Susan Ridge, the chief marketing officer at the global non-profit Save the Children, has been appointed vice president for communications at Johns Hopkins University.
Ridge, a communications, integrated marketing, and public affairs professional for more than 30 years, will join the university in July.
Image caption: Susan Ridge
"Susan will work with me and other leaders across the institution to shape and guide the public voice and messages of our university," said Ronald J. Daniels, president of the university, who recommended Ridge's appointment to the board of trustees. "As a member of my cabinet, she will also provide counsel to senior leadership as we work to advance our strategic priorities."
Ridge will lead an Office of Communications staff that tells the university's stories and those of its students, faculty, and staff in print, via digital and social media, in video, and through the news media. She will also coordinate communications teams throughout the university in collaborative efforts to reach audiences around the world, across the nation, and inside Johns Hopkins.
Ridge said she has been drawn throughout her career to working in organizations "with a strong sense of purpose and a commitment to innovation."
"These are both core attributes of Johns Hopkins," she said, "and I'm proud to bring my knowledge and experience to help further the ambitions of America's first research university. I'm excited to collaborate with President Daniels and the entire Johns Hopkins community to advance our mission of teaching, research, and service and, ultimately, to make the world a better place."
As Save the Children's vice president for marketing and communications since 2010, Ridge has worked to build awareness of the non-profit's programs to give children in the United States and around the world a healthy start, the opportunity to learn, and protection from harm. In 2016, Save the Children reached more than 157 million children in 120 countries.
Ridge led the development of the humanitarian organization's creative and content strategy; its social engagement and media relations strategies; its digital marketing and fundraising campaigns; and its celebrity ambassador program, all targeted to reach supporters in the United States. She also headed last year's introduction of a new global brand, visual identity, and message strategy supporting all 29 members of the worldwide Save the Children Federation.
Previously, she was, among other positions, vice president for communications at the National Federation of Independent Business and managing director at the New York City-based public relations and communications firm Burson-Marsteller.
Ridge is a member of the board of directors of Humane Rescue Alliance. She is a 1983 graduate of Ohio University, where she has also served as a senior policy fellow at the George Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs.
Tagged university administration, marketing
