Signal Group announced that Patrice Willoughby has joined the firm as a managing director and head of diversity and inclusion.
WASHINGTON, DC – April 3, 2019 — Signal Group, a leader in government relations, strategic communications, and public affairs, today announced that Patrice Willoughby has joined the firm as a managing director and head of diversity and inclusion.
Willoughby comes to Signal Group from Invariant, where she spent more than seven years helping the company grow into one of Washington’s top 20 government affairs firms.
Patrice brings a range of private sector, Capitol Hill, and Executive Branch experience to Signal, having served in the Obama Administration as the Deputy Associate Administrator for Policy in the General Services Administration’s Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs and, previously, as executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus. She also worked for nine years in the office of the late Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH), a member of the House Ways and Means, Financial Services, and Small Business Committee. Her time with Rep. Tubbs Jones included five years as her chief of staff and counsel, during which time she led strategies to expand SBA lending programs and enhance employee protections in the Pension Protection Act of 2006.
Willoughby’s core focus will be working with clients to engage key policymakers across a broad range of sectors, including technology and financial services. In addition, she will assist companies in their efforts to develop effective and innovative diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and community service objectives.
“I have come to know Patrice over the years as a talented, consummate professional who will help Signal Group continue to grow as a leader in our market,” said Peter Shields, Managing Partner of Wiley Rein LLP, Signal’s parent company. “Just as importantly, Patrice will work to enhance Signal Group’s client solutions and our own firm’s ethos, recruiting, and hiring practices, through a focus on diversity and inclusion,” he added.
“I am excited to join the firm that pioneered the approach of integrating the entire suite of government affairs, communications, digital, and legal advisory services for clients,” said Willoughby. “Companies now realize that diversity strategies can also be a business driver. Adding a focus on inclusion to our offerings will help our clients generate both policy outcomes and business results,” she added.
ABOUT Signal Group
Signal Group offers world-class counsel in strategic communications, public affairs, and government relations. Advising clients across the globe, including industry-leading companies, CEOs, governments, and non-profits, SIGNAL offers tailored strategies for solving high-stakes challenges. We are a unique collection of top practitioners from our fields focused on delivering transformative outcomes for our client partners. For more information, please visit www.signaldc.com