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Gertrude Misornu Nartey, Ph.D.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Communication

  • Faculty Since: 2025
  • Department:

    Communication

  • Program:
    • Public Speaking (COMM 101)
    • Group and Professional Communication (COMM 362)
    • Communication and Diversity (COMM 324)
    • Leadership and Communication (COMM 330)
    • Strategic Communication (COMM 261)
  • Email: gertrudemisornu.nartey@wheaton.edu
  • Phone: 630.752.5257
  • Office: Billy Graham Hall (BGH) 282

Education

Doctor of Philosophy, Communication  (August 2025)
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
Specialty: Organizational Communication with a focus on women in leadership, gendered expectations, and mentorship

Master of Arts, Communication    
Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI

Bachelor of Science, Business Administration
University of Professional Studies, Accra, Ghana
Honors: First Class (Summa Cum Laude)
 
Higher National Diploma (HND), Marketing
Cape Coast Polytechnic (Cape Coast Technical University)

Biography

Summary

Dr. Gertrude Misornu Nartey is a communication scholar whose research examines how women leaders navigate organizational barriers and use mentorship to advance gender equity in professional settings. With international experience spanning Ghana and the United States, she brings cross-cultural perspectives to her teaching and scholarship. Dr. Nartey is committed to helping students develop communication competencies that enable them to lead with integrity, build inclusive communities, and engage effectively across cultural differences. She is commited, mission-driven, and collaborative. 

Teaching

Dr. Nartey teaches courses in interpersonal communication, intercultural communication, group and professional communication, and public speaking. Her teaching emphasizes the integration of communication theory with practical application, preparing students to engage effectively in diverse personal, professional, and community contexts. She is committed to creating inclusive learning environments where students develop both communication competencies and critical thinking skills.

Research

Dr. Nartey's research examines organizational communication with a focus on women's leadership, mentorship, and workplace equity. Her dissertation, "From Barrier Recognition to Strategic Intervention: How Women Nonprofit Leaders Use Mentorship Communication Practices to Build Leadership Capacity and Promote Gender Equity," explores how women leaders navigate structural barriers and use communication strategically to advance other women into leadership positions.

Her scholarship has been published in peer-reviewed journals including Communication and Linguistics Studies, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Encyclopedia. Her research has been recognized with the Paul D. Skalski Award for Top Paper from the Central States Communication Association (2024) and selection for top paper panels at national and regional conferences.

Dr. Nartey's current research interests include mentorship relationships, gendered expectations in professional settings, work-life integration, and intercultural communication dynamics. She is particularly interested in examining how communication practices can promote equity and create pathways for underrepresented groups to advance into leadership roles.

Professional Experience

Prior to joining Wheaton College, Dr. Nartey served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and primary instructor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2021-2025), where she taught interpersonal communication, interviewing, and public speaking courses. She also taught at Marquette University (2019-2021) and gained substantial administrative leadership experience serving for seven years as Administrator of The Lord's Pentecostal Church International in Ghana.

Publications

Nartey, G. M. (2025). Performing whiteness in intercultural marriages: A critical analysis of the film You People in pop culture. Communication and Linguistics Studies, 11(2), 42-52. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cls.20251102.11

Nartey, G. M. (2025). The negotiations of the ideal worker norm: A close analysis of the work/life portrayal in The Intern. Humanities and Social Sciences, 13(2), 119-125. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20251302.13

Riforgiate, S. E., Ruh, C., Ibiwoye, C. O., Zinia, J. F., & Nartey, M. (2025). Mentoring in and across work organizations. Encyclopedia, 5(4), 169. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia5040169

Academic Conference Competitively Selected Research Papers

Nartey, G. M. (2025, April). 'You have a beautiful smile, use it:' Gendered expectations of women's experiences in the workplace. Paper presented at the Central States Communication Association-Organizational and Professional Communication Interest Group, Cincinnati, OH.

Nartey, G. M. (2025, April). Mentorship towards leadership capacity building for women in non­ profit organizations. Paper presented at the Central States Communication
Association--Organizational and Professional Communication Interest Group, Cincinnati, OH.

Sahlstein Parcell, E., Ambrose, 0., Holt, J., Nartey, G. M., Rorer, M., & Ruh, C. (2024, November). "They're welcome to ask, but it's complicated": Parent considerations in (non)communication with children about estrangement from their (grand)parents. Paper presented at the National Communication Association convention, New Orleans, LA.

Nartey, G. M. (2024, April). The representation of intercultural marriages in pop culture through the lens of performance of whiteness: A critical analysis of you people. Paper presented at the Central States Communication Association, Grand Rapids, ML·Paul D. Skalski Award for Top Paper, Top Debut Paper, Graduate Student Caucus.

Academic Conference Competitively Selected Paper Panels

Nartey, G. M., Schmidt, M., & Ruh, C. (2024, June). Mediated Realities: Thematic session of multiple paper presentations. Paper presented at Work and Family Researchers Network, Montreal, Canada

Ibiwoye, C. 0., Nartey, G. M., Riforgiate, S. E., Ruh, C., & Zinia, J. F. (2024, April). Breaking boundaries and building balance: A collaborative inquiry into the work-life needs of women in academia. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Central States Communication Association, Grand Rapids, Ml. Top Paper Panel, Organizational and Professional Communication Division.

Ibiwoye, C. 0., Nartey, G. M., Riforgiate, S. E., Ruh, C., & Zinia, J. F. (2024, April): Navigating incoherence and "paying it forward": Female academic leader rhizomatic network development. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Central States Communication Association, Grand Rapids, Ml.

Academic Conference Competitively Selected Discussion Panels

Ibiwoye, C. 0., Nartey, G. M., Riforgiate, S. E., Ruh, C., & Zinia, J. F. (2025, April). Many facets of student mentoring: Widening the scope of mentoring possibilities through research, internships, and teaching. Panel Discussion at the Central States Communication Association-Organizational and Professional Communication Interest Group, Cincinnati, OH.

Ebohon, E. B., Nartey, G. M., Okafor, B. E., Pringle, M., & Woodwall, A. (2024, April).
Getting comfortable with the incoherence of graduate school. Panel Discussion presented at the Central States Communication Association, Grand Rapids, MI.

Ambrose, 0., Begum, A., Nartey, G. M., Vanderbeke, M., & Wyant, M. (2024, April).
Graduate student mom-researchers: A round-table discussion of how graduate school moms navigate failure and the fear of the future. Panel Discussion presented at the Central States Communication Association, Grand Rapids, MI.

Gabryelczyk, K., & Nartey, G. M. (2023, November). Advocating for theoretical freedom: Using (new) theories in interpersonal communication to diversify its scholarship. Panel Discussion presented at the National Communication Association, National Harbor, MD.

Ezumba, I., Kim, G., Kiura, M., Ofori-Parku, G. M., Wang, N., & Yue, J. (2023, March). Unspoken Classroom Struggles/Experiences; The international graduate students' perspective. Panel Discussion presented at the Central States Communication Association, St. Louis, MO.

Culbreth, N., Dumsky, T., Haley, J., Holt, J., Ibiwoye, C. 0., Okeke, D., Ofori-Parku, G. M., Ortiz, A. C., Riforgiate, S. E., Rorer, M. B., & Ruh, C. (2023. March). Listening across organizational voices: Community-based service-learning in nonprofit organizations to enhance communication. Panel Discussion presented at the Central States Communication Association, St. Louis, MO.

Eshun, E., Frederick, A. T., Ofori-Parku, G. M., & Watson, 0. (2023, March). Moving forward on works in progress: Research round table. Panel Discussion presented at the Central States Communication Association, St. Louis, MO.
Ofori-Parku, G. M., Pringle, M., Whiteside, A., & Wilcox, C. (2023, March). Navigating the Ivory-a space for graduate student peers. Panel Discussion presented at the Central States Communication Association, St. Louis, MO.

Professional Academic Affiliations

  • National Communication Association (NCA)
  • Central States Communication Association (CSCA)
  • Work and Family Researchers Network (WFRN)
  • Organizational Communication Mini-Conference (OCMC)