Dr. Pat Lawton has an extensive background in higher education and executive level business communications. Pat has taught Communication Studies at the undergraduate level for over 15 years and has a passion for graduate level instruction, teaching managerial communication, risk and crisis communication, and interpersonal and team effectiveness at TLI. She has also served as an advisor to numerous M.S. capstone projects at TLI. She is a previous Phi Theta Kappa Golden Apple teaching award recipient and was honored as the student-voted faculty member of the year award at Inver Hills Community College. Dr. Lawton also serves as the Business Director for the Defense Alliance, an SBA Advanced Technologies Cluster, which accelerates commercialization efforts for technology products and services. She is a previous co-awardee of the U.S. Small Business Association’s (SBA) Veterans Small Business Champion Award.
Alternate Job Roles
Director of Graduate Studies
Technological Leadership Institute
W.R. Sweatt Chair in Technology Leadership Education
Technological Leadership Institute
Faculty in Communication
Inver Hills Community College
Business Director
Defense Alliance
Programs
- M.S. in Medical Device Innovation
- M.S. in Security Technologies
Expertise
- Interpersonal Communication
- Small Group Communication
- Public Speaking
- Intercultural Communication
- Organizational Communication
Education
Master of Business Administration
Augsburg College
Master of Arts in Communication
Bethel University
Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies
Gustavus Adolphus College
