Kimberly Hill Ridley, a 1994 Public Relations/Journalism alumna who was appointed New York State’s first-ever Chief Disability Officer in 2022 by Gov. Kathy Hochul, was recognized as the Raymond Simon Institute’s 2026 Outstanding Alumna.
Ridley has had a distinguished career in public policy and disability rights advocacy, spending 28 years as director of the New York State Assembly’s Task Force on People with Disabilities where she filled roles that included organizational leadership, public policy, crisis communication and public relations and legislative and government affairs.
It was an honor, she said, to receive an award in the name of Professor Emeritus Raymond Simon and though Simon had retired by the time Ridley became a Utica student, he remained a large presence on campus and in the public relations industry. He set the standard for excellence in communication, education and public service.
“Professor Simon stood for something even more important – the belief that clear, ethical and strategic communication has the power to inform, persuade and create real positive change in the world,” Ridley said. “That belief has guided me through my own journey.”
At age 16, a spinal cord injury at a New Year’s Eve party changed the course of her life. She didn’t realize what could have been only a personal challenge became the catalyst for a lifelong commitment to advocacy and public policy.
She attended Utica University, then known as Utica College of Syracuse University, to stay close to her family after the accident. Ridley grew up in New Hartford and graduated from New Hartford High School.
Throughout every chapter of that career, the lessons she learned at Utica stayed with her, she said. Simon and the other PR/J faculty emphasized that good writing isn’t about sounding impressive, it’s about being understood.
“In policy work, I’ve seen time and time again that the best ideas can die if they’re buried in jargon,” Ridley said. “The ability to translate complex issues into clear, compelling messages or stories, is one of the most powerful tools any of us can possess.”
As a current Council Member on the National Council on Disability, Ridley serves as the nation’s voice on disability policy by advising the President of the United States, Congress and other federal agencies on policies, programs, practices and procedures that impact people with disabilities.
RSI’s annual awards breakfast was held on Saturday, April 11 in the Donahue Library Concourse where 21 students in the Communication and Media and Digital Media Marketing programs received awards and scholarships. Ridley also visited campus on Friday, April 10, where he spoke to students in the spring Media Writing class.
