Education

B.A., Journalism - Public Relations, University of Georgia

Background

Bryony Wardell is an award-winning strategic communications professional with more than two decades of experience across agency, university, government and corporate settings. She joined the University of South Carolina’s College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management in 2016 as director of communications and marketing before moving into a part-time role in February 2024 focused on special projects. As director, she supervised earned, owned and paid content; brand visibility and engagement; graphic design and web management, and was responsible for developing, executing and measuring the strategic communications plan for the college.

Wardell graduated summa cum laude from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism - public relations. She began her career in Atlanta working for an integrated PR, marketing and public affairs firm for such clients as Starbucks, Ruby Tuesdays, TNT Fireworks, BC Powder, Kroger, and the Southeastern Brick Association.

Her prior experience also includes working as a freelance media relations specialist for Ketchum, Inc., serving as communications director for the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University, managing PR for a publicly traded software corporation in Charleston and serving as public information director for S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) overseeing digital communications and strategic marketing for the agency’s environmental side of the house.

Wardell's areas of expertise include strategic communications planning and implementation, public relations, social / digital media and brand management.

Honors / Awards

• PRSA SC Chapter Mercury Award of Excellence / Facebook Engagement – 2019
• PRSA SC Chapter Award of Merit / Brand Management – 2019
• PRSA SC Chapter Award of Merit / Content Marketing – 2019
• CASE Region III Special Merit Award / Communications and Marketing – 2019
• PRSA SC Chapter Mercury Award of Excellence / Brand and Reputation Management Campaign – 2018
• PRSA SC Chapter Silver Wing Award of Excellence / Multimedia – 2018
• PRSA SC Chapter Silver Wing Award of Excellence / Newsletters – 2018
• PRSA SC Chapter Silver Wing Award of Excellence / Social Media – 2018
• South Carolina State Library Notable State Documents Award – 2016)
• Public Relations Society of America — Colorado Chapter Gold Pick Award for Media Relations – 2015
• APEX Best Redesign Award – 2015

Professional Affiliations

• American Marketing Association
• Public Relations Society of America

Areas of Interest

• Strategic communications planning
• Public relations
• Content marketing
• Brand development
• Social media
• Digital communications