Heather Richardson

Heather Richardson is a three-time WVU graduate and vice president for WVU Strategic Communications and Marketing, where she leads marketing, communications, brand, storytelling, and public affairs efforts to elevate the University’s reach and reputation in alignment with the vision of President Michael T. Benson.

Richardson has invested the last decade of her career telling the story of the University that helped shape her own. Before bringing a new vision to Strategic Communications and Marketing and overseeing a successful brand refresh, she served for six years as assistant dean for Strategic Communications in the WVU John Chambers College of Business and Economics, working with her team to build momentum with alumni and students for Reynolds Hall, the new learning complex for the WVU business school that opened in 2022.

Prior to returning to her alma mater in 2015, Richardson spent five years in the private sector at a public relations agency specializing in community engagement, crisis communications, and strategic communications for Fortune 500 industrial clients. She also served as a correspondent for West Virginia’s weekly business journal.Heather Richardson is Vice President for Strategic Communications and Marketing at West Virginia University, where she leads the University’s marketing, communications, brand, storytelling and public affairs efforts in support of President Michael T. Benson’s vision.

A proud Mountaineer and WVU alumna, Richardson returned to her alma mater in 2015 after five years in the private sector. She spent four years in the University’s central marketing and communications division, advancing WVU’s reputation through strategic communications, storytelling and institution-wide marketing initiatives supporting recruitment, retention and fundraising.

In 2019, she became Assistant Dean for Strategic Communications in the John Chambers College of Business and Economics, where she led communications and marketing for six years. She aligned the College’s strategy with enrollment and engagement goals, launched audience-focused campaigns that increased undergraduate and graduate enrollment, and helped build excitement for Reynolds Hall, the College’s state-of-the-art learning complex that opened in 2022.

Before joining WVU, Richardson worked at a public relations agency specializing in community engagement, crisis communications and strategic communications for Fortune 500 industrial clients. She also served as a correspondent for West Virginia’s weekly business journal.

Richardson holds a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and dual master’s degrees in Business Administration and Public Administration from WVU.