Darryl Keith Willis (born c. 1969) is an American geologist and publicist, currently working as Corporate Vice President Energy Industry at

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...

. He previously worked as Vice President of Oil, Gas and Energy for

Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...

and as President and General Manager of BP Angola.

Deepwater Horizon response

Willis gained national attention in 2010 when the Louisiana native volunteered to lead the company's claims efforts following the

Deepwater Horizon oil spill The ''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill (also referred to as the "BP oil spill") was an industrial disaster that began on 20 April 2010 off of the coast of the United States in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect, considered ...

. Willis was vice president for resources at BP at the time and appeared in many public relations advertisements clad in an orange

polo shirt A polo shirt, tennis shirt, golf shirt, or chukker shirt is a form of shirt with a collar. Polo shirts are usually short sleeved but can be long; they were used by polo players originally in India in 1859 and in Great Britain during the 1920s. ...

. He was also featured in CNN's The Situation Room and testified before Congress about the incident and response. 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 grew up in

Pontchartrain Park, New Orleans Pontchartrain Park is a historically registered 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 Industria ...

, and graduated from McDonogh No. 35 Senior High School. Willis said he was surprised by his high-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 said.

Personal life

Willis graduated from

Louisiana Scholars' College The Louisiana Scholars' College at Northwestern State University, or "Scholars' College" as it is known by its students and faculty, is Louisiana's only designated four-year, selective-admissions honors college in the liberal arts and sciences. ...

Northwestern State University Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSU) is a 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 Univer ...

in 1991, and then earned a Master of Science in Geology and Geophysics from the

University of New Orleans The University of New Orleans (UNO) is a public research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is a member of the University of Louisiana System and the Urban 13 association. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High rese ...

in 1993, as well as a Master's in Global Management and Public Policy from

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

in 2007. Willis married his wife, Dawnia Tyrese Richard Willis, on September 10, 2005, on

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes the s ...

days after his mother, Cora Hambrick Willis, lost her house in

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Darryl K. American public relations people Living people Businesspeople from New Orleans 1969 births Northwestern State University alumni University of New Orleans alumni Stanford University alumni