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bio

 

Communicator | Educator |
Presenter | ADVOCATE | traveler.

 

“I’m a man that has a vision as to how this world can be, and I’ve gathered myself through all the ordeals that I had to make me a well-rounded person and still fight for justice.” - DLHJ

 

BIOGRAPHY.

 

Dr. Larry R. Hygh, Jr., is an assistant professor in the communications department at California State University Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) in the advertising and public relations degree program. Prior to CSUDH, he was a fulltime lecturer and the internship coordinator in the communication studies department with an emphasis in public relations/strategic communication at California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB).

Prior to CSUSB, Hygh was the senior communications manager for the Black AIDS Institute, the only national HIV/AIDS think tank focused exclusively on Black people.  He spent 20 plus years as the chief communications officer for The United Methodist Church (UMC) in five different regional offices in the United States (Boston, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Jackson, Miss.), and the international mission agency when it was based in New York City.  He has also been an adjunct assistant professor at Folsom Lake College in Folsom, Calif. For four years, he also anchored and reported for the Crown City News, an independently produced cable newscast in Pasadena, California, that serves the San Gabriel Valley. ​

Hygh, also known to friends and family as “Spud,” is a lifelong United Methodist and a fifth generation Methodist. His great-great grandfather who was a freed slave was a Methodist. 

In 2008, Hygh earned a Doctor of Education from Pepperdine University in Organizational Leadership.  His dissertation is entitled A Qualitative Leadership Study of the Four Female African-American Bishops of the United Methodist Church.  His undergraduate and masters’ degrees are from Stephen F. Austin (SFA) State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, in Radio/Television and Mass Communications.  The Alumni Association of Stephen F. Austin State University named him a “2006 Outstanding Young Alumnus.” While in New England, Hygh studied at Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Hygh is a 1988 graduate of St. Joseph Catholic School and a 1994 graduate of Marshall High School in Marshall, Texas, where he began his communications career as a disc jockey for KBWC radio station at Wiley College. 

Realizing a need to be the most diverse and effective communicator possible, Hygh has completed several highly successful internships.  He has had press/media oriented internships with The White House (President William “Bill” Jefferson Clinton, 42nd President), U.S. House of Representatives (Rep. Max Sandlin, 1st Congressional District-Texas), and the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Hygh is a lifetime member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity,  Black Methodists for Church Renewal where he has served on the national board, Religion Communicators Council where he has served on the national governing board, the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), National Association of Black Journalists Los Angeles (NABJLA) chapter, a life member of the Stephen F. Austin State University Alumni Association, and the Los Angeles Press Club. 

In United Methodism, Hygh has served on the coordinating committee for the Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century Initiative where he chaired the communications committee for eight years.  In the past, he has served on the General Commission on Communications for the United Methodist Church, the Board of Trustees for Gammon Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia, and as the treasurer for the Los Angeles chapter of the Religion Communicators Council.

He is a member “White Suiter” of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, the non-profit entity that produces the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl each year as well as a 2008 graduate of Leadership Pasadena, and a 2009 graduate of Leadership Southern California. 

Hygh was the United Methodist Church’s first Judith L. Weidman Racial Ethnic Minority Fellow in Communications.  He received this fellowship in 1998 and worked in the New England Conference based in Lawrence, Massachusetts.  Hygh again made history in 2005 when he was selected to serve as the mentor of the eighth fellowship recipient.  He was the first ethnic minority person to serve as a mentor and it was the first time the fellowship has been hosted in the denomination’s Western Jurisdiction. 

He is a sought after public speaker, especially to youth and young adults, who brings a great deal of energy and enthusiasm to each speaking engagement. He has keynoted and facilitated training, spoken in local churches, and to secular entities, across the country.

In his spare time, Hygh enjoys public and motivational speaking  and reading biographies and autobiographies.  Hygh has acted in community plays and on commercials for regional television. He is an exercise enthusiast and enjoys Zumba, hip-hop dance, and jogging. Hygh resides in Pasadena, California and is a member of Harmony Toluca Lake United Methodist Church (a campus of Hollywood United Methodist Church) and serves on the leadership team.  He is the chair of the governance board (leadership team) for Hollywood United Methodist Church.

Hygh is an exercise enthusiast and loves to travel.  He has traveled to six of the seven continents (Antarctica left), approximately 31 countries, and 49 of the 50 states in the United States (Idaho left). 

 

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TravelING THE GLOBE.

Traveling to unknown territories provides my life with so much passion, excitement and joy! Discovering various cultures, culinary delights, diverse languages and ethnic customs are all a part of my favorite things to do. Below, enjoy some of my most exciting trips. I will continue to update my life's travel adventures - be sure to share some of your preferred travel destinations as well. See More →

 

NETWORKING and life experiences.

I absolutely love meeting new people and learning about their life experiences. Here are a few photos of special people that I've met throughout my life thus far. Cannot wait to meet more interesting artists, community organizers, celebrities, entertainers and historical figures! Learn More →

 
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love for all things communications.

The majority of my professional and academic work has been in the communications field. I’ve worked to curate vital conversations and expose the world to unheard voices. You can get a glimpse of the work I have paarticipated in by visiitng my work page on this site. Learn More →