SUPERPOWER: Bringing order to chaos
Vice President for Strategic Communications and Marketing, West Virginia University
Heather Richardson always knew she wanted to write, in whatever form it took. She was a broadcast major in college, but when she took a couple of classes in public relations, she realized that that was what truly gave her energy. After getting her MBA and spending years at a PR agency, she then followed a career path home to West Virginia University. That decade-long path led her to the central marketing and communications unit, then to the John Chambers College of Business and Economics for six years, and now to her new role as vice president for Strategic Communications and Marketing for the entire university. As she sets a new direction for the WVU brand with her team, Richardson says she’s living her dream job.
Richardson believes the evolution of the WVU brand involves identifying the many positive impacts WVU makes and recognizing all of the players who make them possible, then putting those successes front and center through storytelling. One of her standout moments at WVU has been the opening of Reynolds Hall, an accomplishment of garnering excitement through storytelling for donors and students alike.
As higher education is confronted with unique and growing challenges, Richardson is more committed than ever. “It is easy, with the headwinds that higher education is facing, for people to say, ‘Why should I keep doing this?’” she says. “But if everybody who loves WVU and believes in the outcomes that it can provide for our students leaves when challenges hit, then what’s left? We need people who are truly committed and believe in West Virginia University to shape its next chapter and to be on the front lines fighting to give it a strong future.”
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER 2025 WEST VIRGINIA WONDER WOMEN
Learn more about our Wonder Women
Since 2014 WV Living magazine has been honoring West Virginia Wonder Women, amazing women who are raising the bar in their communities, serving as beacons of light in their industries, and forcing change for the greater good. WV Living is proud to celebrate these Appalachian mothers, millennials, and mavens proving that in a time full of uncertainty, divisiveness, and hate, love for one another is all we really need. No need for bulletproof bracelets or a golden lasso of truth—these women are creating a better West Virginia with their can-do attitudes and Mountain State spirit.
Leave a Reply