FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 17, 2026 CONTACT | Heather Birks | 202.602.0584
2026 BEA Distinguished Education Service Award (DESA) Presented to Rebecca Ann Lind
Washington, D.C. – Rebecca Ann Lind, Associate Professor Emerita, University of Illinois at Chicago, has been named the 2026 Broadcast Education Association (BEA) Distinguished Education Service Award (DESA) winner.
Rebecca Ann Lind (PhD, University of Minnesota) is Associate Professor Emerita in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). A former broadcaster, she has taught courses on a variety of topics, including race and gender in media, processes & effects of mass communication, media ethics, and mass communication theory.
She has held many roles at UIC, including Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Communication Department, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research at UIC, Associate Dean in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS), Faculty Grievance Officer for UIC, and Compliance Coordinator for LAS. She has published numerous articles and has received a variety of grants to support her research in the areas of audience studies, race and gender, new media, and media ethics. Among other works she has published three volumes of Producing Theory in a Digital World: The Intersection of Audiences and Production in Contemporary Theory (Peter Lang) and six editions of Race/Gender/Class/Media: Considering Diversity Across Audiences, Content, and Producers (Routledge).
Her involvement in BEA has been extensive in both length and breadth. Among other contributions, she chaired the Gender and Sexuality Division (formerly the Gender Issues Division), served on the BEA Board of Directors, was the Convention Chair for multiple years, and chaired the BEA Research Symposium. She served on the Research Committee and has recently returned to serve as a member of the Publications Committee.
The DESA is awarded to an individual who has made a significant and lasting contribution to the American system of electronic media education. The award will be presented to Dr. Lind during BEA’s 2026 annual convention awards ceremony on Friday, April 17. For a list of previous recipients and information on the DESA visit BEA’s website.
About the BEA Convention – BEA’s annual convention is held in conjunction with NAB Show in Las Vegas every spring. BEA’s annual convention attracts 1,300 educators and students with 250 sessions, events, research panels, technology workshops and an exhibit hall, making BEA the largest conference partner of NAB Show.
About the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) – BEA is the professional association for professors, industry professionals and graduate students interested in teaching and research related to electronic media and multimedia enterprises. There are currently more than 2,500 individual and institutional members worldwide. Visit www.beaweb.org for more information.