By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – A respected and highly awarded dean at the University of Alabama will deliver the keynote speech during Thompson High School’s graduation ceremony in late May, the school announced on May 13.

The graduation ceremony for Thompson’s 500-member class of 2019 will be held on Tuesday, May 21, at 6 p.m. at UAB’s Bartow Arena in downtown Birmingham, and Dr. Mark Nelson will serve as the keynote speaker during the ceremony.

Nelson, a Birmingham resident, currently serves as dean of the College of Communication and Information Sciences at the University of Alabama. He joined UA in 1991, as a faculty member in the Department of Communication Studies.

Nelson provides consulting services for numerous organizations and governmental agencies throughout the Southeast. His training repertoire includes such topics as public speaking, listening, interpersonal and group dynamics, leadership development and team building.

His research interests include leadership, interpersonal communication competence, communication education and diversity. He is the co-author of the book “Applied Organizational Communication,” which is currently in its fourth edition, and has authored numerous papers for publication and presentation at national and regional conferences.

Nelson serves on a variety of community boards including the Alabama Broadcasters Association, the Alabama Humanities Foundation and he is past president of the Tuscaloosa Rotary Club. He has received several awards, including the University of Alabama Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award, the Lambda Pi Eta National Advisor of the Year Award, the Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha Outstanding Alumnus Award, the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award in recognition of excellence of character and service to humanity and the 2019 American Forensic Association Distinguished Alumni Award.