Ragan and PR Daily add 4 women to Communications Hall of Fame

The role of the communicator keeps ascending to the top of the business world—but only because of the tireless work of generations of talented professionals.

Ragan and PR Daily is honoring the contributions of four women to the profession, adding them to the list of honorees in the Communications Hall of Fame of Ragan’s Top Women in Communications Awards. Their leadership and service has benefited countless colleagues and consumers, helped build brands and drive innovation.

Susan Ann Davis, Chairman, Susan Davis International

Susan Ann Davis

In terms of top-level executive messaging, Susan Davis has done it all.

 She has represented the heads of more than a dozen countries on issues ranging from economic crisis to nation-building and trade expansion. She is a long-term strategic communications consultant on U.S. military and veterans issues for the Department of Defense, and she personally raised $5 million to establish the Women in Military Service Memorial.

For eight years she was board chair of Vital Voices Global Partnership, a prominent NGO that has empowered more than 15,000 emerging women leaders in 144 countries.

Beyond her many career triumphs, she also deeply believes in giving back and mentoring the next generation of women in communications. Four decades after she first arrived in Washington, D.C., she still mentors more than two dozen women from countries such as India, Panama, Israel and Tanzania who have started public relations agencies. She regularly counsels and mentors them via Skype, WhatsApp and We Chat, and she supports women fighting against human rights abuses in Iraq, Serbia and Cambodia.

Washingtonian Magazine has called Davis one of “Washington’s Most Powerful Women”—and we are proud to induct Davis into our Communications Hall of Fame for the Class of 2021.

Michelle Delery, Director of Employee and Communications Services, Entergy

Michelle Delery

Throughout her 21-year career at Entergy Corporation, Michelle Delery has been a relentless force for change and innovation.

As a leader with the integrated energy corporation, Delery is actively sought by leaders and peers for her expertise, creativity and strategic thinking. Delery has helped transform the company’s communications for the digital age. She transformed Entergy’s in-house digital and creative services capabilities, creating a state-of-the-art studio staffed by in-house graphics and video teams. Those teams have been prolific, with hundreds of live webcasts and in-house video productions during the peak of the pandemic and hurricane season, including 44 separate video productions for Hurricane Laura alone.

She has also helped spearhead the launch of new internal communications tech, such as Workplace from Facebook, which has become an essential communications channel that helps senior leaders keep the workforce informed and engaged—as shown by superlative scores on yearly employee surveys.

Her leadership has made all the difference for her organization, and she continues to be a voice for excellence and integrity for her colleagues and her team.

We are proud to recognize her as an honoree for the Hall of Fame Class of 2021.

Anne Marie Squeo, CEO and Founder, Proof Point Communications

Anne Marie Squeo

Anne Marie Squeo has many impressive organizations on her CV—IBM, Netflix, Lockheed Martin and Xerox to name a few.

 Now at the head of her own outfit, Proof Point Communications, she uses the many lessons she has learned advising CEOs and transforming cultures to drive new business and offer expert counsel to clients.

Squeo has acquired a reputation for rising to a challenge. At Netflix, she volunteered to lead the announcement for a year-long, secret plan to launch its entertainment TV service to a global audience. From the main stage at CES, Netflix surprised the audience and the world by “flipping the switch” on 130 countries during its hour-long keynote. Media coverage was 95% positive, with key message penetration of nearly 100%. Netflix was the most searched keyword on Naver, South Korea’s No. 1 search portal, and the launch story was among the top 10 most-read business stories of all time on the Times of India’s website.

Before her career in communications, Squeo spent 15 years as a journalist at The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. It’s some of those expert skills honed as a journalist that make her an exemplary communicator and a force to be reckoned with wherever she goes.

We are proud to recognize her as an honoree for the Hall of Fame Class of 2021.

Karen Strong, Associate Executive Director of Communications (retired), Texas Association of School Boards

Karen Strong

Karen Strong has been a pioneer for women in the communications profession, starting with her work for the city of Austin and leading to her long service for the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) beginning in the 1980s.

Strong helped define the TASB, serving as a writer of countless op-eds, speeches and magazine articles. She refined the customer journey experience long before the term was coined. She helped lead transformation with new ideas such as a training conference for district administrative professionals and a student video contest. She also shepherded a long succession of public campaigns like Proud Products of Texas Public Schools and Stand up for Texas Public Schools, in addition to social media advocacy outreach through Texans for Strong Public Schools.

After retiring from her role with the TASB in 2020, Strong now works as a consultant and is revered for her many contributions to the communications industry and public education.

We are proud to recognize her as an honoree for the Hall of Fame Class of 2021. Learn more about all of the Top Women in Communications Awards honorees here.