Will Whitley
Greenville,South Carolina
Summary
Performance-Driven, Executive-Level Experience in Community Relations, State & Local Government Affairs, Corporate Recruiting, and Employee & Labor Relations. Background encompasses extensive senior-level experience with demonstrated commitment to meeting and exceeding organizational objectives with strong orientation to people.
Highlighted Achievements:
· Managed $15 million annual budget for Communications, Brands, and Government Affairs Department, responsible for implementing strategy, progress initiatives, staffing goals, and reporting metrics for functional areas, including government affairs, communications, and public relations.
· Oversaw expansion of Industrial Technical Apprenticeship program throughout key manufacturing facilities across multiple states as a member of the Regional Workforce Development Team Program.
· Developed and executed local and state lobbying strategy in route to obtaining approval of $50MIL sustainable development project at key manufacturing site.
· Appointed as member of the Strategic University Partnership Team which co-constructed and formalized programmatic student offers with five initial university partners with a scalable models for future expansion.
· Raised a record $1 million in donations for annual Michelin Corporate Golf Tournament event to fund ten benefiting charity, and non-profit organizations throughout the US and Canada.
· Led planning, programming, and volunteer engagement events of annual employee contribution campaign, which was recognized as the “#1 Large Employer Campaign” by United Way of Greenville County four consecutive years during tenure in position.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Project Manager (Employee Relations & Labor Relations)
Michelin North America
2024.01 - Current
- Appointed to role to leverage broad experience in governmental affairs and community relations to strengthen employee and labor relations strategic initiatives for all Michelin North America facilities in US & Canada
- Appointed to lead team tasked to identify and manage strategic outplacement projects for North America
- Responsible for coordinating cross-functional team to develop wage and skilled labor recruiting program to be implemented organization wide upon completion.
Director of State & Local Government Affairs/Community Relations
Michelin North America
2019.01 - 2024.01
- Coordinated all state/local government affairs and community relations across North America
- Responsible for implementation and management of Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives for 35 facilities across 17 states, with additional accountability for ensuring proprietary market access and project funding in conjunction with legislative delegations, academic institutions, trade associations, and Non-Governmental Organizations
- Worked directly with local, state economic development agencies to identify renewal and expansion of critical tax incentive and FILOT agreements on behalf of multiple facilities across South Carolina
- Oversaw critical expansion of Industrial Technical Apprenticeship program throughout manufacturing facilities across multiple states as member of Regional Workforce Development Team Program
- Developed and executed lobbying strategies for all Michelin business lines at local and state levels.
Chief of Staff & Director of Events
Michelin North America
2016.01 - 2019.01
- Oversaw all governance and steering functions for Communications, Brands, and Government Affairs Department; maintained additional oversight for $15 million annual budget, as well as overarching strategy and progress, staffing, reporting, and daily operations.
- Promoted to newly created Chief of Staff/Director of Events position based on recommendations from Executive Staff
- Reduced department’s YOY spend to below established forecasted targets within first two (2) years of employment as Chief of Staff
- Served as Project Lead for North America Events Transformation initiative to identify event function efficiencies within North American region, subsequently saving +$12 million via headcount and targeted reductions.
Corporate Recruiting Manager
Michelin North America
2013.01 - 2016.01
- Selected to join Corporate Recruiting Department to accelerate targeted hiring of high potential candidates for engineering, maintenance, and other technical roles
- Chosen as exclusive lead recruiter for then newly created North American Global Digital department, with focus on executive-level and project management positions; similarly appointed as co-lead of RFP processes to identify approved corporate recruiting agencies for all of North America
- Achieved record number of hires for critical technical positions (78% increase from previous year); Acknowledged for completing highest number of executive-level hires in North America for 2015
- Promoted to Senior Corporate Recruiting Manager based on recommendations from Executive Staff.
Technical Project Manager (Facility)
Michelin North America
2011.01 - 2013.01
Maintenance Unit Leader
Michelin North America
2008.01 - 2011.01
Education
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (with Honors) -
North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University
Greensboro, NCSkills
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Community Engagement
- Strategic Implementation
- Project Management
- Building Brand Influence
- Public Relations
- Team Building & Leadership
- Mentoring/Coaching
- Employee Relations Management
- Communication & Training
- Creative Thinking
- Relationship Building
Honors/ Civic Community Leadership
- Named one of Greenville Business Magazine’s 2023 Most Influential People
- South Carolina State Chamber 2023-24, Board Chairman of Executive Committee
- Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce, Board Member
- Anderson County Chamber of Commerce, Board Member
- Clemson University Industry Advisory, Inaugural Board Member
- South Carolina Manufacturing Alliance, Board Member
- United Way Greenville Race Equity & Economic Mobility Commission
- Michelin African American Network, President
- Greenville County YMCA, Board Member
- Habitat for Humanity, Build Leader
Prior Experience
Diversified technical experience in previous engineering and maintenance roles within the manufacturing sectors: E.I. DuPont, Agfa, Sealed Air Corporation.
Timeline
Senior Project Manager (Employee Relations & Labor Relations)
Michelin North America
2024.01 - Current
Director of State & Local Government Affairs/Community Relations
Michelin North America
2019.01 - 2024.01
Chief of Staff & Director of Events
Michelin North America
2016.01 - 2019.01
Corporate Recruiting Manager
Michelin North America
2013.01 - 2016.01
Technical Project Manager (Facility)
Michelin North America
2011.01 - 2013.01
Maintenance Unit Leader
Michelin North America
2008.01 - 2011.01
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (with Honors) -
North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University
Similar Profiles
Marie StrongMarie Strong
IT Project Manager at Michelin North AmericaIT Project Manager at Michelin North America
Xavier CarterXavier Carter
Extruder Machine Operator at Michelin North AmericaExtruder Machine Operator at Michelin North America
Tom BudgeTom Budge
Manufacturing Operator at Michelin North AmericaManufacturing Operator at Michelin North America