MEET THE TEAM: Barb Willis
Ghostwriting for C-suite executives is a far cry from growing up in a federal housing project. Meet Jeff Winton Associates consultant Barb Willis, whose determination to succeed against all odds resulted in a multifaceted communications career.
Barb experienced adversity at an early age. When she was five, she lost her dad and her 12-year-old sister to acute medical conditions. Barb’s mom was suddenly faced with having to raise a child alone in poverty, and she hustled by typing for a local business and sewing dancing school costumes.
Barb was able to attend college thanks to a New Jersey State Scholarship that fully covered tuition for a state school. “I chose Rutgers-Newark, which was a short bus ride from home, because dorming was financially out of the question,” says Barb. “I loved the ethnic and racial diversity on the Newark campus and the inspiring exchange of ideas.”
After graduating Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in English education, Barb received her M.A. in media from Montclair State College at night while working days as a retail copywriter and employee newsletter editor. It was not long before an opportunity to give back presented itself.
“When I was a kid, The Salvation Army helped my mom,” Barb recalls. “I was thrilled to be hired to write fundraising literature, public service announcements and my first speech – for legendary newsman Walter Cronkite! He was the keynote speaker at the annual fundraising event, and to my surprise, he read the speech word-for-word!”
Victory! Barb poses after a hole-in-one shot at Disney’s Winter Summerland Miniature Golf in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Future positions focused on media relations and crisis communications at a regional trauma hospital and later as area public relations director for mall developer Simon Property Group. When retail took a financial hit during the 1990 recession, Simon centralized its publicity within its Indiana office. Barb freelanced for an agency with the Ferrari North America account, creating profiles of Ferrari collectors for the luxury car company’s glossy magazine. Soon, Dorf & Stanton (now Weber Shandwick) offered her a full-time job overseeing a varied portfolio of accounts.
Barb loves concerts, whether a national act or a local band. (Photo: At a Springsteen show in East Rutherford, N.J.)
A few years later, an exceptional opportunity arose when Minnesota-based UnitedHealthCare was planning to make its New York, New Jersey and Connecticut debut. “I was given the freedom to develop a bold advertising campaign that looked unlike competitor ads,” says Barb. “I also coached our high-profile CEO for media interviews and drafted his speeches.”
After UnitedHealthCare became a market leader, Barb’s position was no longer needed. She got her first taste of the pharma industry at an Omnicom agency, where she was responsible for the Pfizer account. This led to her joining Schering-Plough’s Scientific Communications Department, where she headed commercial optimization teams for an oncology and an HIV drug while also helping researchers get their studies published.
“I had a front-row seat to the R&D process,” says Barb. “It provided a unique insight that prepared me for when a colleague introduced me to Jeff Winton, who headed global communications. Jeff and I clicked immediately.” In addition to other projects, Jeff directed Barb to be the communications liaison to four of the company’s leadership team members. “It gave me a feeling of accomplishment to write in the unique style and voice of each of the Schering-Plough executives assigned to me,” says Barb.
When Merck purchased Schering-Plough, Barb became co-editor of the merged company’s global intranet. Two years of merger layoffs followed, and Barb was in the eighth round. She quickly rebounded with a full-time position for Vitiello Communications, leading Novartis and Merck accounts.
In 2019, Barb planned to retire and move from her native New Jersey to central Florida. She signed a contract for new home construction in Dec. 2019 and, in July 2020, was faced with one of the biggest challenges of her life: having to relocate on her own at the height of the COVID pandemic.
“During the move, I called upon the strength and resourcefulness that my mom had taught me. Though she passed away in 1986, I felt her presence every step of the way. Her courage has remained a beacon throughout my life,” says Barb.
Barb has been to several zoos across the country.
This baby camel clearly recognized her.
When Jeff asked Barb in early 2020 to join his newly-formed remote agency, Barb couldn’t refuse. “Jeff has a knack of recruiting the best, brightest and kindest people in the industry. It’s been a joy to work with such a talented group of professionals.”
In her free time, Barb enjoys going to the movies, attending live music events, playing mini-golf and exploring the endless range of things to do in central Florida. For a few years, she was a columnist for the former WDW Fan Zone website, writing about hidden gems for tourists to the Orlando area.
A sampling of the nearly 200 character ornaments in Barb’s collection.
Barb also greatly admires animation art and is always on the lookout for character ornaments for her table-top and 7’ Christmas trees. Her collection is a trip down memory lane with famous characters from Disney, Peanuts, Universal, Sesame Street, Hanna-Barbera and many cartoon syndicates.
“You could say that I am a kid at heart,” says Barb. “I think my mom would approve!”