Willie Painter
William “Willie” Painter brings over 20 years of experience in leadership, communications, and external funding acquisition for government entities, with most of his career invested in public schools and utilities. Willie has a track record of working with a variety of constituents to coalesce around a common vision, and then collaboratively procure the required resources to turn that vision into reality. He believes that critical elements of this work include relationships and teamwork, concise and compelling communications, thoughtfully executed strategy, and pleasant persistence. He has led successful levy and bond campaigns totaling $280 million, and has an 89% success rate in grant pursuits totaling over $64 million in awards.
In his free time, Willie and his partner of 15 years enjoy visiting their second home in the Republic of the Philippines, thrifting/antiquing, visiting natural areas around the Pacific Northwest, and experiencing new cultures through travel. He holds a B.A. in philosophy and environmental studies from Pacific Lutheran University. Willie has served on numerous boards and committees throughout his career including, but not limited to, Vice President of Finance and President of the Washington School Public Relations Association, President of Tacoma Rainbow Center, Member of Pierce County Pride Awards Steering Committee, and At-Large Board Member of the Franklin Pierce Foundation.
Focus Areas
Levy and Bond Campaign Strategies
Effective Grant-Seeking: Analyzing and Pursuing Opportunities
Capital Budget Appropriations and Congressionally Directed Spending
Crisis Response Management
Inspiring Action Through Storytelling
Building Coalitions of Policymakers and Opinion Leaders
Featured Trainings
Meet the Team
With 330+ years of combined experience in leadership and communications, J.Marie & Associates is on a mission to empower public leaders and organizations to forge deeper, more meaningful connections with the communities they serve.
The stress of securing enough community support for your bond and/or levy can be a great leadership burden. Bonds and levies not only provide critical resources for your organization, but are also a high-stakes litmus of the support your organization has by the community it serves.
This session is centered around community engagement and architecting place-based strategies to win the support of your community at the ballot box. Elections aren’t just won in the year your measure is on the ballot, and make no mistake: election success is a data-driven endeavor. Lots of people pretend to know how to run a good campaign; this session will elevate your tactics to “pro”-level so that your winning chances are optimized.