Member Spotlight: Whitney Free
Tell me a little about yourself.
I grew up in a tiny Illinois town called Lanark (a couple of hours west of Chicago) and was involved in just about every activity possible. I came to Iowa to attend Wartburg College, where I started with a journalism major, added PR, and minored in organizational leadership, while also doing as many activities as possible. Completing three marketing/PR internships solidified the route I wanted to take. Apparently, doing ALL of the things is just the way I function.
What drew you to public relations in the first place?
Reading, writing and anything creative have always been my favorite things to do. Telling stories in such a wide variety of ways and getting to learn new things every day... it just made sense.
What has your career path looked like? What is your current role?
I graduated at the height of a recession, so entry-level jobs in my field were basically non-existent. I did freelance PR projects and worked at YellowBook doing quality assurance on phonebook ads because it was the closest thing to marketing I could find. After I was laid off (Surprise! Phonebooks died!), I worked two part-time jobs and freelanced while I kept searching. Eventually, I landed my first agency role in Cedar Falls, writing car commercials for TV and radio. After a couple of years of that, I went back to the Waterloo agency where I had interned in college, and that was the role that made me feel like I had finally "made it." From there, I went client-side in healthcare for a few years until agency life came calling again. I'm now a PR & Content Strategy Supervisor at Two Rivers Marketing (2RM) in Des Moines, where I'm celebrating 6 years this month.
How did you get involved with PRSA Iowa?
I was in PRSSA at Wartburg, but it wasn't a super active chapter at the time. In Waterloo/Cedar Falls, I was active with the AAF chapter and discovered the value of these kinds of organizations. 2RM has supported participation in PRSA for a long time, so I slowly began attending more and more events. In 2024, I was asked to be the DEI chair-elect because my colleagues who had served on the board knew that DEI is a passion of mine (I helped launch the DEI committee at 2RM and manage our internal e-newsletter).
What is the best piece of advice you’ve received?
My mom told me to find the good in each day, and my dad told me to be willing to take on "other duties as assigned" because that's where growth happens. I also live by Glennon Doyle's words: "We can do hard things."
What do you like to do in your free time?
I have amazing friends, and we love traveling together, going to concerts and theater performances, and carefully researching cocktails. My sister's family is close by, so I get to be part of my niece and nephew's lives a lot, which is the best. My spouse and I also have two French bulldogs, Pickle and Pearl, who keep us on our toes.
