Greg Witter is a veteran communications professional with more than four decades of experience spanning journalism, government, corporate communications, digital media, and higher education. A 1984 graduate of Washington State University’s Murrow College of Communication, he began his career as a newspaper reporter before moving to Washington, D.C., where he served as a press secretary and legislative aide to members of the U.S. House and Senate from the Pacific Northwest.
In 1989, Witter joined Alaska Airlines, where he spent 15 years in progressively senior leadership roles across media relations, internal communications, government affairs, and shareholder communications. As managing director of corporate and strategic communications, he led the airline’s public response to the Flight 261 tragedy in 2000, overseeing a crisis communications effort widely recognized for its clarity, transparency, and compassion. His early use of the internet as a central crisis communications tool was regarded as groundbreaking. As part of the boutique strategic communications firm he’s operated for many years he lectures on crisis communications for professional and academic audiences.
Witter is also the co-founder and executive editor of Cougfan.com, the award-winning CBS Sports affiliate covering Washington State athletics, which he launched in 1998 with a focus on in-depth reporting and source-driven storytelling. Over nearly three decades, the site has attracted a national audience and provided professional experience to dozens of Murrow students.
Over the years, Witter has remained deeply engaged in public service and education, including teaching as an adjunct instructor at Seattle University, serving on the Murrow College Advisory Board, and holding a longtime trusteeship with the WSU Foundation.