Dr. Ismael Medel, PhD, joined Vanguard University in 2025 and currently holds the roles of Acting Dean of the Patty Arvielo School of Business and Management as well as of Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication. His academic experience spans over twenty-three years and two continents, and includes degrees in Advertising and Public Relations from Antonio de Nebrija University in Madrid, Spain; a Master of Science in Electronic Publishing from City St. Martin’s University in London; a Master’s in Teaching Styles from UNED in Madrid; and a PhD in Visual Communication from San Pablo University in Madrid, with a grant to study at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, Ireland.
Dr. Medel has over twenty years of international higher education experience, having served as Assistant Dean of the largest private university in Spain, and taught at Syracuse University Madrid, the European Institute of Design, and Madrid’s School of the Arts. In 2011, he moved to the United States to join Central Connecticut State University, where he taught Communication and developed undergraduate and graduate programs in the Communication Department. From 2015 to 2025, he served as a Professor at Azusa Pacific University, where he built the Public Relations Program, served as Chair of the Communication Department, and served as Chair of the Digital and Strategic Marketing Departments.
His research interests are in the areas of Social Media, Advertising, Popular Culture, and Music. His research record includes more than fifty publications, including industry books, book chapters, contributions to encyclopedias, and peer-reviewed articles in top academic journals such as The Journal of Advertising Education, The Journal of Communication and Religion, Westminster Papers in Communication, Communication and Society, and The European Journal of American Studies, among others. Dr. Medel has also contributed as an Editor, Reviewer, and Member of the Scientific Committee with over twenty academic journals worldwide, participated in guest lectures and international conferences in fifteen countries, and led international study abroad trips for over a decade.
His passion is to serve students by offering creative opportunities to work on real-life projects, case studies, and international competitions that will help them grow, connect, and thrive.