Elliott Receives TCA Horizon Award

Belle Elliott is the third straight Walters State faculty member to receive the award.

Take a Bow, Belle Elliott!

For the third straight year, a Walters State faculty member has received a top honor from the Tennessee Communication Association (TCA).

Belle Elliott, assistant professor of communication and debate, received the 2026 Horizon Award at the organization’s annual conference. The award recognizes an association member who demonstrates leadership and potential to positively impact the organization in the coming years.

“Belle is an incredible asset to Walters State and our community,” said Jessie VanderLaan-Delaney, associate professor of art and dean of the college’s Division of Humanities. “Belle has helped many of our students find and hone their voice through participation in the college’s award-winning debate team. She is a champion for our college and is well deserving of this recognition.” 

In 2025, the Horizon Award was given to Kayla Huber, department head and instructor of communication. Bambi Pelham, assistant professor of communication, received the award in 2024. Other Walters State faculty members who received this award are Matthew Lawson, associate professor of communication and mass communications, and Robert E. Pratt II, associate professor of communication. 

TCA serves as the voice for communication faculty and students, representing higher education institutions throughout the state. Walters State faculty members are active in the organization, with Pelham having served as president for the past year, and Brian Hamilton, assistant professor of communication, having served as chair for the mass communications section. 
         

Walters State representatives made two presentations during this session. Pratt and Hamilton were joined by student Joseph Bryant for a panel discussion on current media coverage of armed conflicts with a focus on legendary American journalists who covered the military in the mid-20th century. Huber and Brooke O’Dell, an adjunct professor, presented “From Passive to Persuasive: The Power of Pitch.” 
           
Walters State alumna Taylor Bird, now a communication student at East Tennessee State University, received an award for a paper presented during the conference.