He earned his Ph.D. in rhetoric from the University of Texas at Austin in 1985 and has been teaching at the University of Georgia ever since. Dr. Lessl teaches a variety of courses, such as public speaking, rhetorical criticism, religious communication, and the rhetoric of science. He has been married for 23 years and has two children, Jay and Amy Lessl. Jay is a Junior at UGA, and Amy is a senior at Oconee County High School. He is a member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church.