Elena Steiner is a Social Science Research Specialist at Arizona State University's Global Security Initiative focused in the Center for Narrative, Disinformation, and Strategic Influence and holds a PhD in communication. She facilitates team research across humanities, social science, and computer science to learn how information is used in the digital space to guide attitudes, beliefs, and behavior. At ASU's Center for Strategic Communication, previous research included hate speech detection, precursors to social unrest, and the connection between communication and productivity in organizations.
A self-identified "pracademic," Elena has a concurrent affiliation with Steinbeis Center of Management and Technology in Stuttgart, Germany, applying worldview analysis of narratives in organizations to better understand socio-cultural difficulties in global management teams and develop strategies and instructional modules to prevent, alleviate, or recover from them. She has worked, lived in, or studied in 27 countries, and has presented across academic, non-profit, public, and private sector audiences on the influence of culture on communication, leadership, management, negotiation, and risk and security.
Elena has substantial humanitarian and crisis experience across five organizations and 28 years. These include National Ski Patrol as a trainer and first responder in mountain rescue, Court Appointed Special Advocates for children of abuse and neglect, and Jesuit Worldwide Learning serving communities at society's margins due to poverty or forced displacement.
Academic experience:
Arizona State University:
* Researcher at the Center for Strategic Communication and Global Security Initiative, Center for Narrative Disinformation, and Strategic Influence
Steinbeis Hochschule Berlin
*Research Fellow Intercultural and Strategic Communication, Instructional Design, Lecturer
Regis University, College of Professional Studies:
* Affiliate faculty and Lead Faculty for Strategic Communication
* Facilitated courses in Cultural Intelligence, Intercultural Communication, Leadership Principles, Conflict Management, Nonverbal Communication, Speech Communication. and Research Methods.
University of Colorado: Adjunct Faculty in Intercultural Communication.