NACOGOCHES, Texas - Dr. John Allen Hendricks, chair of the Department of Mass Communication at Stephen F. Austin State University, was elected president of the Broadcast Education Association at the 2014 Board of Directors meeting in Washington, D.C.

His term will begin in April 2015 at the annual conference in Las Vegas and conclude in April 2016. He will serve a final year on the BEA Board as immediate past president. Currently, he is the BEA vice president for academic relations.

Established in 1955, the BEA is the premier international academic media organization, driving insights, excellence in media production, and career advancement for educators, students, and professionals.

The association's publications, annual convention, web-based programs and regional district activities provide opportunities for juried production competition and presentation of current scholarly research related to aspects of the electronic media.

Hendricks serves as director of and teaches classes in the mass communication department's graduate program. He has served as department chair since 2012. He previously served as director of SFA's Division of Communication and Contemporary Culture from 2009 to 2012.

He has authored/edited eight books and published more than 30 scholarly articles and chapters. His areas of expertise include political communication, new media/social media and radio studies. He is the recipient of the National Communication Association's Applied Research Division's 2011 Distinguished Scholarly Book Award for his book, "Communicator-in-Chief: How Barack Obama Used New Media Technology to Win the White House."

Hendricks received his bachelor's degree from Southern Arkansas University, his master's degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and his doctorate from The University of Southern Mississippi.