Lahne Mattas-Curry
Graduate Student, Communication
Education
M.A., Marketing, Johns Hopkins University
Research Expertise
Crisis & Risk Communication
Public Relations
Lahne Mattas-Curry is a PhD candidate in the Public Relations & Strategic Communication track and also serves as an Instructor of Record teaching undergraduate public relations courses. Her research focuses on organizational relationships during environmental emergencies, with particular emphasis on community building, engagement, trust in institutions, access to accurate information, and organizational and internal crisis communication.
As a strategic communications leader with over two decades of experience across government, corporate, and non-profit organizations, Lahne most recently served as Communication Director for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Center for Environmental Solutions & Emergency Response. Her professional experience includes risk and crisis communication for major environmental emergencies such as the Flint Water Crisis, East Palestine train derailment, and PFAS contamination events, where she developed agency-wide expertise serving as a strategic advisor. She also has led organizational and internal communication initiatives.
Lahne earned a BA from Penn State University and an MS in Marketing from the Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business, with additional executive education from Harvard University in Applied Risk Communication and Leadership During Crises. She is expected to complete her PhD in Communication in May 2026.
Currently Teaching: COMM351 Public Relations Techniques
Publications
Frontline Voices of care: How community health workers cultivate relationships
Many UMD COMMunity members collaborate on this new publication for Public Relations Review
Author/Lead: Brooke Fisher LiuContributor(s): Lahne Mattas-Curry, Anita Atwell Seate, Carina Zelaya
The importance of communities is central to public relations theory, which has recently received renewed scholarly attention. The COVID-19 pandemic put in sharp focus the importance of community – and the detrimental consequences for society when community life is disrupted. This study combines theorizing on communities and the care-based relationship cultivation model to investigate public relations in a non-traditional setting. We conducted 41 interviews with community health workers (CHWs) engaged with Latino communities during and after the pandemic. Our findings uncover a variety of strategies CHWs employ to sustain community relationships, culminating in the new care-based community cultivation framework. To support community involvement, CHWs communicate their competency, are part of the communities they serve, and meet people where they are. To support community nurturing, CHWs actively listen, communicate with empathy, and educate while working from the heart. They also serve as safe harbors, acknowledge their role limitations, build trust through sustained relationships, and overcome challenges while respecting culture. To support community organizing, CHWs make service connections while acknowledging system limitations and tailor official health guidance. Additionally, CHWs work to overcome obstacles to community members’ well-being. Ultimately, we echo calls for more public relations scholarship to uplift marginalized communities, especially during crises, so that our work supports community well-being and safety.
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