World Women Leaders
Nichola D. Gutgold is a professor of communication arts and sciences at Penn State Lehigh Valley. An internationally recognized scholar on the rhetoric of women in non-traditional fields, her research has been featured in The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, NPR, US News and World Report, the LA Times, as well as international press outlets. She has been a visiting professor at California State University, Chico, and University of Zagreb, Croatia, where she interviewed President Kolinda Grabar- Kitarovic, and has taught at universities in China and Germany. She is the recipient of numerous awards for her teaching and research, including the 2016 Teaching Fellow Award from Penn State's University College, and an alumni achievement award for professional excellence from King's College. She has led student academic experiences to China, India, Europe and Peru.
Her research focuses on the rhetoric of women in male dominated fields. Her books include Still Paving the Way for Madam President (2017); Women in the Academy: Learning From Diverse Career Pathways (2016); The Rhetoric of Supreme Court Women: From Obstacles to Options (2012); Almost Madam President: Why Hillary Clinton ‘won’ in 2008 (2009); Seen and Heard: The Women of Television News (2008); and Paving the Way for Madam President (2006). With Molly Wertheimer she co-authored, Elizabeth Hanford Dole: Speaking from the Heart (2004). With Ted Sheckels and Diana Carlin she co-authored, Gender and the American Presidency: Nine Presidential Women and the Barriers They Faced (2012). She has co-authored a children’s book based on research on women and the American presidency – Madam President: Five Women Who Paved the Way (2015). In 2013 she gave a TEDxPSU talk on women and the American presidency. She is the former associate dean of academic affairs at the Schreyer Honors College at University Park where she oversaw a complete assessment of the academic department, began a new university-wide digital contest for undergraduate research, co-founded an online journal for honors education, and improved support for thesis preparation.
She serves on the board of directors of The Literacy Center and is the proud steward of a Little Free Library.
She is married to Geoff Gutgold and they are parents of two grown children, Ian and Emily Ann.