Kendall Ridley is the Senior Director of Communications & Marketing at AAUW. As an award-winning strategist, Kendall stewards the AAUW brand, uplifts its research and critical advocacy work, and ultimately, ensures AAUW’s message reaches the right audience at the right time.
Kendall’s career has been defined by a commitment to excellence, a keen understanding of the ever-evolving media landscape, and a passion for crafting compelling narratives. Her experience spans nonprofits and philanthropy, trade associations, financial services, tech, and commercial real estate development. She’s amassed a track record of orchestrating campaigns that have won national recognition and has earned media coverage on a national level.
Kendall believes effective communication is built on trust, and her ethical approach to media relations has earned her respect among peers and journalists alike. You have seen Kendall’s media relations work in NBC News/Today Show, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, USA Today, Time, and more. Her career highlights include senior communications and marketing roles at the Council for Responsible Nutrition, CoStar Group, and nearly seven years leading her own boutique creative firm.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Kendall is a mentor and advocate for the next generation of communications professionals. You can find her speaking to high school and college students about their career options and helping her undergraduate sisters of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. perfect their resumes and coaching them ahead of job interviews.
Kendall earned her bachelor’s degree from George Mason University, where she majored in communication, served as vice president of her sorority, and was a teaching assistant for a 300-level course in rhetorical criticism.
Kendall is currently completing her master’s degree in public relations and corporate communications at Georgetown University, completed a program in Nonprofit Management Essentials at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Business, and earned a certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace from the University of South Florida’s Muma College of Business.