Edie Surtees
Communications Director
Disability Rights Texas
United States
About Edie Surtees
Edie Surtees has worked in the nonprofit communications space for more than two decades. In the 12 years that she has served as Communications Director for Disability Rights Texas (DRTx) she’s led numerous digital projects that prioritize accessibility for people with disabilities.
Prior to joining DRTx, Edie held a variety of communications leadership roles, working for two advertising agencies, a drug rehab hospital, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and the American Heart Association where she was part of the nationwide launch of Go Red for Women. She also ran her own public relations consulting company serving a variety of clients in the nonprofit, education, and banking sectors. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from The University of Texas at Austin top-ranked McCombs School of Business.
During her time at DRTx, Edie has worked to ensure communications efforts are strategic and focused with the ultimate goal of supporting legal advocacy strategies that successfully protect and advance the rights of Texans with disabilities. She led the effort to create a new website, elevated digital accessibility standards, developed the agency’s first communications policies and procedures manual, and oversaw the development and implementation of the agency’s first digital fundraising plan. She works closely with the agency’s expert staff spokespeople to successfully earn thousands of local, state and national media placements each year promoting the agency’s priority issues. Edie has also partnered with National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) on several national projects and presented several times at its Annual Conference.