Elyse Elizondo is an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at College of the Redwoods, where she teaches courses in public speaking, interpersonal communication, communication theory, small group communication, and other areas of the communication discipline. Her work at CR includes teaching on campus, online, and at Pelican Bay State Prison.
Elyse has built her career around making communication education accessible, rigorous, and relevant to students across a wide range of learning environments. Correctional education has become an especially meaningful part of that work. At College of the Redwoods, she teaches college level Communication Studies courses to incarcerated students at Pelican Bay State Prison. She previously taught Public Speaking and Argumentation and Debate at Sierra Conservation Center. Her broader teaching experience includes rural and metropolitan community colleges, online education, dual enrollment, and working with students from a wide range of educational backgrounds and life experiences.
Beyond the classroom, Elyse is active in shared governance and curriculum development at College of the Redwoods. She has served as a faculty representative in the Academic Senate and has contributed to work surrounding curriculum, institutional policy, and educational access. Earlier in her career, she coached speech and debate in the San Francisco Bay Area, helping young speakers develop skills in argumentation, advocacy, and public speaking.
Her teaching philosophy is grounded in the belief that communication education offers students much more than the ability to deliver an effective speech. It can help students develop agency, think critically about the world around them, advocate for themselves and others, and participate more fully in their communities. Her professional interests include educational equity, student voice, public speaking and argumentation, correctional education, and expanding access to higher education for students who have historically faced barriers to college.
Whether she is teaching on a college campus, online, or inside a prison, Elyse's goal remains the same: to create intellectually challenging and supportive spaces where students recognize that their experiences matter, their ideas deserve space, and their voices have power.