelix (2023)
• Olecia Christie (2023)
• Mellissa Sims (2024)
• Tabethia Chiles (2024)

• Besant, H. (2016). The Journey of Brainstorming. Journal of Transformative Innovation, Vol. 2: 1, 1 -7.
• Besant, H. (2022). Captivating the listener. An analysis of audience responses to indirect communication in a sermonic event. Artifact Analysis, 1(4). 38-59.
• Fletcher, C., Duckett, J., Besant, H., Perry, S. D., Eschler-Freudenrich, C., Brooke-Treadwell, D., & Powers, J. (2022). Religious and Moral Impact in the Naperville Lyceum. Artifact Analysis, 1(4), 1-18.
• Fletcher, C., Perry, S. D., Eschler-Freudenrich, C., Powers, J., Khoo, F., Dunbar-Treadwell, B., Nyamwange, B., Besant, H., & Duckett, J. (2022). Educating and debating social and political issues in the Naperville lyceum. Artifact Analysis, 1(1), 1-21.

• Fantasy-Themes in Donald Trump’s Presidential Campaign Announcement Speech and Audience Reaction” (Top Student Paper Award). Paper presented to the open division of AEJMC Southeast Colloquium. Baton Rouge, LA, March 2016.
• Education and Social Impact in the Naperville Lyceum”, Fletcher, C., Perry, S. D., Eschler-Freudenrich, C., Powers, J., Khoo, F., Dunbar, B., Nyamwange, B., Besant, H., and Duckett, J. Paper presented to the Eastern Communication Association. Boston, Massachusetts, March 2017.
• Making Sense of Conversion Experiences: Messages, Meaning, and the Interpretation of Lived Experience,” Besant, H., Buetel, J. and Dunkel, J. Accepted in competitive panel sponsored by the Religious Communication Association. Dallas, Texas, November 2017.
• Religious and Moral Impact in the Naperville Lyceum,” Fletcher, C., Perry, S. D., Duckett, J. Besant, H., Eschler-Freudenrich, C., Powers, J., Khoo, F., Dunbar, B., and Nyamwange, B., Paper presented to the National Communication Association. Dallas, Texas, November 2017.
• Grieving Hillary on Facebook: For Better or for Worse,” Besant, H., Perry, S.D., Paper presented to the Virginia Association of Communication Arts and Sciences (VACAS). Fairfax, Virginia, April 6, 2018.

• Radio Co-Host at “Picking Up the Habit,” WPMH-The Lighthouse-100.1FM. Jan 2020 – Jan 2023.
• Keynote Speaker for the Graduating Class of 2019 at the University of St Martin, St. Maarten, July 2019.
• Speaker and Workshop Presenter at the Division of Study Financing, Govt. of St. Maarten. July 2019.

• Regent University, Program Director of Master of Arts Program, Virginia Beach, VA, August 2023 - Current, Collaborate with faculty to develop and revise the MA program's curriculum, ensuring its alignment with educational goals, industry trends, and accreditation standards., Recruit and evaluate faculty members to maintain a high-quality teaching staff., Promote a welcoming and inclusive learning environment that supports the needs of diverse student populations., Identify opportunities for fundraising, grants, and other revenue sources to enhance program offerings., Use assessment data to make data-driven improvements to the program., Collaborate with other academic departments, university administration, and external partners to create interdisciplinary opportunities and enhance program offerings.
• Regent University, Manager for International Businesses, Professional and Continuing Education, Virginia Beach, VA, May 2012 – December 2014, Managed and allocated resources for budgets amounting > $100,000 per fiscal year., Developed business plans involving strategic marketing for international markets in Asia and the Middle East., Advanced public relations with executives and international leaders., Negotiated with clients internationally and domestically for closing contracts., Managed operations in the US and international countries including India, China, and Qatar.
• Regent University, Interim Operations Manager, Professional and Continuing Education, Virginia Beach, VA, July 2013- August 2013, Managed the operational budget of the department amounting to $500,000 per fiscal year., Assessed and managed performance of programs to ensure programs are implemented on schedule and to ensure program impact goals and target revenue goals are met., Provided analysis and prepared statistical reports of processes, systems and program performance., Worked with the division’s business manager to set up, monitor and evaluate program budgets and vendor contracts.
• Regent University, Interim Director of Professional Licensure Programs, Professional and Continuing Education, Virginia Beach, VA, August 2012 – November 2012, Collaborated with the Assistant Vice President of Regent University and the Dean of the Regent School of Psychology for the American Psychological Association application for Sponsors of Continuing Education Programs for Psychologists (the application was approved for 5 years)., Created payment plans to aid in generating contracts for workshop facilitators., Processed approval for the counseling conference (AISA) for the National Board of Certified Counselors and Continuing Education Units from the American Psychosocial Association., Monitored the Central Management System (CMS) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software to create workshops, track registrations and open registrations for applicants and maintain leads.
• Regent University, Communication Specialist Assistant, Special Projects Leader, and Research Assistant for Regent Center for Entrepreneurship, Virginia Beach, VA, October 2009 – May 2012, Conducted research for grants for which the organization’s needs had to be assessed and matched with the requirements for the grants offered., Assisted with grant writing and the application process., Organized and managed events for over 200 people, including roundtable conferences and leadership training sessions., Assisted with administrative and communication responsibilities for local office in the USA and international sites in Rwanda, Bangalore (India), and other locations., Managed and created content for social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Hootsuite)., Edited and updated the department’s website., Created newsletters., Helped with creative designing for templates, flyers, postcards, and website., Founded and facilitated a research club called the Kingdom Research Fellows which included members from Senegal, Latin America, and North America.
• Regent University, Graduate Assistant for the Department of Government, Regent School of Undergraduate Studies, Virginia Beach, VA, February 2007 – December 2008, Assisted with administrative responsibilities., Facilitated curricular processes., Conducted research leading to development of Associates degrees at the College of Arts and Sciences., Assisted with special events.
• University of St. Martin, Dean’s and Admission’s Assistant, St. Maarten, November 2005 – May 2006, Assisted the Dean with office administrative responsibilities., Assisted the Admission’s Office as student advisor., Managed student data with the use of appropriate software., Assisted with special events and student orientation.
• Pitman’s Central Institute of Commerce, Manager and teacher, India, January 2001 – January 2004, Aided with the supervision of daily activities to ensure smooth operations., Proctored examinations., Aided in interview processes for new hires., Assisted with maintaining student records, filing, and creating certificates., Taught English to students from Bahrain, Yemen, Oman, and India.

• Charlotte Lozier Institute, Research Associate, Jan 2023 - Current, Duties include scholarly research, data analysis, writing, and editing.
• Regent University, Assistant Professor (Non-Tenure/Part-Time), July 2022 – Current, COM 110: Public Speaking, COM 215: Foundations of Communication, COM 330: Comm in the 21st Century, COM 345 Org Comm for Professionals
• Regent University, Special Adjunct Professor, July 2020 – June 2022, COM 110: Public Speaking, BUSN 250: Business Communication, COM 500: Graduate Foundations for Communication, COM 652: Crisis Communication and Organizational Image, COM 700: Introduction to Doctoral Studies, COM 703: Qualitative Research Methods, COM 728 Leadership Theory & Comm, COM 791 Doctoral Mentoring-Pedagogy, COM 799 Continuing Doctoral Dissertation
• Regent University, Adjunct Professor, August 2018 – May 2020, COM 215: Foundations of Communication, COM 240: Cross Cultural Communication, COM 255: Persuasive Communication, COM 345: Organizational Communication for Professionals, COM/JRN 350: Writing for the Mass Media, UNIV 500: Foundations for Graduation Success, COM 504: Introduction to Communication Studies, COM 601: Media Research and Analysis, COM 700: Introduction to Doctoral Studies, COM 703: Qualitative Research Methods, COM 704: Applied Methods
• Strayer University, Adjunct Professor, October 2019 – December 2019, COM 510: Managerial/Business Communication