Hannah Willard
Hannah Willard (she/her) is a campaign strategist, coach, and facilitator with 10+ years of leadership experience in the US and global LGBTQ+ movement. Current clients of Heart Forward Consulting are world-changing nonprofit advocacy organizations, coalitions, and individual advocates who believe a better world is possible and are working to bring it to fruition.
Hannah’s work is grounded in the art of persuasion, and her background is in state and federal legislative campaigns, including nondiscrimination, marriage equality, and trans rights. Prior to launching Heart Forward Consulting, Hannah served as Vice President of Government Affairs for Freedom for All Americans. As the organization’s lead lobbyist and political strategist at the federal and state level, she lobbied members of Congress to pass the Respect for Marriage Act and build bipartisan support for the Equality Act. She was a founding member of the Virginia Values Coalition, successfully securing passage of the first LGBTQ nondiscrimination law in a Southern state, and oversaw FFAA's work to support state and local organizations in their efforts to defeat hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills in battleground states nationwide. Before joining the team at FFAA, Hannah was Equality Florida’s Senior Policy Director, managed Equality Florida’s marriage equality campaign in 2015, and led the launch of the Honor Them With Action campaign in 2016 in the wake of the Pulse nightclub tragedy.
Hannah trained as a coach and facilitator with the CoActive Training Institute and works with advocates and teams who want to make an impact without burning out, bringing open hearts and strong strategic discipline to their mission. Hannah’s heart-forward ethos brings together people from all walks of life who support freedom and liberation for all people.
Based in Orlando, Florida, Hannah graduated magna cum laude from the University of Florida with degrees in Economics and Women’s and Gender Studies. She is a convener, connector, empathy addict, and relentless optimist.