Announcing the honorees of Ragan’s 2023 Top Women in Communications awards

Meet the honorees of our annual celebration of women who are shaping the future of the profession.

Top Women in Communications Awards honorees

It’s time once again for Ragan to uplift our annual class of outstanding leaders whose contributions have redefined the way communicators connect, inform and innovate.

Ragan’s Top Women in Communications awards recognizes the trailblazing achievements of the women who have raised the bar for the rest of the comms world through their work developing high-performance, relentlessly creative work across internal and external communications, HR, public relations and beyond.

The women in our 2023 class have been unflinching in the face of both global and internal trials and daring in their moves to overcome today’s most urgent challenges. They have improved the practice of communications through their deft mastery of data, their cutting-edge commitment to leveling up tech stacks and their keen-eyed ability to strategize and look ahead. Equipped with an unrivaled grasp of audiences and industries not to mention the importance of empathy these top-notch professionals come prepared for any merger or restructure, any layoff or leadership change, any crisis or celebration.

From the women who champion DE&I both within and outside of their organizations, to those with their boots on the ground building systems and policies, to the executives leading the charge into the future, these dynamic individuals are changing the practice of communications for the better every day.

Read on for the full list of 2023 inductees, and learn how you can join us for a special awards ceremony on Feb. 28, 2024.

Congratulations to Ragan’s 2024 Top Women in Communications.

Bridge Builders

Melissa Buscher

Vice President, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer

SPX FLOW

 

Laci Hasenour

Vice President of Global Marketing and Global Brand Owner

Berry Global, Inc.

 

Kimberly Leidgertwood

Vice President, Internal Communications

Cognia

 

Trish Nicolas

Executive Vice President, rf.engage

Ruder Finn

 

Yolanda Schufford

Chief Communications & Public Affairs Officer

Beyond Finance

 

Gina Spatafore

Vice President of Corporate Communications & Public Relations

Ancestry

 

Angela Sullivan

EGM/SVP of Communications

Xero

 

Racquel White

Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Royal Canin North America

Royal Canin North America

 

Crisis Navigators

Marisa Bluestone

Senior Director, Communications

Macmillan Learning

 

Kristy Campbell

Chief Communications Officer

OneTrust

 

Gina Czark

System Vice President Public Relations and Content Strategy

CommonSpirit Health

 

Atalanta Rafferty

Co-Founder and Senior Executive Managing Director

RF|Binder

 

Sara Sendek

Managing Director

FTI Consulting

 

Data Dynamos

Jacqueline Boggess

Director of Communications

Corn Refiners Association

 

Alex Christian

VP, Research & Analytics

EvolveMKD

 

Karen Cyphers

Partner and Director of Research

Sachs Media

 

Sally Slater

EVP, Head of Innovation

The Bliss Group

 

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Champions

Ti’Ara Brown

Manager, Brand Communications

McDonald’s

 

Eliza Chlebeck

Vice President, Communications & Community

Andersen Corporation

 

Jewelyn Cosgrove

Vice President of Government and Public Relations

Melwood

 

Gigi García Russo

Chief Innovation + Growth Officer

HUNTER

 

Madeline Hiller

Senior Account Executive

French/West/Vaughan (FWV)

 

Priscila Martinez

Founder and CEO

The Brand Agency

 

Leah Reynolds

Principal, Engagement Practice

Buck, A Gallagher Company

 

Jenny Wang

Senior Vice President

Clyde Group

 

Dynamic Do-ers

Holland Behn

Lead US PR Manager for Smartphones and Lifestyle – Mobile

Samsung Electronics America

 

Lenee Breckenridge

Senior Vice President of Communications

UFC

Cortney Collins

Director, US Communications and Employee Engagement at Haleon

Haleon

 

Kenzie Freeman

Senior Program Specialist, Communications

Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO)

 

Erin Frostad

Employee Communications and Involvement Manager

Mohegan Sun

 

Reed Handley

Executive Vice President, Head of Growth, Financial Services Practice Co-Lead

The Bliss Group

 

Mayra Hernandez Bergman

Vice President, Communications & Marketing

Pepco Holdings

 

Megan Kessler

Chief of Integrated Marketing and Strategy

PAN Communications

 

Christina Leeds

Senior Director Public Relations

Amtrak

 

Stephanie McCay

Director, U.S. Communications

PCL Construction

 

Claire Nance

Head of Global Communications & Industry Marketing

Activision Blizzard

 

Jasmine Palmer

Supervisor, Brand Communications

McDonald’s

 

Krysta Pellegrino

Chief Client Officer

Health+Commerce

 

Amy Persons

Senior Manager, Earned Media

Aflac

 

Jordan Phillips

Senior Manager of Public Relations

Avocados From Mexico

 

Rania Rostom

Head of Global Communications & Marketing for GE

GE

 

Stephanie Rufo

Senior Manager, Brand PR & Influence

PATRÓN Tequila

 

Julie Sculley

Director, Corporate Communications

Virgin Pulse

 

Athena Snow

Senior Manager of Public Relations & Giving

Coldwell Banker Real Estate

 

Steph Spanos

Senior Director, Corporate Communications & Operations

Exact Sciences

 

Kristina Spychalski

Head of Communications

Spire Global, Inc.

 

Michelle Trautman

Director, Marketing Communications

SPX FLOW

 

Nancy White

Senior Director, Communications

Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association

 

Alison Zurcher

Director, Internal Communications

Seattle Children’s Hospital

 

Leaders

Jodi Amendola

CEO

Amendola Communications

 

Dawn Buzynski

Assistant Vice President, Communications

Hy-Vee, Inc.

 

Katie Clark

Vice President of Communications

Mattress Firm

 

Anne DeAngelis

Executive Vice President, Employee Engagement

Zeno Group

 

Vanessa DeGier

AVP, Communications

Providence

 

Nina Devlin

Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer

Vertex Pharmaceuticals

 

Keally DeWitt

VP Marketing & Public Policy

GAF Energy

 

Megan Doern

Public Relations & External Communications Leader

Deloitte Consulting, LLP

 

Theresa Dolge

EVP, Chief Media Relations Office

Evoke Kyne

 

Monique Fahlstedt

Senior Director, Internal Communications

ESPN

 

Melanie Fatouros-Richardson

Vice-President, Communications and Government Relations

SkipTheDishes

 

Brittany Geldmacher

SVP, Head of Corporate Brand & Communications

Scopely

 

Erin Griffin

SVP of Marketing & Communications

Riddell

 

Mara Hedgecoth

Chief Communications & Marketing Officer

APCO Worldwide

 

Suzanne Hendery

Chief Marketing, Communications & Customer Officer at Renown Health

Renown Health

 

Jennifer Hines

Chief Communications Officer

Tyler ISD

 

Jessica Hohn-Cabana

VP of Global Communications

Rocket Software

 

Katie Huang Shin

President

Big Valley Marketing

 

Ashley Kline Shapiro

Vice President, Publicity ABC Entertainment

The Walt Disney Company

 

Melissa Lander

Vice President, Communications

Trinity Health

 

Kate Laufer Gorenstein

Founder & President

KLG Public Relations

 

Lisa Lesniak

Senior Vice President and Chief Public Affairs Officer

Advocate Health

 

Amanda Marotti

Director, Strategic Communications & OCM

AWL Strategies, LLC

 

Johnna Muscente

Vice President of Communications & Public Relations

The Corcoran Group

 

Rebecca Nunez

Founder & CEO

The MRN Agency

 

Lauren Pearson Riley

Director of Communications

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

 

Joellen Perry

Global Head of Public Relations

SAP

 

Dalya Qualls White

Senior Vice President, Chief Communications Officer

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee

 

Melissa Sachs

Senior Vice President, Communications

Link Logistics

 

Lauren Triffler

Director of Corporate Communications

HARIBO of America

 

Hannah Vazzana

SVP, Chief Communications Officer

Hilton Grand Vacations

 

Heather Young

Vice President, Communications

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST)

 

Mentors & Coaches

Samantha Anderson

Vice President

EvolveMKD

 

Cindy Auten

Senior Partner, Communications

ICF

 

Ellen Bremseth

Director, Strategic Communications

Milhouse

 

Elizabeth Erpelding

Head of Partner & Client Experience, Marketing and Communication

Albertsons Media Collective

 

Jessie Monroe

Communications Consultant

Alliant Insurance Services, Inc.

 

Susan Stipa

Executive Vice President

CG Life

 

Tech Leaders

Donetta Allen

Chief Social + Digital Officer

HUNTER

 

Rachel Pipan

Founder

Maneuvre

 

Kelly Waltrich

Co-Founder and CEO

Intention.ly

 

Stephanie Wilson

Director, Global Marketing and Communications

ZS

 

Trailblazers

Diana Castellanos

Head of Marketing & Communications

Atlas Renewable Energy

 

Adrienne Chance

Senior Vice President of Communications and Executive Director of the SpartanNash Foundation

SpartanNash

 

Karlin Keller

Senior Director, Employee Communications and Employer Brand

Intel

 

Erin Lickliter

VP, Associate & Clinical Communications

Bon Secours Mercy Health

 

Stephanie Lowenthal

Global Head of Communications

Builder.AI

 

Tess Mattingly

Director, Brand Communications

McDonald’s

 

Kelly Miller

Managing Director

FTI Consulting

 

Justine Sacco

Chief Communications Officer

Match Group

 

Christina Stejskal

VP of Global PR & Communications

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation

 

Jody Sunna

Vice President Corporate Communications

Philip Morris International

 

Nichole Tillman

EVP-Communications

Philadelphia Housing Authority

 

Cheryl Waide

Chief Communications Officer

Vote Run Lead

 

Sharlene Wells

Senior Vice President of Public Relations and Organizational Communications

Mountain America Credit Union

 

Visionaries

Sara Aiello

VP, Corporate Marketing

Trellix

 

Rhiannon D’Angelo-Parsons

Director of External Communications & Media Engagement

Reynolds American Inc.

 

Gina Faridniya

Vice President, Spaces

Antenna Group

 

Tori Fernandes

VP, Corporate Communications

The Walt Disney Company

 

Sara Garibaldi

President

BODEN Agency

 

Jenna McMullin

Vice President of Communications

Lockheed Martin, Space

 

Marisol Mendez Peron

Senior Vice President, Communications & Corporate Affairs

Genmab

 

Jennifer Moreau

Vice President, Public Relations

Dollar General

 

Kristina Peterson-Lohman

Vice President, Global Communications

Weber

 

Amanda Schoch

Chief Communication Officer

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

 

Tracy St. Pierre

Executive Vice President, Global Communications & Marketing

Universal Studio Group

 

Emily Williams

Senior Vice President

Global Strategy Group

 

Courtney Young

Director Hulu Originals Publicity

Hulu

 

Jill Zuckman

Partner

SKDK

 

Rising Stars (Age 30 and Under)

Kristen Blomstrom

Director

The Levinson Group

 

Julia Brown

Director of Strategy

Kaplow Communications

 

Jessica Bryant

Account Manager

SourceCode Communications

 

Samantha Casamento

Senior Account Executive

EvolveMKD

 

Allison Chavez

Associate State Director of Communications

AARP-Florida

 

Amy Climenhage

Account Manager

Sachs Media

 

Sawyer Coffey Noel

Director of Communications and Marketing

Kentucky Chamber of Commerce

 

Kelsey Dalton

Senior Media Relations Specialist

City of Hope Orange County

 

Jane Ha

Manager, Communications

The Walt Disney Company

 

Sunjay Lee

Account Supervisor

Ruder Finn

 

Vianca Lopez

Account Manager

The MRN Agency

 

Samantha Miller

Senior Manager, Internal Communications

Xperi Inc.

 

Sabrina Negron

Director

FTI Consulting

 

Annah Otis

Account Supervisor

The Bliss Group

 

Michele Owen

Communications Director

City of Muncie

 

Maredie Palmer

Digital Communications and Employee Experience Manager

Dominos

 

Bailey Williams

Manager, Crisis Communications

McDonald’s

 

Michaela Zukowski

Senior Manager, Publicity ABC Entertainment

Walt Disney Company

COMMENT

PR Daily News Feed

Sign up to receive the latest articles from PR Daily directly in your inbox.