Tracy earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1993 from the University of Southern California, and received her Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in communication from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she was advised by Stanley A. Deetz.
While at Colorado, she became a co-author with Deetz and Jennifer Lyn Simpson of the book Leading Organizations through Transition: Communication and Cultural Change (Sage Publications, 1999, ). She joined the Arizona State University faculty in 2000. Doctor Tracy’s communication scholarship examines emotion and identity within organizations, with a focus on workplace bullying, emotional labor, occupational burnout, and work-life balance.
Through the use of qualitative research, such as participant observation, in-depth interviewing, focus groups, and discourse analysis, her ethnographic studies investigate targets of workplace bullying, male executives, correctional officers, 911 emergency call-takers, public relations professionals, and cruise ship activity coordinators.
Tracy designs and conducts her research in an attempt to provide new information and knowledge that can potentially improve organizational environments and the everyday lives of men and women.
