Hillaree graduated from the University of West Florida with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications, specializing in Public Relations with a minor in Marketing Applications. She first met Shantelle when she interned at the Okaloosa Tourism Development Department in 2015, and when she found out that Shantelle was moving on to a new venture, Hillaree knew that whatever it was, she wanted to be a part of it. Hillaree joined Frances Roy in 2017 as the agency’s first employee, and her first role was PR and Social Media Marketing Manager. In May 2018, Hillaree’s responsibilities evolved and led to a promotion to Content Director, and later in 2021, she was promoted to Senior Director of Content and Marketing. Throughout the years, Hillaree has been part of strategic planning and implementation for all clients, award-winning photo and video shoots, successful public relations and social media campaigns, and community leadership involvement.

Hillaree believes in Frances Roy’s core values and shares similar values in her personal life. All Frances Roy guiding principles resonate with her, but she says, “As I get older and head into a new chapter of my life, Family First is at the top of my list. Time is our most valuable asset, and working for a company that encourages team members to be present with their families and have the autonomy to spend time with them is crucial for my quality of life.”

When asked what energizes her at work, Hillaree says, “Being able to be a part, big or small, in helping another person on our team become more successful at what they do.” Whether it’s mentoring, coaching, or guiding, anytime she can be of help to someone on the team, Hillaree feels re-energized. Hillaree takes time to travel (either alone or with her loved ones) as a way to help avoid burnout outside of work. She says, “When you can disengage from the work to give yourself time to recharge, you come back better than ever. You gain new perspectives and new ideas.”  

Hillaree’s best piece of professional advice that she would pass along to others is a quote from William James, “It is your attitude at the end of a difficult task, which more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.” 

The main topic that Hillaree wishes to learn more about this year is project management. She also looks forward to learning new techniques to strengthen her leadership skills!

Come back in two weeks to learn more about another one of our Frances Roy team members as we celebrate the Year of the Team! Learn more about what Year of the Team means to us at https://francesroy.com/year-of-the-team/.