Wanda J. Herndon

Wanda J. Herndon is an award-winning expert and trailblazer in the field of public relations and corporate communications. She sharpened her communications skills at Dow Chemical and DuPont before becoming the first senior vice president of global public affairs and communications for Starbucks Coffee Company, from 1995 to 2006. Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman and CEO, asked her to return to the role in 2008 to help execute the company's turnaround strategy. After her one-year engagement, she focused on her entrepreneurial endeavors and writing projects. During her initial tenure at Starbucks, she helped the company grow from 550 stores to over 15,000 stores spanning five continents.

In 2006, Wanda founded W Communications, a consulting firm that provides strategic communications counsel and strategy development and execution. She pursues her passion for the arts as a Broadway producer and investor in Tony award-winning musical theatre productions such as Memphis: The Musical and Come From Away. She is also a published poet and co-author of the anthology Writing While Masked: Reflections on 2020 and Beyond.

Wanda loves travelling the world to experience new places, people, and things. She relaxes by reading, writing, or socializing with family and friends. She is an avid walker and exercise enthusiast. One of her guilty pleasures is binge-watching movies and TV series of all genres in the comfort of her Seattle home.

Wanda's family values education as the best tool to rise above one's circumstances. She earned bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism, and was awarded an honorary doctor of humanities degree from Michigan State University.

***photo by Roxanne Alabastro, Alabastro Photography, Seattle, WA