Vikki S. Katz

Vikki Katz is Professor and Fletcher Jones Foundation Endowed Chair in Free Speech at Chapman University. She is also Executive Director of the Or Initiative, which is dedicated to developing evidence-based alternatives to how young people (dis)engage with each other over contentious and complex issues, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and U.S. antisemitism. The Or Initiative develops civil discourse interventions specific to the needs of middle school, high school, and college-aged young people, with an emphasis on how to develop these crucial communication skills in an increasingly digital information environment.

Katz’s research program examines how young people and parents navigate technology use as part of their developmental trajectories. Her research has advanced equitable access to digital and educational opportunities for lower-income, working-class, and immigrant young people and families, with support from funders including Samueli Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and Spencer Foundation. She has the honor of serving as an advisor to Sesame Workshop, PBS Kids, and on the Board of Directors for the National Center for Families Learning.

Prior to joining the Chapman University faculty in 2022, Katz was a professor in the Communication Department at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. She has also served as a Visiting Scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation, a Senior Research Fellow at the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, and as  Editor of the Journal of Children and Media.

Ph.D., Communication, University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
M.A., Communication, University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
B.A., Communication and Urban Education, University of California, Los Angeles