Halley Knigge has always believed in the power of storytelling. Whether she was crafting headlines in a newsroom or helping a beloved outdoor brand connect with its community, she’s leaned into curiosity, values, and adaptability to guide her journey. Today, she’s the Director of Communications at REI Co-op, where she leads a 28-person team across public relations, internal comms, DEI storytelling, and even the company’s historic archive.

But, her path didn’t start in corporate comms. It began at the dinner table, surrounded by journalists. “I grew up in a family of journalists,” she says. “Both of my parents were newspaper reporters.” While she was drawn to the profession, a bit of advice early on encouraged her to explore more than just journalism in school. So when she headed to the University of Washington, she chose to major in International Studies, with a focus on Western Europe, and added a French minor along the way.

That decision led her to spend a year in Paris at Sciences Po, an experience that would shape how she saw the world. “I loved it,” she recalls. One of the hot topics during her time there? The debate over Bulgaria and Romania joining the EU. Surprisingly, it wasn’t just politics that caught her attention. “I took a class on urban planning and absolutely loved it. It was so different from what I thought I’d enjoy, but it showed me how broad learning can be.”

After graduation, Knigge jumped into the world she’d grown up around: journalism. She started as a reporter for a small Idaho paper, then moved on to running a digital news site tied to a Seattle TV station. But as the media landscape shifted, so did her career. She found herself pivoting into communications and marketing, first for a nonprofit, then for a large healthcare organization.

It was during this time that social media exploded into relevance. “We were figuring out how to use it for good storytelling,” she says. That creativity, combined with her journalism instincts, opened new doors. One of those doors led to Alaska Airlines, where she helped launch their first blog and became a company spokesperson. “I was there through the Alaska and Virgin America merger. I say I got a bonus MBA just from living through that experience.”

Today at REI, Knigge leads work that’s rooted in history and values. A core idea that guides her work in corporate communications and storytelling is that everybody deserves equitable access to time outside. She highlighted the importance of values and how they “keep us steadfast in our communications and our decision making. They help guide what we do and how we show up.” Another aspect to her work in addition to PR and communications is managing REI’s historic archive which holds historic gear. This archive allows her team to reference the past in designs and current marketing campaigns. “I think it’s really different that we go back to the past to inspire the future, and the fact that our past is genuinely cool.” 

Throughout her career, Knigge has kept the mindset of a lifelong learner which is especially important in the field of journalism or communications. “You have to be a lifelong learner and you have to be really curious and you have to learn new things every day. Every new job you have, you have to go dig in and you have to figure it out.” 

And when it comes to chasing your “dream job”? Her advice: let go of the pressure. “Every job is going to give you something really beneficial for your career. I have learned 10 times more from the hard moments than the really fun, great moments.”