Whitney Slightham, CEO

Whitney Slightham is a seasoned communications professional with 15 years of experience in strategic communications, digital marketing, brand development, and public relations. Her campaigns have garnered 12 national and international awards, and she has a proven ability to drive revenue and elevate technical stories in prime media markets, securing coverage in outlets such as the BBC, CBC, Washington Post, and NPR. She founded Mesa Marketing in 2022 and is studying Pharmaceutical Management at Cornell University.

Most recently, Whitney served as the Communications Director for Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. In this role, she led a team and supported 37 principal investigators and 400 employees with internal and external communications projects. She directed international media relations campaigns that reached over 600 million people worldwide in 2021, doubled science story output, and significantly boosted audience engagement and community size by 500% as the primary social media manager. Whitney also spearheaded the redesign and launch of the institute’s website, resulting in a 20% increase in unique user website traffic within six months.

Prior to Virginia Tech, Whitney managed city-wide communications campaigns, crisis communications, and community engagement for the City of Roanoke, Virginia. Reporting directly to the City Manager, she grew and managed a digital community of 220,000 followers and produced viral video content that reached 3 million viewers worldwide. Her efforts led to a major website redevelopment project that increased City recreation program registrations by 30% and generated 100 leads per month, earning a 2017 Gold Public Relations Society of America Award. Whitney also initiated the City’s Welcoming Roanoke program to engage immigrants and refugees, successfully securing funding through New American Economy’s Gateways for Growth grant.

At 434 Marketing, an award-winning digital marketing agency, Whitney served as Marketing Director, overseeing hundreds of content marketing and web development projects. Her content strategy for the City of Lynchburg’s website won a silver International Economic Development Council award, increasing site traffic by 397%, lead conversions by 476%, and generating 376 new leads within three months post-launch.

Whitney holds an honors bachelor’s degree in English from Western University, a postgraduate certificate in Public Relations from Humber College. She is completing a certificate in Pharmaceutical Management at Cornell University.