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Centers & Institutes
- Centers & Institutes Overview
- Center for Addiction and Mental Health Research
- Center for Public Safety Research
- Center for Public Health Modeling and Response
- Center for Research on Health Disparities
- Clemson Rural Health
- Clinical Learning Research Center
- Human Factors Institute
- Institute for Engaged Aging
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Faculty and Staff Profile
Rikishi T. Smith-ReyAssistant ProfessorFormer Division I Student-Athlete Office: Strode Tower 404 Phone: Email: rrey@clemson.edu Vita: View | |
Educational BackgroundPh.D. Communication M.A. Communication B.A. Communication | Courses TaughtIntro to Communication
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Profile
I am an assistant professor of Communication in the Department of Communication specializing in strategic messaging and marketing within health and sport contexts, as well as a faculty fellow at the Robert H. Brooks Sport Science Institute at Clemson University. Recently, I submitted as grant as Principal Investigator for $2.63 million to the National Institute of Health (NIH) to build and evaluate a Student-Athlete Wellness Portal that educates and reduces substance misuse, abuse, and disorders in high school student-athletes and a $3.3 million grant proposal to the Department of Transportation on behalf of the City of Clinton, SC, and SOS eCharging. I was responsible for developing, writing, and submitting the latter grant. This summer, I will be launching the company I founded, Sport PhD. Our main focus will be to provide accessible and simplified sport research to athletes, stakeholders, and sport organizations, to ensure that cutting-edge knowledge is readily available for application in athletic careers. Originally from Southern California, I was a first-generation college student at CSU, Fullerton, where I earned a Division I soccer scholarship. After my athletic career, I embraced my creative side and became a professional wedding photographer, capturing meaningful moments across the U.S. and the U.K. This experience deepened my appreciation for the power of effective communication, ultimately leading me to pursue advanced studies in the field. I earned my M.A. in Communication from CSUF (2019) and my Ph.D. from Chapman University (2022). I am fully trained in mixed methods, grant writing (Federal & Foundation), and data analytics (B2B, B2C, Sprinklr, HubSpot, Hootsuite, Google Analytics, Adobe Creative Suite, Content Creation). My professional experience spans multiple industries, including serving as Chief Marketing Officer for a start-up, a decade as a social media director, five years as a professional wedding photographer, and eight years as a club soccer coach, co-coaching ECNL and RL-level teams for Pateadores alongside my best friend. Outside of work, you’ll find me training for my next half marathon, at a reformer Pilates studio, baking sourdough bread, cooking, or spending time with my three rescue dogs—Finley, Harper, and Aly. I have a love for good coffee, a drink with friends, Arsenal matches or cheering on the Netherlands national soccer team, and traveling. Advisees Clemson University Shea Hammond (Expected Spring '26) - Comprehensive exams Brannon Timms (Expected Fall '25) - Thesis Marissa Bennett (Spring '25) - Project with Clemson Football team and their Clemson Applied Science Lab (CASL) Jalen Terrell (Spring '25) - Thesis on the Commodification and Objectification of Black Athletes in the NFL Nicole Pfaff (May '24) - Comprehensive exams Chapman University Jeffrey McDaniel ('22) - Northwestern University - Master of Arts in Sports Administration program Cristina Molina ('22) - 2022 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship - "Assessing Latinx Young Adults with ADHD: Late Diagnosis and its Affects." Committee Member Clemson University Lexi Merriman (Expected '25) - Thesis Hannah Gertz (May '24) - Thesis University of Delaware Claire Wanzer (Expected '26) | |
Research InterestsStrategic Communication
Research PublicationsStokowski, S., Butler, J. M., Rey, R. T., Niemann, T., & Rauch, D. (Resubmitted, March 7, 2025). "I belong in these spaces too": Empowering female student-athletes through leadership development. Journal of Women and Gender in Higher Education. Honors and AwardsFrank A. Burtner Award for Excellence in Advising Nominated (2025)
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