More »
University Communications

University of Richmond names Lisa Van Riper as assistant vice president for communications

April 27, 2009

Lisa Van Riper, a senior communications professional with more than 20 years of experience managing external and internal communications, has been named assistant vice president for communications at the University of Richmond.

Van Riper will begin work at the university June 1, supervising media relations, Web development, crisis communications and internal and external communications.

Van Riper has worked the past seven years for CarMax Inc., first as director of public relations and then as assistant vice president of public affairs and store marketing. Her responsibilities include serving as chief communications and store marketing officer and managing internal and external communications, community relations, grand opening marketing and in-store marketing.

Van Riper "excels in strategic communications planning, leadership and marketing management," said Tom Gutenberger, Richmond's vice president of advancement. "I look forward to her joining our advancement team."

At CarMax, Van Riper created the public relations team, which manages media relations, crisis communications, award entries and the CarMax Foundation. She also handles internal communications and the company's entry into the annual Fortune "100 Best Companies to Work For" competition. CarMax has been on the list since 2005.

Before joining CarMax, Van Riper worked in marketing and public relations for Frito-Lay, Diageo North America-Northeast Region, Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits and Kraft Foods. She also worked for agencies Fleishman-Hillard and Hill & Knowlton, developing and managing strategic communications for a variety of clients.

Van Riper serves on the boards of Comfort Zone Camp and the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce. She holds a B.A. in English literature from Trinity College.