Building on GodwinGroup’s legacy of support for the University of Southern Mississippi’s School of Mass Communication and Journalism, a room in newly renovated College Hall is being named in Donna Ritchey’s honor. She is a member of the School’s Advisory Board and served on the steering committee for the School’s capital campaign.
A 1987 graduate of the program, Ritchey received the George Godwin, Jr. Prize for Public Relations in recognition for academic achievement. GodwinGroup has sponsored public relations and advertising recognition awards at Southern Miss for nearly 30 years. Donna joined GodwinGroup in 1989, earning a reputation as one of the Gulf South’s leading strategists in issues management, environmental affairs and branding. In 1995 she became a shareholder and now serves as a principal shareholder, Senior Partner/Chief Strategy Officer. She leads reputation management, branding and communication initiatives for a number of global, Fortune 500 and leading brands with interests across the region.
Accredited by the Public Relations Society of America, Donna and GodwinGroup have received recognition and numerous awards from the Southern Public Relations Federation, O’Dwyer’s, AdWeek and Ad Age. In 2002, The Mississippi Business Journal named Donna one of the state’s “50 Leading Business Women.” She is a member of the University of Southern Mississippi Foundation’s Heritage Society, and was inducted into the Southern Mississippi Mass Communication and Journalism Hall of Fame in 2009.
