Libby Hutchinson is senior vice president, public relations for Washington Mutual, a national retailer of financial services.  She created the company’s first issues management team, which she continues to lead. 

Hutchinson currently serves on the board of the Issues Management Council and in 2005, WaMu was the recipient of the prestigious W. Howard Chase award from the IMC for excellence in issue management.

Hutchinson joined Washington Mutual in 1996, at the beginning of the company’s exponential growth through many acquisitions and rapid new market expansion.  Prior to leading the issues management team, she wrote the company’s earnings releases and managed investor communications and was responsible for pitching and placing a slew of top tier media stories including a positive front-page story in The Wall Street Journal.  She also wrote the chairman’s speeches and presentations.

Hutchinson currently leads the corporation’s Crisis Management Communications team and is a member of its Public Policy Management committee and the newly-formed Environmental Council.  Her colleagues describe her as “calm and decisive” in stressful situations, but she attributes it less to her personality and more to the great training she receives on an ongoing basis as the parent of two sons!

Several years ago, Libby led the team that won a coveted Silver Anvil award – the highest national honor of the Public Relations Society of America.  In 2002, she was selected for the company’s STAR Award, presented annually to top performers, and was hand-picked by the company’s executive committee to serve as an official WaMu brand ambassador, charged with “living the Washington Mutual brand” as an example for her co-workers.  She earned her “APR” designation from the Public Relations Society of America in 1988.