Trent Ryan Deckard

• Lecturer

Biography

Trent Deckard is a business communication faculty member at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business and is a recipient of

Show More

Trent Deckard is a business communication faculty member at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business and is a recipient of Trustees' Teaching Awards (2019, 2023) as well as the Mumford Excellence in Extraordinary Teaching Award.

He teaches business communication classes to undergraduate students and members of the MBA Core at the Kelley School. Trent regularly works with participants of the Kelley Executive Education Programs (KEEP) where he has lead sessions for corporate partners like Allegion, Chemours, the Heritage Group, Meetings Professional International (MPI), RSM, Thompson Thrift, and Thor Industries. He has also taught and coached for programs with key Kelley global partners like Steinbeis and Sungkyunkwan Universities. At Kelley, Trent has served as a repeat faculty participant for Kelley Partners for Leadership Development as well as MEET Kelley, a program for high-ability students to get introduced to the IU campus. Each spring he teaches classes on leadership lessons from the comic book industry at the Jellison Living Learning Center. Additionally, he regularly provides communication coaching to a diverse set of clients. A member of the Association of Business Communication (ABC) since 2018, Trent has regularly contributed to peer-reviewed publishing on classroom assignments centering on communication, confidence, creativity, storytelling, and best practices, among other subjects, in Business and Professional Communication Quarterly.

Beyond his work at the Kelley School, Trent is also a doctoral student at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC). He was selected to be a member of the 184-year-old institution's inaugural cohort of PhD in Global Leadership with a focus on Organizational Change and Behavior and is presently completing his dissertation. As a doctoral student, Trent has published on global leadership, cross-cultural storytelling, and data visualization in Αρετή (Arete), Journal of Excellence in Global Leadership. He has also studied imposter syndrome and its effects in the global organization, decision-making, and internal conflict among members. Trent’s doctoral work has included two study abroad opportunities in Greece, including time in the Greek and American Gender Equality (GAGE) program, and virtual study abroad projects in Ecuador and Ireland. He is presently working on a textbook on data visualization and storytelling as a contributing author along with Dr. Jennie Mitchell, Emerita Faculty at SMWC. Trent received his bachelor’s degree in political science and criminology from Ball State University and his master’s degree in applied communication from Indiana University. Three of his graduate student papers were recognized during his time at IU, and he contributed to research centering on the rhetoric around the American vice-presidency.

A former communication lecturer on the IU campus in Indy, Trent’s professional life has included worked as a district director for a member of Congress, time as an agency head with the State of Indiana, and service as a chief of staff for a legislative caucus in the Indiana House of Representatives. Trent currently serves his community as an elected at-large member and president of the Monroe County Council. Trent’s roots in business began in the family’s small business as a Pepperidge Farms franchisee which eventually led him to other management opportunities for the Kroger Corporation. His private sector experiences also include work with Indiana Business Equipment, Payless Shoe Source, Starwood Resorts, and United Parcel Service (UPS), among other opportunities.

In his spare time, Trent enjoys time with family and the 24,000+ comic books he has collected since childhood. He has been active in Toastmasters, Rotary International, the Kiwanis Club of South-Central Indiana, United Way of South-Central Indiana, and various other local not-for-profits where he has volunteered or served in various leadership roles. Trent presently serves as the chair of the governing board for his church.

Show Less