Pamela N. Edstrom

Outstanding Achievement Award Recipient

College of Liberal Arts, June 10, 2016

Pamela N. Edstrom, a pioneer in the field of public relations and strategic communications, received a bachelor of arts degree in sociology in 1971 from the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) at the University of Minnesota. After serving as Microsoft’s first director of public relations, Edstrom co-founded and played a key role in building Waggener Edstrom Communications, the second largest independent strategic communications agency in the world. She is described as a civic leader committed to expanding educational and professional opportunities for women and minorities, and increasing their representation in the communications field. She is an active member on the board of the LaGRANT Foundation, which provides scholarships, mentorships, professional development, and support to ethnic minorities pursuing advertising, marketing, and public relations careers. She has also contributed her philanthropy to scholarship and internship programs, including the Barbara Newsome Internships, established in honor of her mother in the CLA. Edstrom was selected as Woman Executive of the Year by the Portland Business Journal and one of PR Weeks’s 50 Most Powerful Women in PR and 100 Most Influential PR People of the 20th Century. And, most recently, she was CLA’s commencement speaker.

Biographies are as-of time of award presentation.