Ruth Ellen Kinzey, founder and president of The Kinzey Company, is known for developing strategic and comprehensive communication strategies. Throughout her career, she has emphasized the importance of strategically linking communication, branding, marketing and corporate social responsibility. Always focused on protecting and enhancing an organization’s reputation, Ms. Kinzey has led companies through crises as well as helped them actively enhance their reputations.
Ms. Kinzey has worked in corporate environments within the grocery retail, trucking, natural gas and computer software industries. During her prolific career, she has prepared change management communication, launched brands, developed government relations strategies, dealt with special interest groups, managed crises, established community relationships, supervised corporate foundations, educated consumers, engaged employees, created corporate citizenship platforms, supported investor relations activities, and executed public relations and marketing campaigns. In addition, she has been a radio news broadcaster.
Having worked for global organizations, Ms. Kinzey is experienced in diverse cultural settings. She has consulted in the travel and tourism, manufacturing and banking sectors as well as assisted nonprofits. Her executive speech coaching sessions have helped business leaders improve their overall presentation skills and prepare for important meetings and events.
Ms. Kinzey taught public relations, public speaking and journalism at UNC Charlotte. In addition, she established and chaired the Journalism Curriculum Committee and oversaw Communication Department internships. She has conducted seminars on topics ranging from crisis communication and improving presentation skills to working with board of director members and personal brand management.
A regular contributor to the Business Journal, Ms. Kinzey’s columns have appeared nationwide and addressed a wide variety of reputational topics such as corporate trust, corporate social responsibility, strategic communication, employee engagement, and developing carefully planned relationships with government and nonprofit partners. Her corporate social responsibility comments on sustainability and health and wellness matters in the grocery industry can be seen in her blog at http://www.whrefresh.com. She collaborates with the United States Chamber’s Business Civic Leadership Center and is one of their seven guest editorial network contributors. She served as a judge, selecting the finalists, for the BCLC’s Corporate Citizenship Awards, presented at the organization’s 11th Annual Corporate Citizenship Awards Dinner in November 2010.
