Alicia Ritter — a two-time public relations agency owner, corporate board director, senior communications strategist, and career-long philanthropic champion — has joined the Idaho EdNews board.

EdNews is a nonprofit media agency governed by a four-person board.

“Alicia has long been a mentor to me so I’m thrilled to have her on our board,” said EdNews CEO and founder Jennifer Swindell. “Her board experience is unmatched, and she’s a huge advocate for what we do and the value we bring to education conversations in Idaho.”

Ritter’s corporate board experience includes service as an outside director and chair of the Independent Committee for Blue Cross of Idaho’s Idaho Care Plus, the former holding company that oversaw its Medicare and Medicaid business lines. Additionally, she is a former public company board director of Idaho Independent Bank (now First Interstate Bank) and has served on corporate boards for Tolsma-Grisnich and the Arid Club of Boise.

On the philanthropic side, Ritter is a board member of the Idaho Catholic Foundation, in addition to holding prior board service for the Benton Community Foundation in Oregon, the Oregon State University Foundation (Beaver Caucus Legislative Advocacy), and Foundation for Idaho History.

“I consulted with Jennifer on the launch of EdNews 13 years ago. I am passionate about supporting female founders, it’s thrilling to see what she and her team have accomplished with their education reporting in Idaho,” Ritter said, “and am excited to be part of this next chapter of growth.”

Drawing upon 30-plus years of work in the public relations industry as an agency owner and thought leader, Ritter also currently provides C-suite level consulting services to organizations and leaders seeking assistance with challenging issues related to branding, differentiation, reputation management, and crisis communications. She continues to have a soft spot for helping female founders grow, start and exit their businesses, and serves as a startup adviser and mentor at Trailhead Boise.

Ritter holds a master’s of science degree in advertising and integrated marketing communications from Northwestern University, in addition to a bachelor of arts degree in rhetoric and communication from the University of California, Davis. She has earned a National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) governance fellowship and is a graduate of Deloitte’s onBoarding Women program, a national initiative to place female executives in public company directorships.