IPR is featuring some of the many women PR pioneers and modern-day heroes to celebrate Women's History Month
Denora “Denny” Griswold was born in New York in 1908. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Hunter College and received a master’s degree from Radcliff College. She went on to become a radio commentator for the Mutual Broadcasting Company, a script writer for NBC, and was managing editor of Forbes magazine.
Griswold is credited with bringing recognition to public relations as its own profession. In 1944, she founded the industry’s first newsletter, Public Relations News. She served as an editor for the newsletter for nearly 40 years and won a Guinness World Record for founding the first public relations weekly in the world. PRNEWS is still in operation today.
In 1946, she also founded the first women’s public relations organization, Women Executives in PR (WEPR). Throughout her life, she received over 100 awards and honors for community and public relations achievements. Griswold died in 2001 at the age of 92 years old.