Burns was honored with the association’s “Exceptional Service to the History Division” at the AEJMC’s 104th annual conference, which was held virtually earlier this month.

Burns was recognized for “behind-the-scenes, invisible commitment to strengthening and promoting the History Division.” She was chosen for her mentorship of the division’s leadership and members, her recent work as the book awards chair and her previous service as head of the division.

“I was so surprised and honored,” Burns said of receiving the award. “It really means a lot to me. Through my service to the division, I learned a lot about being a leader, which helped prepare me to be Faculty Senate chair at Quinnipiac. The reason I've been so willing to serve the division is because the members are good people. They are supportive, fun and really passionate about media history. I'm always energized after the conference, and I pour that into my classes and my research.”

AEJMC is an educational association of journalism and mass communication educators, students and media professionals. Its mission is to promote the highest possible standards for journalism and mass communication education.

Burns has a doctorate in communication from the University of Maryland at College Park, as well as a master’s in rhetoric and a bachelor’s in broadcast journalism from Duquesne University. She has published two books, an edited collection on “Media Relations and the Modern First Lady: From Jacqueline Kennedy to Melania Trump” released in 2020 and “First Ladies and the Fourth Estate: Press Framing of Presidential Wives,” which came out in 2008. She has also authored several journal articles and book chapters on first ladies.

Burns’ research interests include media history, political communication (particularly media coverage of U.S. first ladies and presidents), public/collective memory, and media criticism. Burns is the former chair of Quinnipiac's Faculty Senate. At the national level, she has served as head of the History Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) and secretary of the Political Communication Division of the National Communication Association (NCA).