Jeri McDonald touched the minds and hearts of many in her chosen field of public relations. She is best remembered for her dedication to the nonprofits and arts organizations of Seattle and for her dedicated work as a graduate and advocate of WSU.

Before founding her public relations firm, Jeri McDonald and Associates, she worked as Director of Public Relations for the Seattle Symphony and in a similar capacity for the Seattle Art Museum. Jeri and Art McDonald were original members of the Visiting Committee, prior to the establishment of the WSU Foundation. She served on the WSU Foundation Board of Trustees in the 1980s. At the time of her death, she was a WSU Trustee Ambassador and a member of the WSU Advancement Communications Committee.

She received the WSU Outstanding Alumna Award in 1988, the Alumni Achievement Award in 1989 and the WSU Foundation Outstanding Achievement Award in 1991. She and Art were founding co-chairs of the advisory board to the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication and she was an advisor to the WSU Art Museum. The Jeri McDonald Endowed Scholarship in Public Relations supports students of the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication.

Jeri McDonald was a native of Dee, Oregon and graduated in 1953 from WSU with a B.A. in Speech and an emphasis in radio and television.