Jill Tyler grew up on a small farm in southwest Iowa, and worked for nonprofit organizations prior to earning graduate degrees from the University of Iowa. Currently chair of the Department of Communication Studies at the University of South Dakota, her academic life has been devoted to teaching and researching in areas of relational communication and health communication. Married and the mother of five grown children, Jill has lived in South Dakota for more than twenty years, serving as a volunteer to promote literacy, food programs, health initiatives, and arts organizations.