Director of Communications and External Affairs, American Water Mid-Atlantic Division
By Maggie Hatfield
From an early age, Laura Martin, director of communications and external affairs for American Water’s Mid-Atlantic Division, had the poise, composure and professionalism needed to excel in a public relations career.
Growing up, Martin didn’t have a concrete idea of what career path she wanted to take. It wasn’t until she went to work as a lifeguard at the YMCA at the age of 16 and met her boss, John Clark, that the pieces began to fall into place.
“One day we were talking about college, and John mentioned that I would be great at public relations because he thought I had the poise, maturity and communication skills needed for that type of career,” she remembers. This was the first time she had ever heard of the field, and that conversation sparked an interest to pursue it.
When Martin graduated with a degree in public relations from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 2007, she took an executive assistant position at the YWCA of Charleston. Within a few months, she advanced to the marketing and communications assistant. “The women I worked with there wanted to make a difference in people’s lives, and I realized that feeling fulfilled by my work was important to me too,” she says.
Over the next few years, Martin climbed the ranks, moving up to the role of director of marketing and communication for the YWCA, where she remained for more than two years. In 2010, she joined American Water as the external affairs manager, and at the beginning of 2019 she was promoted to her current role, where she is responsible for American Water’s public relations, media relations, social media, customer communications and community outreach efforts in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
“I manage a team of eight external affairs professionals located throughout our company’s service area in these two states,” says Martin. “What I enjoy most is that in the public relations world, no two days are the same.”
Her professional journey has not come without challenges. As the external affairs manager, she was one of the faces of West Virginia American Water during the company’s response to the Freedom Industries chemical spill in 2014.
“In the immediate days to follow, as the spokesperson and lead communications manager for the utility whose water supply was contaminated by the spill, I worked around the clock in an extremely difficult, high-pressure situation,” she says.
Martin attributes her ability to overcome the immense challenges of that situation to her colleagues and then-West Virginia American Water President Jeff McIntyre. “Our ability to get through the event and its aftermath was fueled by our conviction that we had done the right thing and would continue to do the right thing no matter how difficult the circumstances because hundreds of thousands of people were counting on us,” she says.
Whether she is writing a press release or hitting the gym, Martin aims to stay motivated in both her professional and personal life. “My motivation to excel is based on the attitude that I should not settle for anything less than the best I can do,” she says.
Martin applies that same attitude toward her community service work, and she is passionate about giving back to those who are less fortunate. Currently, she gives her time to the American Heart Association as a member of the Charleston Heart Walk executive leadership team, YWCA of Charleston as a planning committee member for Mardi Bras for a Cause, United Way of Central West Virginia as a Day of Caring volunteer and the Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association as a volunteer, supporter and foster provider.
“I give back because I feel that my life has been blessed with good fortune, and I would be greedy if I didn’t pass some of that along,” she says.
For Martin, West Virginia has always been home, and she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. “My husband and I both love this state—not because it is perfect by any stretch but because we love the people and we believe in the state’s potential,” she says.
