Renée Sue Edelman

Attributing her success to her parents, who taught her the value of lifelong education, self-reliance, and giving back to one’s community, Renée Sue Edelman has excelled in the news and communications industry—dedicating her career to helping clients accurately tell their stories and take actions that improve society. Starting out in the early 1980s as a news assistant at the New York Daily News and a reporter at Central Jersey Home News, she joined the family business in 1987; Edelman, a global communications and public relations firm that partners with businesses and organizations to advance their brands and reputations, was founded by her father, Daniel J. Edelman, one of the modern PR industry pioneers, in 1952. Her brother, Richard, is the company’s chief executive officer.

Ms. Edelman began as an account supervisor for two years before becoming the vice president of technology from 1990 to 1993, senior vice president from 1993 to 1996, and executive vice president of new media from 1996 to 1998. She subsequently helped found and develop Edelman’s sister company, PR21—which operates today as Zeno Group, an integrated PR agency—serving as its executive vice president of new media from 1998 to 2003. She was active as a senior media strategist at Edelman from 2003 to 2020 before advancing to senior vice president of diversity and inclusion for a year; since 2021, she has been the senior vice president of archivist and special projects. Her primary responsibility with the company pertains to diversity recruiting, working within the global human resources department, and organizing educational events to attract candidates with varied backgrounds to work there. Since 2013, has served on the board of directors for Daniel J. Edelman Holdings, Inc.

In addition to her main endeavors, Ms. Edelman was active as a board member for the Children’s Museum of Manhattan from 1994 to 2021, and has been part of the Women’s Leadership Council at Phillip’s Exeter Academy since 2021 and a board member for Theater for the New City since 2022. Growing up in Chicago, she learned about public relations from her father and was inspired to pursue college and build a career by her mother, Ruth Anne, who found her own success in the corporate field. Naturally, persistent, curious, and gifted at writing and connecting with people, she attained a Bachelor of Arts in English from Yale University in 1977 and a Master of Science in journalism from Columbia University in 1980.

Ms. Edelman aspires to continue her passion of mentoring young people, passing on what she learned from her parents, and helping them to launch their careers. Ms. Edelman also intends to write a book about her mother.