(She/Her)
“Don’t be afraid to make a fool of yourself.” As a shy and quiet kid growing up in West Virginia, those were the words Willa’s parents instilled in her to encourage her to come out of her shell and be bold. A former pageant queen, classically trained singer, and champion hog caller (SOOIE!), Willa now strives to live by them every day in both her personal life and career.
Willa is a proud graduate of Ithaca College’s Park School of Communications. As a “Parkie” Willa juggled numerous internships as a local broadcast reporter, event planner for a country music award show, and digital strategist for a presidential campaign.
Following graduation, Willa left the comfort of her small-town roots and moved to New York City to pursue a career in public relations, eventually making the transition from politics to B2B tech. A self-proclaimed “cybersecurity nerd,” she currently serves as an Account Director within ARPR’s cybersecurity practice group.
Willa is passionate about helping startups find their voice in the crowded cybersecurity media landscape, recently securing media placements in top-tier national, tech, and trade media such as The Wall Street Journal, The Verge, ZDNet and Infosecurity Magazine. She is a strong B2B writer with a knack for developing bold executive thought leadership platforms, including a campaign for one CEO that has garnered over 40 pieces of coverage in top-tier publications and multiple speaking engagements at top industry conferences like RSA.
While you won’t find Willa making a fool of herself on stage quite as much these days, she continues to take voice lessons and enjoys belting show tunes with friends at karaoke. She lives in upstate New York with her husband, Riley, and their beloved cat, Midge Maisel.
