Rebecca L. Noricks is an accomplished communications strategist and practitioner with more than two decades of experience in the philanthropic, public and private sectors.

Prior to joining Dogwood, she was a communications officer for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) in Battle Creek, Michigan, one of the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. There she led robust communications strategies in support of the foundation’s mission and deep commitments to racial equity, community engagement and leadership development.

Since 2019, she led the communications and knowledge strategy for WKKF’s Expanding Equity program, which focuses on advancing racial equity, diversity and inclusion in the private sector. The program supports a network of 600+ leaders from 100+ companies in 10+ industries in implementing DEI strategies that create workplace cultures where all workers can thrive. As a skilled facilitator and public speaker, Noricks served as a trainer and curriculum developer for the program’s communications and change management components.

Noricks also managed program communications for the foundation’s racial equity and racial healing, community engagement, leadership development, food systems and place-based work in New Mexico and New Orleans. She led seven national branding and messaging efforts, including: WKKF’s organizational identity rebrand; WKKF Community Leadership Network; Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation; National Day of Racial Healing; Catalyzing Community Giving; WKKF’s 90th Anniversary; and Expanding Equity.

As a digital strategist, she co-authored WKKF’s first foundation-wide content and editorial strategy, which guided the foundation’s overall storytelling, web, email, social media, publication, knowledge and media strategies for more than a decade. As an internal and change communications lead, she supported WKKF’s transformation to a networked structure, serving as a coach to teams and supporting a wide range of projects to increase the foundation’s agility, internal alignment and external effectiveness.

Prior to WKKF, Noricks was director of communications for the Council of Michigan Foundations, the largest regional membership association of grantmakers in the U.S. and held two national public affairs positions for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in business communications from Calvin University and a master’s degree in public administration with a nonprofit management emphasis from Grand Valley State University. She is also certified in change management and human centered design.

Noricks lives with her husband Mike and their four beloved pets: two Olde English Bulldogges (Diesel and Pickles) and two cats (Miss MoneyPenny and Ramona Quimby).