Dr Kerrie Milburn

Biography

Kerrie is discipline leader for the public relations major. She convenes and teaches into a range of public relations units and supervises students undertaking professional placements and internships with industry. She is also responsible for academic support and quality assurance for public relations units offered through Swinburne Online. She has been a member of Swinburne’s Academic Senate and Academic Policy and Regulation Committee, chair of the Department of Media and Communication’s Teaching and Learning Committee, and a member of the School Academic Committee. She has broad knowledge of the tertiary sector through program development, teaching (post- and undergraduate levels), and consulting at four major Melbourne universities, and significant experience in the establishment of partner arrangements between universities, professional bodies and industry.
Kerrie completed her PhD at Swinburne, examining public relations and propaganda, with specific reference to post World War II West Germany, and the implications for public relations, both as an academic discipline and a profession, in an era of digital disruption, disinformation and ‘fake news’. Her research interests include propaganda and persuasion, public relations ethics, public relations history and German public relations. She also consults on issues and crisis communication, and interpersonal communication, particularly verbal and written presentation skills. Kerrie has presented her research at conferences in Australia and overseas. She has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons 1) (German Studies), Graduate Diploma in Languages, Bachelor of Arts, and Associate Diploma in Professional Writing.
Prior to joining Swinburne full-time, Kerrie had a highly successful professional practice career in public relations as both a consultant and in-house employee, with ASX Top 100 companies, government, and non-profit organisations. She has Board experience with Kimberly-Clark Australia and BreastScreen Victoria. Kerrie was elected a Fellow of the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) in 2000 and is a former Victorian President of the Institute.