Samantha Villegas, APR, Fellow PRSA
Samantha Villegas, APR, Fellow PRSA, is an award-winning communications and outreach executive with over 30 years of experience in public communication and participation. As a principal consultant at Raftelis, she helps utilities and local governments develop relationships and engage equitably with their stakeholders around critical topics like affordability, public health and environmental protection. She counsels public sector leaders through programmatic changes, strategic planning and reputational crises, and she designs and implements strategic communication and stakeholder engagement programs that bring diverse interests together in support of efforts that benefit communities’ triple bottom line. Prior to Raftelis, Villegas led communications programs at several boutique agencies; at one very large and one mid-sized water utility; and for the federal government. She also owned her own communications agency, SaVi PR, where she served clients in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. She has been actively involved in PRSA for more than 25 years, having served as her local Chapter president, APR committee chair, a District chair and ethics chair. She served two terms on the PRSA National Board and was inducted into the College of Fellows in 2023.