Steve is a Senior Consultant with The Hayes Group, specializing in communication competence, influencing strategies, and conflict resolution. With a focus on helping individuals and teams navigate complex communication challenges, Steve works to enhance interpersonal skills, resolve conflicts, and build strong, effective relationships in both personal and professional settings. His background as a communication expert and educator allows him to apply research-backed strategies in coaching executives and organizations to communicate more effectively and influence outcomes positively.
In addition to his consulting work, Steve is an Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Communication at Wake Forest University, with a joint appointment in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the Wake Forest School of Medicine. His research has focused on health communication, particularly in patient-provider interactions, and he has conducted studies on topics such as substance use prevention and the impact of media on body image. Steve is currently exploring mindfulness in interpersonal interactions, working on a project to develop a measure of mindfulness and an experiment examining how mindfulness can regulate emotion and improve comforting behavior during stressful communication encounters. His work has applications in medical settings, where emotional regulation is crucial to expressing empathy toward patients and families.
Steve’s expertise is grounded in extensive academic training. He holds a BA in Communication and English from Northern Kentucky University, an MA in Interpersonal Communication from Bowling Green State University, and a PhD in Communication from the University of Kentucky. Additionally, Steve has received several NIH grants for his research and leads service-learning trips to Nicaragua, reflecting his commitment to both education and global engagement.
