About Mike

Before becoming a founding partner of The Willard Group, he was managing director and market leader of global PR firm Burson-Marsteller's operations in Russia and Ukraine, supervising services in public relations, research, governmental relations, special events and advertising.

Willard has worked in Eastern Europe for more than 15 years. In 1998, he purchased Burson-Marsteller's Kyiv office and formed The Willard Group Companies. In 2001, the company opened a Moscow office, and in 2005, an Istanbul office, employing nearly 100 people throughout the system.

Prior to joining B-M, Willard was president and owner of Willard & Associates for nearly a decade before selling the advertising/public relations agency to his employees. During this time, he built W&A into a multi-million company with offices in Charleston, West Virginia and Washington, DC.

Willard was director of U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd's Democratic Leader's office when Byrd held that position, also serving in the capacity of communications, foreign affairs and domestic policy advisor for seven years.

Joining Byrd's office as press secretary, Willard quickly became a top advisor, traveling with Byrd to visit world leaders in the senator's capacity as Presidential Emissary for President Jimmy Carter.

Willard returned to West Virginia as Communications Director for then-Gov. John D.Rockefeller IV. Willard served as a political advisor to Rockefeller in his successful bid to win a U.S. Senate seat.

Prior to joining Byrd, Willard was State Manager for United Press International in Kentucky and then West Virginia. Early in his career, Willard was a reporter on various newspapers, including the Orlando Sentinel and the Tampa Times. He covered civil rights disturbances throughout the South, and the early lunar missile shots at Cape Canaveral.