Meet Tim – WCF Board Member
Tim Whitley has been a board member since 2015 and is an ongoing sponsor for the “Women of the Year Gala.” Tim doesn’t sponsor the event to have his name flashed on the screen, or for a chance to shake hands with the Governor or to have a reason to dress fancy. The real reason is more personal than that. His experiences in his past are the reasons why he wanted to become a board member. Tim said, “We have to provide women an outlet to get out and to learn how to trust again. In a lot of cases, the children are involved too. These mothers simply need to keep enjoying being a mom without having to live in fear. Women don’t have to have bruises and scares to be a victim of domestic abuse. It is important for women to know that they are not alone. Women and Children’s First provides that outlet and I am honored to be a part of an organization that changes the lives of so many families.”
Described as “a digital innovator and opportunist,” Tim Whitley has been passionate about innovating the world of technology since he was a young boy. For the past decade, Whitley has been a popular speaker on digital marketing at conferences and events throughout the country and Canada. He is perhaps best known for his keynotes on “TraDigital: The Art of Blending Traditional and Digital Marketing.” Tim is also a highly respected in the TV broadcasting, meteorology, automotive and agriculture/equipment sectors. His talks are designed to inspire audiences to want to help invent the future of technology and how to look at every challenge as an opportunity or turn a “no” into a “what if.”
An Abilene, Texas native, Whitley was fascinated by the weather and began interning at the local television station’s weather department at the age of 15. Earning a management spot by 17, he innovated the way television stations handled severe weather and breaking news. He was then tapped to launch a brand-new TV station, launching additional newscasts, doing morning weather and developing high-energy programming. Passion and performance promoted Tim further into management at Nexstar Broadcasting Group, with the company sending him to Fayetteville, Ark., to lead the rebrand of an NBC affiliate at the age of 20. Eighteen months later, he was assigned to Little Rock, Ark. to serve as the director of operations for KARK-TV.
By 2007, Whitley was advising Nexstar television stations nationwide on how to deploy information via digital media channels. His vision for how distribution of content was going to change forever led him to walk away from a bright future at Nexstar, clean out his 401K and launch a digital marketing firm, Team SI, in 2010. Whitley now leads 50+ employees at Team SI, innovating how more than 400 clients distribute media and content. Under his leadership, Team SI is challenged every day to stay ahead of the curve in digital marketing. The company’s growth and innovation has been recognized extensively, earning status as a Google Premier Partner, Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Companies, “50 Innovative Companies to Watch” by Silicon Review, Inner City 100 by Forbes, Best Places to Work in Arkansas, and Arkansas Business of the Year Finalist.
Whitley is honored to be part of the Arkansas Business “40 Under 40” Class of 2015 and the Under 40 Forum to develop strategies of how to improve recruitment and retention of young talent to the state. Whitley also serves on the boards of directors of Camp Aldersgate, Women & Children First and The Arkansas Innovation Hub.