Wanda Heard

Wanda’s (she/her) PR career began in public health where she served in various senior management roles in media relations, public relations marketing, and community outreach with the Jefferson County Department of Health for 20+ years. Responsibilities included: developing and managing media and public relations efforts, acting as official public information officer during county public health crises, as well as serving as the spokesperson for other public health matters for the Jefferson County Department of Health. Wanda has a BS degree in Business Administration with dual majors in Marketing and Human Resources Management. She has directed public relations efforts for many public health matters: from environmental issues to communicable disease epidemics. Community Outreach has always been near and dear to Wanda as she coordinated many community efforts over the years. Wanda has developed and implemented various marketing campaigns to educate community residents on numerous public health matters and crises which included the COVID-19 Pandemic. She spent eleven years working in Community Development with the city of Birmingham. Working in government allowed her to understand the many facets of advocacy and how it benefits the underserved population. She had the pleasure of working with many grassroots organizations as the city of Birmingham’s liaison. Having a “heart” for the community is an understatement for Wanda. She has wholeheartedly committed to being a voice to those communities that are often overlooked and counted out. She believes that empowering communities to take charge of their lives provides a sense of pride and commitment, along with them being invited to the table to tell their respective stories and make conscious decisions on life-changing matters.

In her time of leisure, Wanda enjoys spending time with her family, church activities, traveling, cooking, and volunteering with various organizations.