Whitney Taylor Cortner

Whitney Taylor Cortner is a proud Texas native who grew up in San Antonio, Texas (originally from Beeville, Texas) and is a dedicated community volunteer and business leader. She has an extensive professional background in marketing/communications, public relations, editorial/publishing, special event planning and fundraising. She has served as the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON) in Dallas, Texas since 2014. 

Work and Education
Contributing to the ever-changing business marketplace, Whitney’s professional background reflects both corporate and non-profit experience including: Director of Development for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy Foundation in Boulder, Colorado; Communications Specialist/Managing Editor for the Credit Union Associations of Colorado and Wyoming; Publications Editor for the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce; Managing Editor for MARCOA Publishing in Dallas, Texas; Marketing Coordinator for Hope Cottage Pregnancy and Adoption Center and Public Relations Account Coordinator for MBRK Public Relations and Advertising Agency, both headquartered in Dallas.

Whitney graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and a minor in Marketing in 1995. She completed the distinguished T. Boone Pickens Leadership Institute through Junior League of Dallas in 2017. The 10-month training program was based on Clifton StrengthsFinder 2.0: ranking her strengths as: Discipline – Strategic – Responsibility – Analytical – Individualization. Additionally, Enneagram rated her as: "One," The Improver (with "Wings" Type 9, The Peacemaker & Type 2, The Helper). Whitney also attended The Disney Institute, Employee Engagement Program and Leadership Essentials training through Baylor University in 2019. Her continuing education also included participation in a rigorous 10-month online study course, Certification in Public Relations (APRPREP) in 2019 and an InstaGram Masterclass, From Popular To Profitable Marketing in 2021. She earned verified certificates through an online MicroMasters program from Curtin University, Perth, Australia in Reputation Management in a Digital World and Digital Branding and Engagement in 2021. She was a Guest Editor in 2009 for a 246-page National Institute for Trial Advocacy book, Effective Courtroom Advocacy by the Honorable Joseph F. Anderson, Jr. In addition, she served as a Special Project Editor in 1999 for the Greater Dallas Chamber's millennium celebration 400-page book, Dallas Reflections & Visions.

Professional Organizations and Committees
Involved in professional organizations to bolster growth in her field, Whitney has been a part of organizations such as: Public Relations Society of America; Colorado Non-Profit Association; Association for Fundraising Professionals; Association for Women in Communications; Greater Dallas Chamber; and freelance writing with Prudential Texas Properties and The Advocate Magazine. She also serves on the LHSON Dean's Board of Advocates, LHSON Faculty Affairs Committee, LHSON Going for the Gold Gala Taskforce, Baylor University Academic Communications Council and Baylor University Staff Council representing the LHSON while serving on the HR Advisory Committee and STAAF Committee as Co-Chair.

Awards and Honors
Recognized for her corporate dedication, Whitney received the BaylorPLUS Salute award from Baylor University Human Resources in 2023 and 2021. She also received a Certificate of Appreciation from the LHSON Simulation Lab in 2016 for participation as a standardized patient.  Whitney was truly honored to serve as a member of the President's Leadership Forum Steering Committee at Baylor University from 1994-1995 under the helm of Baylor's 11th President Herbert H. Reynolds and Martha Lou Scott, Dean for Student Life.

Community and Special Interests
Giving back to the community through volunteering and support, Whitney has been devoted to share her time, talent and treasure where needed. She is a member of the Baylor University Women's Round Table, Baylor University Old Main Society, the George W. Bush Presidential Center and Dallas Museum of Art. She was the 2022-2023 President of the Baylor University Women’s Council of Dallas and was the chapter founder and multi-year president of the Baylor University Women’s Council of Colorado established in 2005. In addition, she is a Sustainer with Junior League of Dallas, Texas (JLD-TX) and was a member of Junior League of Denver, Colorado (JLD-CO). She also volunteered in 2012 for a service project through JLD-CO at Round Up River Ranch/SeriousFun Children's Network (a global community of medical specialty camps for children founded by actor Paul Newman) and volunteered to support their 2023 fall fundraising event near Vail, Colorado, A Grateful Harvest.  She received a Certificate of Completion in 2023 from Ministry Safe training from the Texas Department of State Health Services and Texas Youth Camp Act. In 2013 she was a certified foster/adopt parent through Denver and Boulder, Colorado. Previous community involvement both domestically and globally has included: Compassion International; Louisville Library Foundation; The Children’s Museum of Denver; Austin Street Center; Dallas Evergreen Gala; Dallas Heart Ball and GuyRex Productions of Miss Texas/USA. 

In her free-time, Whitney personally published a cookbook in 2001, “Share The Flavors, A Feast of Family Recipes” and is working on a new edition. She is also a long-time member of Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas and sings in the Traditional Sanctuary Worship Choir and leads the choir's Shepherd Ministry. She also served as a volunteer director for the Wednesday night preschool choir for 3-year-olds at PCBC from September 2023 through April 2024. Whitney enjoys attending the JLD-TX monthly book club and is an Independent Consultant for Arbonne International.  In 2017 she participated in the Dallas White Rock Half Marathon and in December 2023 completed the BMW DallasRun (10K). In 2024 she completed the Dallas Hot Chocolate Run (5K), the McKinney Shamrock Run (5K), the Dallas Arboretum Tour des Fleurs (10K) and the Koman Race for the Cure (5K) in Plano. Serving as Whitney's inspirational guidepost is Baylor’s motto, Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana, reminding us that “our past is inextricably linked to our future, and that responsibility to God, and to the world, continues to lead us.”