Press Releases

Date: 2025-11-12
Location: Chicago, IL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ragan CEO Diane Schwartz Wins Silver Stevie® Award for Maverick of the Year

Award recognizes visionary leadership transforming the communications industry

Chicago, IL (Nov. 12, 2025) — Diane Schwartz, CEO of Ragan Communications, was named a Silver Stevie® Award winner for Maverick of the Year in the 22nd Annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business, which honor the world’s top women entrepreneurs, executives and organizations.

The Maverick of the Year title recognizes Diane’s leadership, tenacity and reimagining of the role of communications as a critical business driver. While the media industry faced widespread disruption and declining revenues, she made a contrarian move by abandoning the traditional trade publishing model and transforming Ragan from a 60-year-old media company into the communications industry’s first comprehensive professional development ecosystem, with learning and development along with community at its core.

Diane and her team have built a purpose-driven organization, earning a place for the first time on the 2025 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the United States.

Her reimagined approach has produced several industry firsts, including:

  • The Communications Framework, a standardized competency system now adopted by many of the top global companies.

  • The Center for AI Strategy, which positions more than 200 charter members at the forefront of workplace AI transformation.

  • A Women’s programming division addressing the representation gap in senior communications roles, where women make up 80% of the profession but remain underrepresented in executive positions.

Through initiatives such as the Ragan Communications Leadership Council, the premier membership community for communications teams, and Ragan Training, the industry’s comprehensive online learning platform offering more than 500 courses and credentialed certificate programs, Diane and her team have elevated the communications function from tactical support to strategic business partner. Communications Week, acquired during Diane’s tenure, has become one of the industry’s largest gathering of communications professionals worldwide.

“Being recognized as a Maverick of the Year reflects the passion and creativity of our entire team,” Diane said. “Our mission is to empower communicators to lead with insight, integrity and impact in an era of transformation.”

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business were presented at a gala event in New York City on Nov. 10, honoring women leaders from more than 25 countries.

For more information, visit StevieAwards.com/Women.