When Laurie D. Willis was a reporter for The Baltimore Sun, I had the pleasure of being her editor. Laurie was a journalist whose reporting was accurate and complete and whose copy required little editing. I knew when I assigned Laurie a story she would be steadfast in uncovering the pertinent facts and meeting her deadline. I have kept up with Laurie’s career since she left the daily newspaper world and joined the ranks of freelance journalists. The passion Laurie exhibited as a reporter on the metro, business and National desks for The Baltimore Sun is the same passion she displays today. Commissioning Laurie to write and/or edit would be a sound business decision."

When I asked Laurie D. Willis if she would write for an online magazine I edited for a major pharmaceutical company, she consented and worked as an independent contractor with me for five years. Laurie is an excellent writer. Her strengths are manifold, including reporting, relationship building, features and hard news. Likewise, her stories were accurate and required very little editing. Not only was the quality of her work exemplary; she was also quick in reporting and writing on deadline without sacrificing accuracy. That’s a major strength in this rapid-paced environment. Writing for the Web requires specialized writing skills. Laurie has mastered the style necessary to capture the short attention span of Web readers."

Laurie D. Willis puts her heart into writing and editing projects. And when I commission Laurie to write or edit for me I immediately know two things: Her work will be thorough, and it will be completed on time. Many people claim to have special literary talents. The admirable thing about Laurie is she doesn’t say she's "all that"” when it comes to writing and editing. She simply lets her work speak for itself. Laurie has been writing and editing for me for many years, and I have absolutely no complaints about her work."

As a journalism professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for 28 years, I taught and got to know many aspiring journalists. While it’s true I might not recall certain facts about all of them, it’s also true that Laurie D. Willis sticks out in my mind. Laurie wrote for The Daily Tar Heel’s business desk for three years and was editor of The Black Ink while at UNC. But what I remember most about Laurie is the way she did whatever had to be done to get the job done. After she graduated in 1986, I and other professors often had Laurie come back to the J-School to speak to students. While it might have embarrassed her a tad, I fondly told students while introducing Laurie that she rode a bicycle to work during a 1985 summer internship at The Wilmington Star-News because she didn't have a car. That’s just Laurie: a go-getter who believes in doing what she must. Laurie has always been earnest about her craft, and I encourage anyone who seeks a serious, highly competent journalist to give her a call."