Michael Willard has had a varied career as a journalist, political and policy advisor to US Senators and European politicians, senior public relations and advertising counselor and trainer, author, publisher, speaker, and entrepreneur.

• Strategic Communications: Investor Communications, Media Relations, Creative Writing, and Storytelling Consultant in top international and regional PR firms, including for USAID.
• Policy and Political Advisor: Willard was a Political Campaign Manager and Press Secretary to the US Senate Leader before being promoted to Leadership Office Director. He was Senate campaign communications director and spokesperson for Gov. John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia in his successful campaign for the US Senate. He has served as a consultant to two Romanian politicians who became prime ministers, as well as the prime minister of Bosnia immediately after the Bosnian war. He worked as a consultant to Russian President Putin’s opposition, Alexey Navalny, in Navalny’s 2013 Moscow mayor’s race.
• International Development: Market Leader (Chief of Party) of the largest USAID program in Ukraine in the mid-1990s.; Led US Senate Policy and Intelligence staff missions to trouble countries in Central America (El Salvador and Nicaragua)
• Training and Coaching: Message (Media) Training; Crisis Training and Management; Public Speaking Training; Leadership Training—400 training sessions for Fortune 500 CEOs, NGOs, politicians, the World Bank, USAID, and various business associations; Conflict Resolution consultations within companies and organizations utilizing principles established in crisis simulations.
• Knowledge Sharing and Management: Development of comprehensive blueprints for USAID missions, partners, and consultants to follow the best industry standards in media (messaging and presentation training, as well as public relations and communications strategy and crisis media training (2021)
• News Media Business: Wire Service Bureau Manager; KyivPost CEO; Publisher of Newspapers and Magazines (The Ukrainian Observer, Willard Marketing Monthly)
• Entrepreneur and business leaders: Launched and led Burson-Marsteller Worldwide offices in Eastern Europe (Russia, Ukraine); Founded three successful Willard companies; Former European Business Association Board Director