Press

Houston media professional Laura Whitley joins TDECU as Vice President of Communications

TDECU announced a key staffing addition with the naming of Houston media strategist Laura Whitley to the role of Vice President of Communications for the more than $4B organization. Whitley joins the team President and Chief Executive Officer Isaac Johnson is cultivating and is responsible for both internal and external communications for Houston’s largest credit union. According to Johnson, “I’ve had the privilege of working with Laura over the years, witnessing the impact she makes on an organization. She is a skilled communications professional who is highly regarded within the Houston community, and I look forward to the energy she will bring to TDECU.”

Whitley comes to TDECU following a wide-reaching public relations and journalism career. She leveraged her expertise to serve the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) as a media specialist and spokesperson. During her tenure, she hosted The Next Stop podcast which provides transit news and information for one of the country’s largest metropolitan areas and developed content which supported the agency’s outreach and expansion, including the region’s largest transit investment to date, METRONext. In addition to her success at METRO, Whitley embraced her entrepreneurial spirit founding Houston-based communications firm Reel Media Solutions in 2009, which positioned her as a go-to field producer for network news programs including Good Morning America, World News Tonight, and 20/20. Whitley also held reporter and producer roles for KTRK-TV ABC 13 (Houston), KTBC-TV Fox 7 (Austin), and KCEN-TV NBC 6 (Waco) covering major news events including U.S. presidential elections, Hurricane Katrina, and Pope Benedict XVI’s Inaugural trip to the U.S.

Whitley earned a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She was honored with an ADDY Award by the Houston chapter of the American Advertising Federation, and was nominated for a Crystal Award from the Houston chapter of the American Marketing Association. In addition, she currently serves as Community Service Co-Chair for Jack and Jill of America Inc.’s Houston chapter and is the organization’s immediate past Programming Director, Second Vice President.