Richelle Payne

RICHELLE PAYNE is Vice President for Strategic Communications and Marketing at Hampton University where sits on the President’s Administrative Council and leads the strategies and team to raise the institution’s global visibility and deepen its reputation as one the world’s great universities.

Richelle is instrumental in shaping and communicating the stories of the people and programs at Hampton, showcasing the university’s interdisciplinary approach to solving some of our greatest challenges facing our communities, our nation and the planet, highlighting the work of outstanding thought leaders and researchers, and amplifying the distinctive student experience that sets Hampton apart.

With over 30 years of experience in reputation management, Richelle has held progressively responsible leadership roles in agency management, corporate communications, entrepreneurship, and has spent more than a decade dedicated to tackling the unique challenges of higher education. Her expertise lies in bringing analytical rigor to help startups and global enterprises mange cultural and organizational change, maintain relevancy and manage crises.

Throughout her career, Richelle has provided consulting, coaching and commentary on the behavioral changes that drive transformation. Her clients include prominent organizations such as the Philadelphia Eagles, Verizon Enterprise Solutions, the Obama Foundation, the Knight Foundation, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and LPL Financial, a Fortune 500 company.

Before joining Hampton University, Richelle was a partner at Ascendant Group, a global CEO branding firm. There, she played a pivotal role in establishing new practice areas and expanding the agency’s U.S. operations across offices in four states, with global teams in the Netherlands, Canada, the UAE, and Cairo. Her work helped the firm achieve significant growth, reaching seven-plus figures – a milestone accomplished by only 1.7% of Black-owned companies.

Richelle is a recognized thought leader, having provided commentary on diversity in the PR industry, media representation, business ethics, and social justice issues in outlets such as PR Week, Philadelphia’s WURD and WHYY radio stations, WCAU and WAVY TV stations, and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Her contributions to the industry have been acknowledged with numerous accolades, including being named to the Philadelphia Titan 100 and receiving the Top Woman in PR-Change Maker award. She received the 2024 Salute to Excellence award from the National Association of Black Journalists and awards in Social Media, Digital and Content Marketing from Ragan Communications.

She is committed to an extensive philanthropic portfolio that includes serving as President Emeritus of the National Black Public Relations Society, Inc., a member of the board of directors for Diversity Action Alliance, adviser to Public Relations Society of America, Inc., and member of the National Association of Black Journalists.

Richelle holds a B.A. in English from Hampton University (1989) and an M.A. in Corporate Communication from Duquesne University (1991). Her distinguished career is further validated by the Certified Communications Professional (CCP) designation from the AWC Matrix Foundation.