Joan Faber McAlister is an American rhetorician and associate professor, and contributes research to women's studies in communication. Her research primarily focuses on how images and space communicate messages in public culture through perceptions of beauty and critical theory. McAlister received a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa, and an M.A. in communication and B.A. in anthropology from Boise State University. She is currently an associate professor of communication at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. McAlister was also the editor of Women's Studies in Communication, an international academic journal founded by the Organization for Research on Women and Communication (ORWAC).