Adrian College professor Knopps to speak at Disability Awareness Week Spring Convocation
Posted Friday, March 06, 2026
“Replacing Apathy with Empathy” will be the featured topic of Adrian College’s Disability Awareness Week Spring Convocation at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 18, in Dawson Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.
Adrian College professor Anthony Knopps will deliver this year’s convocation address. Knopps is a professor in Adrian College’s Department of Communication Arts and Sciences and Department of Political Science, where he served as chair this year. He is a former journalist and current TEDx speaker, educator and writer. Knopps holds a Master of Professional Studies in political management from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts in communication from the University of Missouri.
Knopps had to have brain surgery years ago after being involved in an automobile accident. As a person living with a disability, Knopps will discuss why a disability is always part of his life yet doesn’t define it and what lessons can be drawn from that perspective. His presentation asks: What is a disability? Can you recognize it when you see it?
Knopps has more than three decades of experience in journalism, teaching and public communication. He has written several books including “My Daddy Has a Headache,” and his most recent book, “The No-Fail Mission: The Men and Women Behind the Presidential Service Badge.”
Knopps’ career began in print journalism with The Kansas City Star and expanded into broadcast media, where he held leadership roles in television newsrooms across multiple states. His work in journalism earned him multiple Emmy awards as well as the prestigious Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Political Journalism. After his career in media, Knopps transitioned into higher education, focusing on teaching communications, public policy, crisis communication and ethical leadership.
In addition to his teaching and administrative roles at Adrian College, Knopps has served as faculty at George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management and as a consultant for international media development programs. He has also worked with the U.S. Department of State on the Georgian Media Partnership Program and serves as a strategic communications consultant in Vietnam.
For more information about the event, email Dannielle Cattell, Adrian College director of academic services and accessibility services, at dcattell@adrian.edu.
