Ragan Awards

Meet the 2026 class of Top Women in Communications

These women use their vision, discipline and drive redefine what’s possible in communications.

By PR Daily Staff
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Ragan’s Top Women in Communications Awards 2026 recognizes leaders who have pushed the profession forward across internal and external communications, public relations, HR, brand and beyond. Their work reflects a blend of intuition and precision coupled with a commitment to strengthening how organizations connect with the people who matter most.

The Class of 2026 honorees were undaunted into another year of rapid change. They’ve shaped narratives with data-informed insight, embraced emerging technologies with purpose and crafted strategies that meet audiences. With an ability to stay grounded in empathy while navigating complex business realities, they’ve guided teams and organizations through expansions, reorganizations, milestone moments and everything in between.

This year’s leaders set new expectations for excellence at every level. They are executives, builders, creators and catalysts — widening the path for those who will follow and strengthening the foundation of the communications field with every decision they make.

See below for the list of honorees and join us for the Top Women in Communications Awards Luncheon on March 3 in New York City! Congratulations to these extraordinary award winners.

Agency Leaders

  • Lisa Arledge Powell — CEO & Founder, MediaSource

  • Jennifer Becerra — Partner, EVP/Chief Strategy + Creative Officer, H+M Communications

  • Melissa Buch — CEO & Founder, Brandbuch

  • Megan Driscoll — CEO & Founder, EvolveMKD

  • Abbie Fink — President, HMA Public Relations

  • Jacqueline Gogel — Managing Director, Vested

  • Barbara Goldberg — CEO & Founding Partner, O’Connell & Goldberg

  • Tatiana Guiloff — Chief Executive Officer, MGC Global Group

  • Leah Katz — Managing Director, Zeno East, Zeno Group

  • Lauren Kleinman — Founder / CEO, Dreamday

  • Steph Lund — Chief Executive Officer, MSQ Sport + Entertainment

  • Priscila Martinez — CEO and Founder, The Brand Agency

  • Tanya Meck — President, Communications & Public Affairs, Global Strategy Group

  • Kate Ryan — Managing Director, US, Diffusion PR

  • Bonnie Taylor — Chief Communications & Strategy Officer / Partner at Talent Resources, Talent Resources

  • Stephanie Wallace — Senior Vice President, Marketing, Nebo

Brand Storytellers

  • Kimberly Allen — Senior Associate Vice President of Communications and Marketing, Tulane University

  • Anne-Marie Avalon — Senior Director of Communications, Security Scorecard

  • Tanya Bevington — Head of Communication, IKEA Canada, IKEA Canada

  • Kristy Campbell — VP, Corporate Communications, Dynatrace

  • Nicole Carriere — Managing Director of Consumer and International Public Relations, United Airlines

  • Lauren Danis — Chief Brand & Communications Officer, Eventbrite

  • Brittany Geldmacher — SVP, Head of Worldwide Corporate Brand & Communications, Scopely

  • Lesley Gold — Co-Founder and CEO, SutherlandGold

  • Danielle Grossman — Director of Strategic Communications, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

  • Morgan Guthrie — Director, Editorial & Content Leader, Guidehouse

  • Michelle King Savio — Senior Vice President, Head of Consumer Banking Communications, Citizens

  • Angela Martin — Vice President, Customer Insights & Branding, Dollar General

  • Sonia Portaluppi — AVP of Communications, Dreamday

  • Lauren Salisbury — Vice President, Communications, Santa Monica Travel & Tourism

  • Nandini Sankara — Vice President Marketing and Brand Strategy, Spokesperson, Suburban Propane

  • Nicole (Nikki) Sloup — Senior Vice President – Brand, Communications & PR, Progress Residential

  • Katie Townsend — Chief Communications Officer, Seattle Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena

  • Courtney Widli — Communications Manager, Casella Waste Systems, Inc.

  • Judy Woloshen — VP of Public Relations, IFC Entertainment Group, AMC Networks

Bridge Builders

  • Leila Dillon — SVP, Corporate Marketing and Communications, Ameresco

  • Cecilia Hughes — Executive Communications Director, Cisco

  • Sally Schiff — Vice President of Internal, Owner and Executive Communications, Hilton

  • Jordana Strosberg — VP, Global Communications, Adtalem Global Education

  • Lindsay Treadway — Vice President, Public Affairs & Advocacy Relations, Exelixis

Change Agents

  • Elizabeth Ardoin — Chief Communications Officer, First Horizon Corporation

  • Tiffany Darmetko — Managing Director, Integrated Strategy & Services, Inkhouse, an Orchestra agency and Head of Innovation, Orchestra, Orchestra

  • Zareen Fidlon — SVP, Head of AI Innovation and Integrated Marketing, PAN

  • Hillary Goodman — Managing Director, Gagen MacDonald, an APCO Company

  • Sarah McCarthy — Global Head of Communications, OneSchool Global

  • Michelle Mucci — EY Americas Assurance Director of Brand, Marketing, and Communications, EY

  • Caroline Payne — Senior Vice President and Client Relations Director, The Mach 1 Group

  • Susan Song — Chief Marketing Officer, Keesler Federal Credit Union

  • Molly Soto — Vice President, Ruder Finn

  • Maureen St George — Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, USG Corporation

Crisis Navigators

  • Kate Pulio-Deighton — Senior Director, FTI Consulting

  • Julie Rosa — Vice President, Communications, Purdue University

Data Dynamos

  • Heddy DeMaria — Chief Strategy Officer, HUNTER

  • Lauren Melcher — Director Enterprise Reputation & Risk, Target

  • Talan Tyminski — Senior Vice President and Client Service Director, The Mach 1 Group

  • Daniela Villa — Global Head of Communications, Bitso

Dynamic Do-ers

  • Adrienne Bentley — Sr. Brand Manager, PR, Aflac

  • Kathryn Brenner — VP, Public Relations, AMC Networks

  • Lauren Butka — Marketing Director, ECMSI

  • Nikia Deveaux-Christie — Director of Marketing, Nassau & Paradise Island Promotion Board

  • Julia Eshleman — Creative Director, Tri-State Generation and Transmission

  • Amanda Ferrari — Vice President of Client Services, Hellerman Communications

  • Chesleigh Fowler — Senior Director, Media Relations, Travelers Insurance

  • Natasha Goodwin — Vice President of Marketing and Membership, Information Technology Industry Council

  • Ashley Jacobson — Sr. Director, Corporate Marketing, PubMatic

  • Alissa Koay — Senior Vice President, Lot Sixteen

  • Zen Logsdon — Senior Manager, PR, City of Hope

  • Vishakha Mathur — Vice President, SKDK

  • Elizabeth Murphy — Director, FTI Consulting

  • Lucy Neer — Vice President, Kaplow Communications

  • Eloisa Orozco — Director, Corporate Communications & ESG, Encore Capital Group

  • Heather Sheppard — Senior Vice President, Fahlgren Mortine

  • Michele Tinson — Senior Manager, East Coast & Midwest Public Relations, Hyundai Motor America

Healthcare Communicators

  • Erin McDonough — Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

  • Tama McWhinney — Vice President, Internal Communications, Ascension

  • Alexis Odesser — Managing Director, Head of Account Excellence, Business of Health Co-Lead, The Bliss Group

  • Virginia Oliva — Sr. Director, Communications & Activations, Children’s Health

  • Barbara Osborn — Deputy Chief Public Relations Officer, Northwell Health

  • Riddhi St. Clair — Senior Director, Corporate Communications, RxBenefits

  • Teresa Stepic — Managing Director, Strategic Communications, FTI Consulting

  • Goldie Taylor — Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

  • Addy Toevs — Media Relations Manager, Children’s Hospital Association

  • Kathy Winn — Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Compassus

Internal Communications Leaders

  • Sarah Andrews — System Director, Internal Communications, City of Hope

  • Myriam Chikirou — Head of Global Internal Communications, Merck KGaA

  • Mitali Chopra — Senior Manager, Colgate-Palmolive

  • Cristi Goettel — Director of Strategic Communications, BOK Financial

  • Debbie Greene — Vice President, Internal Communications, Dow Jones

  • Alyssa Hagan — Director of Internal Communications, MGT

  • Kristyn Kerr — Global Communications Director, JLL

  • Hannah Kisling — Sr Manager, Internal Communications (U.S. Stores), The Home Depot

  • Sarah Martin — Sr. Manager, Executive and Employee Communications, Intel

  • Rachel Nelson — Director, National Communications, Trinity Health

  • Gladys Roman — SVP Corporate Communications, Advantage Solutions

Leaders

  • Sarah Alamshaw — Vice President of Public Relations, Seattle Storm

  • Amy Brundage — Managing Director, SKDK

  • Amanda Carl-Pratt — Director, Head of Communications, Google DeepMind

  • Rebecca Casamayor — Senior Public Relations Lead, MyFitnessPal

  • Jennifer Davidson — Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

  • Elena Harrington — Senior Marketing Manager, Albertsons

  • Jennifer Hendricks Sullivan — Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Fifth Third Bank

  • Catherine Higgins Whiteside — Senior Vice President, Marketing/Communications, Sunrise Banks

  • Stephanie Holland — SVP, Communications & Marketing, American Chemical Society (ACS)

  • Vanessa Hsia — Senior Director, The TASC Group

  • Jennifer Kaplan — President & CEO, Evolve PR & Marketing

  • Melissa Layton — Vice President, Head of Global Communications, Crocs Inc.

  • Claudia Linh Sakamoto — Executive Director, Brand and Social Content, City of Hope

  • Carolina Mata — Senior Vice President, Employee Communications, Integral

  • Megan McCarl — Sr. Director of PR, Wolverine Worldwide

  • Laura Rawson — Vice President – Marketing and Communications, Cambridge Investment Research, Inc.

  • Keri Toomey — Executive Vice President, Professional Services Leader and Head of Employee Experience, The Bliss Group

  • Sarah Vellozzi — Managing Director, U.S. Corporate Affairs, Golin

  • Katie Vroom — Senior Vice President, Gregory

  • Janet Zaldua — CEO, Marina del Rey Tourism Board

Mentors & Coaches

  • Susan Brake — Partner, Development Counsellors International

  • Camila Clark — Senior Vice President Marketing & Communications, Visit Lauderdale

  • Julie Cochran — Senior Director, Global Social Media, Merz Aesthetics

  • Maggie Jenkins — Director, FTI Consulting

Social Impact Leaders

  • Joanne Engelhardt Risko — Vice President, Strategic Marketing, The Dairy Alliance

  • Sharon Gordon — Senior Vice President, Social Impact, Syneos Health

  • Chryste Hall — Director, Advocacy Outreach and Communications, AARP

  • Alina Hauptman — Associate Public Relations Director, Best Friends Animal Society

  • Haiwen Lu Langworth — Vice President, Global Communications & Marketing, Tent Partnership for Refugees

  • Dena Martini Toms — Chief People Officer, HUNTER

  • Emily Schwartz — Partner, Strategic Communications, Bryson Gillette

  • Jessica Simington — Senior Social Impact and Communications Specialist, Diversity & Sustainability Office Lead, Sony Electronics Inc.

  • Lisa Travatello — Chief Marketing Officer, GENYOUth

Tech Leaders

  • Lauren Beckley — Senior Manager, Internal Communications, BrightSpring Health Services

  • Megan Shroy — Founder and President, Approach

Visionaries & Trailblazers

  • Monica Caponigro (Khattar) — Managing Director, Bobbie

  • Katie Conover — Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Syneos Health

  • Kelsey Grady — Chief Global Communications Officer, Nextdoor

  • Kristina Helb — Vice President of Global Communications, Sotheby’s International Realty

  • Winna Ironkwe — Director of Communication & Engagement, City of Greeley, Colorado

  • Shannon Litton — CEO, 3LS Professional Services

  • Karla MacDonald — Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Entrada Therapeutics

  • Kirsten Salmanowicz — Senior Manager, Global Media Tech and Governance, 3M

  • Whitney Swistock — Senior Director of Corporate Communications, Inovalon

Rising Stars

  • Molly Eisner — Director, TLG Communications

  • Sonny Franks Miller — Global Corporate Communications Manager, Clarios

  • Madeleine Goff — Associate Director of Communications and Public Relations, Mark-Taylor Residential

  • Lauren Helms — Associate Product Marketing Manager, Customer Lifecycle, GFiber

  • Meredith Janeiro — Account Manager, Growth and Media Operations, Theorem

  • Katie Landmesser — Account Director, Dreamday

  • Emily Lange — Manager – Merchandising Communications, The Home Depot

  • Kayla Martin — Manager, Visual Communications, Disney Entertainment Television

  • Rachel Pikovsky — Associate Director of Marketing and Communication Operations, Muscular Dystrophy Association

  • Katie Reimel — Senior Vice President, C Street Advisory Group

  • Alexis Santiago — Senior Manager, Communications & Special Projects, Disney Entertainment

  • Caroline Senter — Public Relations Manager, Performing Arts Houston

  • Victoria Smith — Senior Marketing Manager, TRC Talent Solutions

  • Alexa Stegeman — Senior Account Executive, The Fletcher Group

  • Gioia Chiara Uva — Manager, U.S. Strategic Projects, Philip Morris International U.S.

  • Camila Velayos — Associate Account Executive, H+M Communications

  • Devin Walsh — Account Director and Chief of Staff, Haymaker Group

  • Lindsay Waters — Account Manager, Porter Novelli

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