Dr. Victoria McCausland is a communication scholar, leadership consultant, and U.S. Marine Corps veteran who helps organizations strengthen engagement, retention, and team effectiveness during periods of rapid change. She is an Assistant Professor of Communication at Old Dominion University and earned her PhD in Communication from Pennsylvania State University, where her research focuses on interpersonal communication, trust, and resilience in high-stakes and high-stress environments. She is a published scholar whose work appears in peer-reviewed journals and edited academic volumes and was named a 2018 Presidential Leadership Scholar, a national program recognizing leaders with demonstrated impact across sectors.
As founder of Strong Ties and co-founder of Lead Aligned, Dr. McCausland partners with HR leaders to address preventable turnover, misalignment, and culture strain intensified by AI adoption, generational differences in workplace culture, and evolving workforce expectations. Her work translates communication research into practical frameworks that support people-first development, performance management, and alignment across teams.
Dr. McCausland is a sought-after speaker and facilitator for HR leaders, mental health professionals, and military-connected audiences, and has delivered programs for organizations including the American Psychiatric Association, Special Operations communities, and national nonprofit foundations. She brings a research-driven, systems-aware, and human-centered perspective to building workplaces where people and organizations can adapt and thrive.