Student Symposium on Clear Communication
SSCC is an annual virtual event that happens in the fall via ZOOM.
Symposium Date: Thursday, October 29, 2026
Submit an Abstract by October 1.
2026 SSCC Speaker: Peyton Woodson Cooper, CMP, CPC
Peyton Woodson Cooper’s career is fueled by one simple mission: Make a difference.
She is a strategic communications professional with a passion for nonprofit work and
advocating for underserved populations. A gifted storyteller, Peyton earned a Bachelor
of Arts in Journalism from Southern Methodist University. After a career in newspapers,
she transitioned to academic communications at the University of Connecticut, Rice
University and Baylor College of Medicine. She currently serves as the communications
director for KIPP Texas Public Schools, a network of 47 free, public charter schools
that serves more than 29,000 students across the state. At KIPP Texas, she focuses
on communications strategy, executive communications, media relations and crisis response,
while
also managing internal and external communications.
In addition to working in education, Peyton has worked in health care, energy and
finance. Peyton is also a respected speaker and lecturer. She has taught courses at
Texas Christian University (TCU) for its Texas Association of Municipal Information
Officers’ Certified Public Communicator Program. She has also been a featured speaker
for the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Southern Region
Conference. She also delivered the keynote address for the Public Relations Society
of America (PRSA) National Employee Communications Conference.
Peyton’s expertise in strategic communications and crisis response has been honored
with awards from Ragan Communications, IABC and PRSA. She is president of the IABC
Houston board, a past board member of PRSA Houston and an alumna of Leadership Houston.
A lifelong learner, Peyton is a Certified Public Communicator (CPC) by the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers/Texas Christian University, and is certified by IABC’s Global Communication Certification Council as a Communications Management Professional (CMP). She also earned a master’s degree in Strategic Communications from Arkansas State University and graduated as the top student in her major. Peyton enjoys travel, live music and attending pro football games. She is a published author with a featured essay in “Chicken Soup for Soul: Best Mom Ever!”
What is the purpose of the event?
The purpose of the Student Symposium on Clear Communication (SSCC) is to offer you, the student, an opportunity to share your work related to clear communication as it applies to your disciplines. If you are an undergraduate or graduate student, you can showcase your research and creative activities related to clear communication and improve your presentation skills for academic and career success. Only competitively selected projects will appear in the symposium. The symposium is organized and sponsored by the Institute of Plain English Research and Study (IPERS) and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at UHD.
What is clear communication?
Clear communication is defined as communication that is understood on the first reading
by the general public.
Effective Communicators:
- adapt communication to the needs of a specific audience to achieve different strategic goals,
- create readable, accurate, usable, and accessible products,
- use various concepts and theories of clear communication to maximize understanding, and
- clearly present results of research and creative projects that report findings on the efficacy of clear communication strategies.
Who can participate?
Individual students or a team of students from any discipline can present their research and creative works during the symposium. The symposium is open to both UHD students and those from other colleges and universities.
Information for Student Presenters
Information for conference paper submissions, deadlines, and preliminary schedule.
Acknowledgments: The symposium is organized and sponsored by the Institute of Plain English Research and Study (IPERS) and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Houston-Downtown.
Deadline October 1, 2026
Register to Attend
Registration Open
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Symposium Chairs:
Dr. Ashleigh Petts, Assistant Professor, Technical Communication, Department of English
Dr. John Rountree, Associate Professor, Communication Studies, Department of Arts
and Communication
Dr. Natalia Matveeva, Professor, Communication Studies, Department of Arts and Communication
Sponsors and Contributors:
This program is made possible by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Institute for Plain English Research and Study at UHD.