Lyla Foggia has been a writer and national publicist for nearly twenty years. She was the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Writing Fellowship in 1977.

During a decade of executive work in the motion picture industry in Los Angeles, she became the West Coast Vice President of Publicity for Tri-Star Pictures. After returning to her native Northwest in 1987, she served as the national publicity consultant for Live with Regis and Kathy Lee.

She now lives with her husband, Kelly Neal, on the Salmon River at the base of Mount Hood and fly fishes for steelhead. Reel Women was inspired by her intense dedication to angling and her long commitment to raising awareness of women's unique capabilities and contributions.