ABOUT KAYLIN
From a young age, Kaylin R. Staten, MA, APR, MPRCA, has told stories. At first, she started with vignettes about everyday life and interests contained within the small pages of a black spiral notebook. Although she was nervous, she shared these narratives with her second-grade classmates during show-and-tell. Flash forward to the present day, and her writings and thought leadership have been featured in top-tier publications, self-published books, and other notable outlets.
Kaylin is an award-winning integrated communications and media psychology strategist, narratologist, writer, author, and leader based in Huntington, West Virginia. Kaylin has more than two decades of experience, spanning from her days as a high-school newspaper reporter to the present day.
She has had various roles at Marshall University, Hourglass Media, Fielding Graduate University, the City of Huntington, United Way of the River Cities, and more. These in-house and agency experiences across various industries have enabled her to refine her integrated communications skills while also getting to the heart of individual and organizational stories. Currently, she is an adjunct professor at her alma mater, Marshall University’s W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications. She is the Editor-in-Chief of To The Journey, a digital magazine focused on finding the magic in everyday moments through nostalgia, mental health conversations, lifestyle, and other narratives. In March 2022, she launched her first podcast, The Wholeheartedly Podcast.
Writing remains her first professional love, and to date, she has released the following books: From Granny's Kitchen (2016), Plastic Cupcakes (2018), and Healing Your Heart: A Prompted Journal for Pregnancy Loss (2021). More are planned in 2026 and beyond.
Kaylin served as PRSA-East Central District Chair (2023) and various PRSA ECD and PRSA National roles. She is a member of the PRSA-WV Chapter and was the River Cities Chapter Past President (2020) and served as President (2018-2019), Treasurer (2017), and Secretary (2016). She is also a member of the international Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA). She is a member of the board of United Way of the River Cities. Kaylin is an alumna of the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Marshall University’s College of Arts and Media, graduating with her B.A. in public relations in 2010. In 2025, she earned her M.A. in Applied Media Psychology from Fielding Graduate University, where her thesis explored the topic, “Playing the Self: How Narrative Role Playing Video Games Foster Identification and Transportation for Highly Sensitive People.”
During her career, she has received more than 20 PRSA-WV Chapter Crystal Awards and PRSA-East Central District Diamond Awards, including the Best in WV award in 2011 for her Community Relations work for “National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.” Her work with Hourglass Media on the statewide The Call WV campaign also garnered two Bronze Telly Awards in 2016. In 2010, Kaylin earned the Marvin L. Stone Award for Outstanding Journalist at Marshall University, an award given to only one student per year. She earned her Accreditation in Public Relations in October 2018 and became one of approximately 4,000 practitioners worldwide with an APR, and one of only 10 in West Virginia.
