Whitehurst Selected as Santa Rosa County Public Information Officer
Santa Rosa County is pleased to announce the hiring of Brandi Thompson Whitehurst as the new public information officer. The public information officer is responsible for promoting awareness of the county’s mission, programs, policies and initiatives to Santa Rosa County residents and the media. Whitehurst will begin employment Tuesday, Jan. 19.
Whitehurst has more than 25 years of public relations and marketing experience in the public, private and nonprofit sector. Most recently, she served as the public involvement coordinator for the West Florida Regional Planning Council, where she was responsible for promoting the council’s services in its seven-county region and developing outreach strategies for transportation planning with a focus on reaching the underserved. Additionally she managed the council’s web site, social media and public relations. Previously, she gained experience in local county government in her position as communications coordinator for Escambia County, overseeing a rebranding of the county’s marketing materials, developing a social media presence and coordinating crisis communications during fires, hurricanes and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Whitehurst has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Eckerd College.
The screening committee for this position was comprised of former Santa Rosa County Administrator Hunter Walker, current County Administrator Tony Gomillion, Santa Rosa County Emergency Management Director Brad Baker, Community, Planning, Zoning & Development Director Beckie Cato, and Information Systems/GIS Director Aleta Floyd. Whitehurst was selected from a pool of five candidates who were interviewed out of 33 qualified applicants.
