Katherine S. Thweatt earned her B.A. in journalism from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, her M.A. in communication studies and Ed.D. in instructional communication from West Virginia University.

In addition to her academic positions, she has more than a decade of professional experience helping companies utilize big data to achieve organizational goals. She worked as a research scientist at the Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, 2001 to 2007, implementing projects ($1.75 million in funding) at 14 sites enrolling more than 1,000 veterans between two projects. She also onboarded cardiology clinical trials while writing grants to seek additional funding.

She was senior manager of clinical quality at MemberHealth from 2007 to 2009, a Medicare Part D sponsor. Her work led to two national awards for programs that increased the use of ACE inhibitors in diabetic beneficiaries and medication adherence in HIV-positive beneficiaries. In 2009, she returned to the VA to assess the VA National Quality Improvement Initiative.

In 2016, she was elected to plan the 2019 Eastern Communication Association (ECA) conference. Since serving as ECA president, she returned to ECA as director of sponsorships in 2023 and 2025. She began serving as executive director of ECA on July 1, 2026. In 2023, she was awarded ECA’s Distinguished Service Award.

In 2016, she was hired as the graduate director of strategic communication at SUNY Oswego where she successfully oversaw the development and implementation of this newly approved program. She added an online-only program that is now the cornerstone of the program.

Thweatt is a proven leader who identifies and grows strengths in those she manages and those around her. Thweatt has expertise in program development, psychometrics/survey development, organizational assessment, and big data. She is a co-author of "Interpersonal Communication: A Mindful Approach to Relations" (2nd ed.) an open educational resource through Milne Open Textbooks.