Cathryn Stout, Ph.D.

Story meets strategy—that’s where Dr. Cathryn Stout thrives.

Dr. Cathryn Stout is an award-winning strategist and scholar-practitioner who brings historical depth and moral clarity to her work. An alumna of the Obama Foundation Leaders USA Fellowship, she specializes in strategic campaigns, crisis communications, and narrative power. Her work has garnered national recognition, with features and media mentions in The New York Times, CBS News, HBO, Al Jazeera, and EdWeek.

Her approach is distinctive. With a doctorate in American Studies from Saint Louis University, a Master of Divinity from Emory University's Candler School of Theology, and degrees from the University of Mississippi and Wellesley College, she combines frontline communications expertise with deep scholarly grounding. Where others see crisis, she builds strategy. Where others offer hot takes, she delivers context.

As the Founder of Stout Consulting and the Director of Strategic Communications for the ACLU of Tennessee, Dr. Stout understands this work not as a career, but as a calling—one shaped by the conviction that bearing witness and cultivating radical hope are among the most sacred acts of justice. Throughout her life's work, she has proven that the right story, told with substance and soul, can shift narratives and drive lasting change.