NICHOLAS A RIGGS

303 16th Ave N

St, Petersburg, FL 33620
Phone: (614) 599-0434
Email: nick@improvwork.com
Website: www.nicholasariggs.com
AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION & INTEREST
Interpersonal Communication; Improvisation; Close Relationships; Comedy;
Communication Theory; Philosophy of Communication; Communication Technology;
Phenomenology; Interpretation; Systems Theory; Performance; Film
Qualitative Research: Ethnography; Autoethnography; Narrative Inquiry; Narrative
Analysis; Critical Methods
EDUCATION
Ph.D. Communication, University of South Florida, 2016
M.A. Communication, University of South Florida, 2011
B.A. Speech Communication & Organizational Communication, Otterbein University,
2008
ACADEMIC EMPLOYMENT
2016-Present
2016-Present
2016-Present
2015-Present
2014-Present
2009-2016
2013-2015

Adjunct, University of Tampa

Adjunct, University of South Florida
Adjunct, Florida Southern College
Adjunct, Hillsborough Community College
Improv Facilitator, USF MUMA College of Business
Graduate Teaching Associate, University of South Florida
Adjunct, St. Petersburg College

COURSES TAUGHT
Interpersonal Communication; Persuasion; Public Speaking; Introduction to Speech;
Business and Professional Speech; Introduction to Performance as Communication;
Love and Communication; Relationships on Film; Communication, Culture and
Diversity; Seminar in Improvisation
HONORS AND AWARDS
2015
2014
2013-2014

Best of the Bay, Best Improv Director, Creative Loafing

Best of the Bay, Best Performing Arts Festival, Creative Loafing
Best of the Bay, Best Local Improv Troupe, Creative Loafing

2013
2012

Peer Recognition for Outstanding Community Engagement, USF Graduate

Communication Association
Communication for Social Change Award, USF Department of
Communication. $250.

PUBLICATIONS
Articles in Refereed Journals
Riggs, N. (2014). Following Bud: Blogging at the End-of-Life. Qualitative Inquiry, 20, 376-384.
Riggs, N. (2014). Leaving Cancerland: Following Bud at the End-of-Life, Storytelling, Self and
Society, 10, 78-92.

Chapters in Books
Bochner, A., & Riggs, N. (2014). Practicing narrative inquiry. In P. Leavy (Ed.). Handbook of
Qualitative Methods. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Performances
Riggs, N. (2013). An excerpt from rinse and repeat: Road rage. Outcomes. University of South
Florida Communication Department Fall Showcase.

HONORS THESIS SUPERVISION

2014
2013

Carlos Hernandez Point of View: From Improv Performer to Improv Director

Christopher Byrne Living.Now: Creating New Experiences Everyday

UNIVERSITY SERVICE
2013-2014 USF Improv League, Organizer and Show Manager
2012-2014 Improv@USF Student Organization, Faculty Adviser and Co-founder
2011-2013 Graduate Communication Association, Social Media Coordinator

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
2013-Present Tampa Bay Improv, Founder & Event Director
2013-Present Tampa Bay Improv Festival, Executive Producer
2015-2016
Improvaroo Florida Camping Retreat, previously Florida Improv Retreat,
Executive Producer & Instructor
2015-2016

Gasp! Improv Marathon, part of the Gasparilla Fringe Festival hosted by

Creative Loafing, Executive Producer

2013-2016

Flashform Improv Conservatory, Lead Instructor

2012-2014

National Communication Association Human Communication and

Technology Division, Information Officer

Guest Workshops
2016

Surviving the Whirlwind: Collaboration, Innovation, Teamwork, DTCC Career

Fair, Workshop Instructor

2016

Collaboration for Mediators, University of South Florida Mediation

Collaborative, Guest Instructor & Performer

2015

Creativity and Engagement Through Improv, University of South Florida MBA

Program Orientation, Guest Instructor

2015

Creativity for Business, University of South Florida EMBA Program

Orientation, Guest Instructor

2015

Edit Like A Pro, Camp Improv Utopia East, Workshop Instructor

2015

Flashform: Play with Everything All of the Time, The 2015 District Improv
Festival, Workshop Instructor

2015

Flashform Improv, The 2015 Miami Improv Festival, Workshop Instructor

2015

Scenework Diagnostic, The 2015 Tampa Improv Festival, Workshop Instructor

2015

The Flashform Method, The 2015 Sarasota Improv Festival, Workshop

Instructor

2015

Flashform, The 2015 Atlanta Improv Festival, Workshop Instructor

2015

Freeform Improvisation, Workshop Facilitator, Florida Improv Retreat

2015

Using Improv to Understand Spatial Design, Ringling College of Art and

Design, ID2 Class Semester Project, Workshop Facilitator, Instructor Jill Eleazer

2015

Professional Development Through Improvisation and Play, University of

South Florida Coporate Mentorship Program, Workshop Facilitator

2014

Personal Learning and Community Engagement Through Improvisational Play,

University of South Florida Bulls Business Community, Workshop Facilitator

2014

"Improvisational Pedagogy," Keynote Speaker, Delta Kappa Gamma International

Society for Key Women Educators

2014

Find Your Confidence, Ringling College of Art and Design, RIDA Lunch
Presentation, Workshop Facilitator, Instructor Jill Eleazer

2014

Kinesthetic Learning, University of South Florida MBA Program,

Improvisation for Business class, Guest Instructor

2014

Flashform: Heat, Weight & Heart in Parallel Narratives, The 2014 Tampa
Improv Festival, Workshop Instructor

2013 & 2014 Building Connections Through Improvisation, University of South Florida
Honors College Living Learning Community, Workshop Facilitator
2013 Using Improv Games in the College Classroom sponsored by the University of
South Florida Graduate Communication Association, Annual Pedagogy Potluck,
Workshop Facilitator
2013 Transitioning to Digital Workshop, sponsored by the University of South
Florida Graduate Communication Association, Workshop Facilitator

Guest Lectures
2014

Writing Lives, Following Bud: Blogging and the End-of-Life, Instructor Jim
Bowman

2014

Family Communication, Gender Through Equanimity, Instructor Krystal

Bresnahan

2013

Public Speaking, Listening, Thinking, and Being in the Moment, Instructor

Nathan Hodges

2013

Women and Communication, Communicating Gender Through

Improvisational Game Play, Instructor Alisha Menzies

2013

Persuasion, Improvisation and Persuasive Media, Instructor Joanna Bartell

2013

Self and Society, Love and Death, Instructor Damien Contessa

2011

Organizational Communication, Research Strategies for Facebook, Instructor

Kerry Strayer

2009

Communication Research, Understanding Communication Research, Instructor

Kerry Strayer

Public Workshops and Performances

2015

After Hours Improv Drop In Workshop, Instructor. Held in conjunction with

Sacred Grounds Coffee House. Ongoing weekly public workshop.

2015

Guest Performance, Jobsite Rocks! Holiday Variety Show, Performer. Annual

Benefit for Jobsite Theater.

2015
2015

Childrens Performance, Taste of Keystone BBQ Blaze Off, Host & Performer.
Kinesthetic Learning Workshops, Hillsborough County Childrens Services
Summer Camp, Program Manager. 12 Session Summer Youth Camp Program.

2015

Commedia DelLatte Flashform Improv Workshops, Instructor. Held in

conjunction with Ybor Daily Market. Seasonal public workshop.

2014

Workshop and Performance, USFs Upward Bound College-Access Program,

Host, Instructor & Performer. Annual Summer offering.

2014

The Whole Shabaang! A Night of Long Form Improv, Producer, Performer and
Emcee. Held in conjunction with Post Dinner Conversation, Inc and Jobsite
Theater at The Shimberg Playhouse. Ongoing seasonal public performance.

2014

The Shabaang! Long Form Show, Producer, Performer and Emcee. Held in
conjunction with Post Dinner Conversation, Inc and Tampa Pitcher Show.
Ongoing weekly public improv performance.

2014

Flashform Improv Workshop, Instructor. Held in conjunction with Post Dinner

Conversation, Inc and Tampa Pitcher Show. Ongoing weekly public workshop.

2014

Improv4ACause, Organizer, Performer and Host. Held in conjunction with Post

Dinner Conversation Inc and Tampa Pitcher Show. Charity benefit for Make-AWish Foundation

2014

Life Amplified Metamorphosis, performer. Held in conjunction with Tampa

Pitcher Show. Charity benefit for Crisis Center Tampa Bay and Take Back the
Night to raise awareness of sexual violence prevention.

2013

Awakening the Dreamer Symposium, Opening Mini-lecturer and Demonstrator.

Demonstrated techniques for active listening and improvisation in dialogue. Held
in conjunction with The Roosevelt 2.0 community co-op and The Pachamama
Alliance.

2013

The Big Damn Comedy Symposium, Coordinator, Performer and Forum

Facilitator. Held in conjunction with The Roosevelt 2.0 community co-op, Tampa
Free Skool, Post Dinner Conversation, Inc and Cigar City Comedy.

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
National Communication Association
International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry
NCA Ethnography Division
American Stage Improv
The Improv Network
Pi Beta Sigma

CONVENTION AND CONFERENCE PARTICIPATION (2009-2016)

Sketch Pedagogy: Exploring, Discovering, and Heightening Academic Identity Through
Improvised TeachingInternational Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Paper Presentation,
Urbana-Champaign, IL, May 2015
Rigor In PlayInternational Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Panel Session, Urbana-Champaign,
IL, May 2015
Games: Patterns for Interpersonal PedagogySouthern States Communication Association
Annual Conference, Panel Session, Tampa, Fl
Improvisational Autoethnography: A Small Title with Big WordsNational Communication
Association Annual Conference, Paper Presentation, Ethnography Division, Chicago, IL,
November 2014
Improvising Autoethnography: A Dialogue Between Reader and WriterInternational Congress
of Qualitative Inquiry, Paper Presentation, Urbana-Champaign, IL, May 2014
Exploring Ethical Communication: Conducting Research and Writing with VirtueInternational
Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Panel Session, Urbana-Champaign, IL, May 2014
Creative Pedagogical Methodology: Strategies and Techniques for Implementing Innovation
International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Panel Session, Urbana-Champaign, IL, May 2014
Bootlegging Higher Education: How Academic Blogging is Hacking the AcademyNational
Communication Association Annual Conference, Paper Presentation, Human Communication
and Technology Division, Washington D.C., November 2013
The Digital PlaygroundNational Communication Association Annual Conference, Paper
Presentation, Ethnography Division, Washington D.C., November 2013
Pedagogy & The Classroom: Techniques and Strategies for Incorporating Mixed Methods
International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Panel Session, Urbana-Champaign, IL, May 2013
Performing Reflexivity: A Paper About Writing a Paper About Writing a Paper International
Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Paper Presentation, Urbana-Champaign, IL, May 2013

Following Bud: Blogging at the End-of-LifeInternational Congress of Qualitative Inquiry,

Paper Presentation, Urbana-Champaign, IL, May 2013
Public Sphere Theory Pre-Convention Seminar: Citizenship, New Media, and the Public
SphereNational Communication Association Annual Conference, Chair, Orlando, FL,
November 2012
Methodological Challenges: New Approaches, Best practices, and Lessons LearnedFlorida
Communication Association Annual Conference, Panel Participant, Orlando, FL, October, 2012
Soulmapping: Mindfulness and Narrative in Close RelationshipsInternational Congress of
Qualitative Inquiry, Paper Presentation, Urbana-Champaign, IL, May 2012
Toward an Integrated Theory of Practice: Cyberspace and Immaterial MaterialityInternational
Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Paper Presentation, Urbana-Champaign, IL, May 2012
Preying on the Public Conscience: Mediated Suffering in Christian Childrens Fund
Advertisements, Paper Presentation, Southern States Communication Association Annual
Convention, Little Rock, AR, March 2011
Living with Facebook: Dealing with Distance in the Digital AgeInternational Congress of
Qualitative Inquiry, Paper Presentation, Urbana-Champaign, IL, May 2011
Debating the Digital Divide: A Proposal for Social Media as an Applied ContextNational
Communication Association Annual Conference, Paper Presentation, Applied Communication
Division, San Francisco, CA, November 2010
REFERENCES
Dr. Arthur Bochner, Distinguished Professor of Communication
abochner@usf.edu
(813) 974-6821

Dr. Carolyn Ellis, Distinguished Professor of Communication

cellis@usf.edu
(813) 974-6817

Dr. Keith Berry, Associate Professor of Communication

keithberry@usf.edu
(813) 523-6936
Dr. Ambar Basu, Associate Professor of Communication & Director of Graduate Studies
abasu@usf.edu
(813) 974-6828