Please contact Dr. Works (keworks@fsu.eu) for additional help: Submission navigation links for Research Symposium Program Portal WF ‹ Previous submission Next submission › Submission information Submission Number: 156 Submission ID: 9004 Submission UUID: 7e287ae0-41a1-4e58-a16e-a28e1b91e0c5 Submission URI: /student-research/symposium/research-symposium-program-portal Submission Update: /student-research/symposium/research-symposium-program-portal?token=qi9uexuJG4lgNqMCztsw3Opa-OXuTLu1z7o55cOVM2w Created: Tue, 01/20/2026 - 01:00 PM Completed: Tue, 01/20/2026 - 01:02 PM Changed: Tue, 01/20/2026 - 01:02 PM Remote IP address: 146.201.13.22 Submitted by: Anonymous Language: English Is draft: No Webform: Research Symposium Program Portal WF Submitted to: Student Research Symposium Program Portal Primary Student Contact First Name Primary Student Contact Last Name Pronouns Primary Student Contact FSU Student Email Photo of all individuals presenting this work D.Collins HeadShot.jpg57.42 KB Remove Upload requirementsOne file only.2 MB limit. Major(s) of all individuals presenting this work Bio of all individuals presenting this work Dixie Collins is a graduate student and emerging researcher in the M.A. in Corporate & Public Communication program at Florida State University. Her academic interests are driven by a passion for creative inquiry, interdisciplinary thinking, and the exploration of leadership through unconventional and engaging frameworks. Drawn to both popular culture and complex public discourse, she embraces approaches that connect theory to lived experience and make scholarly concepts more accessible to broader audiences. Her current research examines The Walt Disney Company’s leadership response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, using characters from Wicked as an interpretive lens to illustrate and analyze contrasting leadership styles. This approach reflects her commitment to thinking beyond traditional academic boundaries while maintaining analytical rigor. Dixie’s professional background spans corporate and customer-facing roles, including experience working closely with executive leadership. These perspectives inform her research and reinforce her interest in how leadership decisions shape organizational culture and individual experience. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. and aspires to a career as a professor and researcher. Poster Title Abstract Leadership communication plays a critical role in how organizations convey their values, respond to public scrutiny, and maintain trust during periods of social and political tension. In 2022, The Walt Disney Company drew national attention for its measured response to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, often referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. As a company widely associated with inclusion and belonging, Disney faced heightened expectations for a clear, values-driven leadership response. This research proposal outlines a mixed-methods study designed to examine how audiences interpret Disney’s leadership communication. Drawing on leadership theory, values alignment, and crisis communication frameworks, the study employs narrative metaphors from Wicked: Part One as an interpretive lens to explore varying leadership styles. Planned analyses include film scenes, public social media discourse, and survey responses, offering a multidimensional view of how communication strategies shape perceptions of authenticity, trust, and organizational alignment. By blending creative, popular-culture approaches with rigorous leadership theory, this project seeks to make organizational communication concepts both accessible and engaging. The ultimate goal is to identify practical strategies that help organizations communicate values clearly and navigate politically sensitive topics with ethical and effective leadership. Through this work, the research aims not only to contribute to scholarly understanding but also to inspire dialogue about how leadership decisions resonate with diverse audiences. Research Mentor Name Research Mentor's College (or High School) Research Mentor's Department (or Subject) Research Mentor's Email Additional Research Mentor(s) Co-presenter(s) Keywords Poster Session/Number Work Complete Exploratory (the research question has been identified and design of approach is outlined) Presentation Modality Face to Face Poster session Synchronous Online Presentation Asynchronous Online Presentation Poster PDF Upload Upload requirementsOne file only.100 MB limit. Poster Thumbnail Please take a screenshot of your poster to be a thumbnail on your Symposium Program Profile. Upload Upload requirementsOne file only.2 MB limit. I will be printing my poster CAPTCHA What code is in the image? Enter the characters shown in the image. This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. Save Leave this field blank
