Diane Gage Lofgren, APR, Fellow PRSA, a longtime communications executive and PRSA member who served on the Board of Directors, has passed away. She was 67.
Lofgren was a member of the College of Fellows Class of 2009 and sat on the Board of Directors with former College of Fellows Chair Geri Evans, APR, Fellow PRSA.
“Diane was one of the most gentle and beautiful ladies I have ever met,” said Evans. “She was quiet but, when she spoke, everyone listened as she had such great wisdom and experience to offer.”
A graduate of San Diego State University, Lofgren opened her own firm in 1983 and held numerous communications positions in health-care companies, including Sharp HealthCare, Catholic Health Initiatives and Kaiser Permanente.
In 2017, Lofgren and her husband, Matt, endowed The Diane Gage Lofgren Endowed Scholarship for Journalism at San Diego State University (SDSU), benefiting students in the School of Journalism and Media Studies, which includes majors in advertising, journalism, media studies and public relations. She was named a Distinguished Alumna in the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts at SDSU in 2018.
She wrote numerous articles for PRSA publications and was the author of nine books, including “Women I Want to Grow Old With.” She discussed her writing career in a San Diego State University alumni video in 2018.
Lofgren retired in 2017 as senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Sharp Healthcare and divided her time between San Diego and West Virginia. She is survived by her husband Matt and two children. Arrangements are pending.
