Kathleen Wailes

Kathleen M. Wailes has extensive executive experience in corporate communications, investor relations, and transaction communications. Throughout her engagements with Levick clients, Ms. Wailes has facilitated successful deal completion and value enhancement for diverse organizations.

Ms. Wailes previously headed the Wailes Consulting Group, a consulting firm she founded in 1998 that specialized in strategic communications and investor relations for defense and government contracting clients.

In addition to her experience in consulting, Ms. Wailes served as chief communications officer for Legg Mason, Inc., Litton Industries, Inc., The Penn Central Corporation, and St. Joe Minerals Corporation. As vice president, corporate communications and investor relations for Litton Industries, a global $5 billion defense and technology company headquartered in Los Angeles, she had worldwide responsibility for all communications and investor relations. Litton’s spokesperson to the investment community, she led a valuation improvement initiative that helped increase the company's market value by more than 100 percent during a period of industry consolidation and declining defense budgets.

Ms. Wailes was also a member of the Litton finance team that raised $700 million in the public debt markets to finance acquisitions. She repositioned the company following the spin-off of its commercial operations, and led a re-branding campaign as it diversified into information technology, while managing communications for several significant acquisitions.

Before joining Litton, Ms. Wailes served as vice president, investor and public relations for The Penn Central Corporation, a diversified conglomerate with a high-profile activist shareholder list. After a proxy fight during which she led communications, management successfully repelled a dissident group challenge. She subsequently repositioned the company among investors and the public during an asset redeployment program, with a resultant doubling of the stock price.

Previously, Ms. Wailes helped triple the stock price of St. Joe Minerals Corporation by expanding its stockholder base in the United States and Europe. She led communications for St. Joe during a hostile takeover attempt by Seagram, followed by a friendly merger with Fluor Corporation.

Ms. Wailes is a member of the National Investor Relations Institute, and served in 2005 as the chairperson of the Financial Executives Networking Group's Investor Relations special interest group.

Ms. Wailes earned a Bachelor of Arts from Smith College, with a major in French and minor in English.