Shelbey Gunter
Shelbey Gunter is a Web Strategist at the University of Wyoming, where she has contributed to institutional marketing for six years. Beginning her journey as an intern while pursuing her BA in Communication with a Journalism minor, she transitioned to a full-time role after graduating in 2020. At the university, Shelbey specializes in enrollment and retention marketing, managing the web presence of over 300 degree programs and streamlining prospective students’ online experiences. She has led major initiatives, including a CMS migration from Cascade to Modern Campus and a subsequent design migration, ensuring that the university’s digital platforms are both functional and user-friendly.
Beyond her institutional role, Shelbey has built a diverse professional portfolio, including freelance website and digital marketing work for local nonprofits. Her expertise spans content strategy, SEO, social media management, and project management, giving her a broad toolkit to craft compelling online experiences. She is also actively engaged in professional communities, contributing to the National Millennial and Gen Z Community and participating in IPR NEXT, where she collaborates with emerging leaders in communications and public relations.
Shelbey’s career philosophy centers on authentic storytelling and human-centered digital experiences. From her early days as a journalist and lifeguard to managing complex web projects, she emphasizes teamwork, adaptability, and building meaningful connections with audiences. Outside of work, she is committed to community service, serving on the board of Peace of Mind, a local nonprofit supporting individuals with disabilities and acute brain injuries, and actively pursuing personal passions such as reading, sports, and mentoring.
• Staying Organized While Working Remotely or On-Site
• Executive Presence on Video Conference Calls
• Remote Work Foundations
• Leading Virtual Meetings
• Leading at a Distance
• SEO
• Google Universal Analytics Essential Training (2020)
• AT&T Summer Learning Academy Extern
• University of Wyoming - B.A.
• National Millennial and Gen Z Community
• IPR NEXT
• Board Member at Peace of Mind (nonprofit assisting people with disabilities and acute brain injuries)
What do you attribute your success to?
I would say working for people who care about you as a person. I think it might be hard for larger companies to care about you as a person all the time, especially if you work for a larger company, but keeping the folks around you - your supervisor, your colleagues that you work day-to-day with - working for those people that do care about you, and you care about them as people, has really helped me in my career. Even working through the darker days in my career, having those people that you care about and you know care about you has definitely been some of the advice that I've gotten and kind of have seen in my career. That's the best advice that I can receive.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is to work for people who care about you as a person. I think it might be hard for larger companies to care about you as a person all the time, but keeping the folks around you - your supervisor and colleagues that you work with day-to-day - working for those people that do care about you, and you care about them as people, has really helped me in my career. Even when working through the darker days in my career, having those people that you care about and you know care about you has definitely been some of the best advice that I've gotten and have seen play out in my career.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say don't be afraid to ask questions, but before you ask those questions, thoroughly do your research. I think that people are more than happy to answer questions, but they want to see some work on your side. They want to see that you have tried to answer that question yourself, and that you do care about answering that question. So yeah, don't be afraid to ask questions, but definitely do your research before you do.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I would say that AI is definitely taking over web marketing and web strategy. It's definitely helpful - there's a lot of power in AI for getting meta descriptions out there, getting headings out there, and making websites accessible, which is fantastic. But I think for authenticity, there's going to have to be that human touch, and that's going to be super important, especially in my field of higher education. The students coming in are Gen Alpha and Gen Z, and they've been on the internet since they were children. I think they're going to start piecing together if something was written by AI, and they're going to be looking for more of that personalization and that human touch. So while AI is great in filling in some gaps, I think it's important for web marketers and marketers in general to be cautious and make sure they're always having a human touch on whatever AI is spitting out for them, because that can really deter consumers and clients and whoever else their audience is. Sometimes your AI chatbot can't encapsulate a brand, and that's really tough.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I would say in a world that feels like we're constantly listening to people talk and talk and talk, instead of talking ourselves, active listening and empathy are most important to me. I try to find that humanistic aspect of people. I think at the end of the day, everyone is looking for a reason to fight against someone or agree with someone, so I think actually listening to someone's points and their views, and then taking that and having empathy with that - those are super important values that I look to do for myself, and I hope that people reciprocate that as well.