Biography

Gwendolyn Richards is a writer, editor, communications specialist and senior lecturer in the Bissett School of Business. 

She spent more than 20 years in media, covering breaking news, health and politics for a variety of publications, including the Globe and Mail — based in its Vancouver bureau — the Vancouver Sun and Calgary Herald. There, most of her coverage concentrated on crime and calamity before she traded covering illegal activities for pieces on Italian food and île flottante as a food writer. 

Her work telling the stories of those who lost their lives in the deadly floods in and around Calgary in 2013 earned her — as part of a team of Calgary Herald reporters — a National Newspaper Award for breaking news.

As a freelance writer, her work has appeared in Avenue Magazine, Food Network Canada and Culinaire. Today, she continues to pen pieces on food trends, restaurants and recipes for outlets, while also serving as a judge and writer for Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants and Bars. 

A communications strategist and consultant, she shares her skills and knowledge with corporate clients, as well as post-secondaries and those working in the health-care field. Her work includes journalism-style writing, strategic communications campaigns and website projects. Her work on updating the Calgary Foothills Primary Care Network’s new site contributed to the team winning a dotCOMM Award and an IABC silver leaf.

Gwendolyn joined Mount Royal University in 2016, teaching social media fundamentals and strategy for Continuing Education before becoming a sessional instructor for journalism, focusing on foundational skills. Today, she also teaches MGMT 3210, helping prepare students for successful careers in the world of business with a solid foundation for  how to effectively communicate. 

Her cookbook, Pucker: A Cookbook for Citrus Lovers, was published in 2014.