Darryl Willis
Encyclopedia
Darryl Keith Willis is the Vice President of resources of BP America and is head of Deepwater Horizon oil spill
claims and public relations spokesperson for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
.
Willis has appeared in many public relations advertisements clad in an orange shirt and has been featured in CNN's The Situation Room
.
Willis grew up in Pontchartrain Park, New Orleans
and graduated from McDonogh No. 35 Senior High School
.
Willis graduated from Northwestern State University
in 1991, received a Master of Science in Geology from the University of New Orleans
and received a Master in Global Management and Public Policy from Stanford in 2007.
Willis married his wife Dawnia Tyrese Richard Willis on September 10, 2005, on Martha's Vineyard
days after his mother Cora Hambrick Willis had lost her house in Hurricane Katrina
. Willis's brother Robert "Bobby" Willis, Sr., a former employee of WWL-TV
, relocated to Gonzalez, Louisiana in the wake of Katrina. He died March 18, 2010.
Willis, a geologist by profession, said he was tapped for the volunteering after hearing BP executives discuss the plan. "Folks were talking about paying claims in 30 to 60 days...And I knew, being from Louisiana, that that was going to be about 30 days too long, and we needed to get people's claims paid as quickly as possible."
Willis said he was surprised by his profile position. "I actually took over this role assuming I would be tucked away in some office making sure systems and processes were working," he says.
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...
claims and public relations spokesperson for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...
.
Willis has appeared in many public relations advertisements clad in an orange shirt and has been featured in CNN's The Situation Room
The Situation Room
The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer is an afternoon/early evening newscast on CNN and CNN International hosted by Wolf Blitzer that first aired on August 8, 2005. The show replaces three politics and hard news programs: Judy Woodruff's Inside Politics, Crossfire and Wolf Blitzer Reports.At first,...
.
Willis grew up in Pontchartrain Park, New Orleans
Pontchartrain Park, New Orleans
Pontchartrain Park is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Gentilly District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: Leon C. Simon Drive to the north, the Industrial Canal to the east, Dreux Avenue to the south and Peoples Avenue to the...
and graduated from McDonogh No. 35 Senior High School
McDonogh No. 35 Senior High School
McDonogh No. 35 Senior High School was the first high school for African-American pupils in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. Prior to 1917, during the era of segregated school systems in the Southern US, no public high school existed in New Orleans for African-American pupils...
.
Willis graduated from Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University, known as NSU, is a four-year public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the University of Louisiana System.NSU was founded in 1884 as...
in 1991, received a Master of Science in Geology from the University of New Orleans
University of New Orleans
The University of New Orleans, often referred to locally as UNO, is a medium-sized public urban university located on the New Orleans Lakefront within New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is a member of the LSU System and the Urban 13 association. Currently UNO is without a proper chancellor...
and received a Master in Global Management and Public Policy from Stanford in 2007.
Willis married his wife Dawnia Tyrese Richard Willis on September 10, 2005, on Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....
days after his mother Cora Hambrick Willis had lost her house in Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. Willis's brother Robert "Bobby" Willis, Sr., a former employee of WWL-TV
WWL-TV
WWL-TV, virtual channel 4, is the CBS-affiliated television station serving New Orleans, Louisiana, southeast Louisiana and parts of southern and coastal Mississippi, and is the primary CBS station for South and Coastal Mississippi. It broadcasts on UHF digital channel 36...
, relocated to Gonzalez, Louisiana in the wake of Katrina. He died March 18, 2010.
Willis, a geologist by profession, said he was tapped for the volunteering after hearing BP executives discuss the plan. "Folks were talking about paying claims in 30 to 60 days...And I knew, being from Louisiana, that that was going to be about 30 days too long, and we needed to get people's claims paid as quickly as possible."
Willis said he was surprised by his profile position. "I actually took over this role assuming I would be tucked away in some office making sure systems and processes were working," he says.