Partner
Katie Lilley can recite every American president in order in 12 seconds or less. And if you think that’s a neat trick, you should see what she can do for the challenges facing her clients. Katie is a founding partner of Hillenby, and she has a wide range of experience in public affairs, corporate communications, government relations, grassroots and issue advocacy.
Prior to forming Hillenby, Katie was a vice president in the Strategic Communications Group at McGuireWoods Consulting. There, she coordinated campaigns for businesses, institutions of higher education and advocacy organizations.
In 2008, Katie took a hiatus from her corporate career to serve as communications director for a historic Congressional race in which Alabama Democrat Bobby Bright was elected to a seat not held by a member of his party in nearly 50 years. It made The Washington Post’s list of “Best House Campaigns of 2008.”
Before the Bright campaign, Katie worked at Edelman where she executed a number of high-profile campaigns for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies such as Wal-Mart and General Electric to trade associations like the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). Her work won a number of significant industry awards including PR Week Corporate Image Campaign of the Year and Holmes Report Gold SABRE Award for Corporate Image Campaign of the Year.
Katie got her professional start working for the First Flight Centennial Commission, where she helped coordinate the celebration of the Wright Brothers’ 100th anniversary at Kitty Hawk, NC.
A devoted, life-long Tar Heel, Katie earned her degree in Art History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (“The Southern Part of Heaven”) with distinction and highest honors, and she is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. While that may lead you to believe that Katie spends every free moment in a museum — a pastime she truly enjoys — she’s always up for a competition. Challenge her to anything from tennis to Trivial Pursuit, and you’ll find out why her colleagues call her “Killer.”
You can reach “Killer” through our contact page or by emailing her at contact@hillenby.com.