Guiding your narrative.
Grounded in experience.
DC Media Strategies is a strategic public relations firm dedicated to helping mission-driven organizations, businesses, and public agencies tell their stories with impact.
We believe that compelling narratives, strategically delivered, are essential for building public trust, fostering community engagement, and achieving meaningful outcomes.
Our expertise lies in transforming complex information into clear, culturally relevant messages that resonate with diverse audiences across the Washington, D.C. region and beyond. We don't just craft communications—we work as collaborative partners to empower your team, strengthen your voice, and amplify your impact in the communities that matter most.
With deep connections and long-standing relationships across reputable media outlets, government channels, and community networks, we ensure that your stories not only get told but reach the right people at the right time. Our approach combines strategic thinking with hands-on execution, helping you navigate today's complex media landscape while staying true to your mission.
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Strategic Capacity Builders
We focus on evaluation, strategy development, and training to help teams transition from reactive to proactive communications models. Through strategic frameworks and hands-on training, we maximize the effectiveness of your existing capacity while building long-term capabilities within your organization.
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Active Framework Developers
We don't just advise—we roll up our sleeves. Our team actively develops and refines communications assets alongside you, providing strategic guidance and direct support for media relations strategies, social media plans, core messaging guides, and campaign development.
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Proactive Strategists
We help organizations move beyond firefighting mode to strategic storytelling. Our approach focuses on proactively positioning your mission, building thought leadership, and strategically aligning communications to support priority initiatives while reaching the audiences that matter most to your work.
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Collaborative Partners
Consider us a seamless extension of your team. We maintain constant communication across departments and stakeholders, ensuring our efforts align with organizational goals while bringing fresh perspectives and specialized expertise to your communications challenges.
Meet Donna
Before founding DC Media Strategies in 2018, Donna Leinwand Leger was the managing editor of USA TODAY, the nation’s largest circulation daily newspaper. In this role, she oversaw the publication's breaking news, digital news distribution, and overall editorial strategy. This experience provided her with a deep understanding of what makes a story newsworthy and how to effectively position an organization in a competitive media environment. Her career as a reporter saw her cover some of the world’s most significant events, including the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the Iraq War, and numerous natural disasters. These assignments, covering topics from international crime and terrorism to community-level disasters, cultivated her expertise in crisis communications and the ability to craft narratives that resonate with diverse audiences under high-pressure circumstances.
Meet Tina
Christina (Tina) Crawley is an accomplished senior marketing and communications leader with more than 20 years of experience creating strategic programs and campaigns for commercial, nonprofit, and public sector organizations, including state and local governments in the Unites States and across Europe. Christina has held key leadership positions, including Managing Director of Marketing at Forum One and Community Director at Global Integrity. With a proven ability to develop and execute integrated, omnichannel marketing strategies, Tina excels at leveraging digital platforms to enhance engagement and drive results.
Meet Kim
Kimberly (Kim) Abbott is a global communications leader with more than 25 years of experience in news and nonprofit storytelling. She has led award-winning communications, marketing and external relations at nonprofit organizations including Women Moving Millions, The Fuller Project, the International Crisis Group, World Learning, and InterAction, and has consulted for dozens of others, specializing in gender, education, foreign policy and underreported humanitarian issues in post-conflict situations. As a journalist, she covered breaking news around the world for CNN, and worked for France 3, BFM Radio, and Radio France in Paris, and in the local Boston and Atlanta news markets. Building on her on-air experience, she has media trained hundreds of C-Suite leaders, academics and policy experts on message development and camera-ready techniques.
Meet Jim
Jim Sergent is an award-winning visual storyteller with over three decades of journalism experience, including 27 years at USA TODAY. As Senior Manager of Digital Design, he specialized in transforming complex data into clear, compelling illustrations and graphics for stories, an expertise that spans researching, designing, charting, and editing visual narratives across multiple topics. His notable achievements include creating graphics for two Pulitzer Prize-winning packages and winning multiple Society of News Design awards. Earlier in his career, he led USA TODAY's print design team and also served as a search optimization leader. A skilled user of the Adobe and Microsoft Suites, and interactive tools like Infogram and Flourish, Jim excels at producing data graphics that reveal patterns with clarity and creating powerful illustrations—a skill essential to his freelance work in logo and brand identity design. Jim holds a bachelor's degree from DePauw University and an MBA from Nova Southeastern University.
Let’s Talk.
Let’s Tell Your Story
We develop a powerful, data-driven narrative to cut through the noise. We craft compelling messaging and execute a comprehensive communications strategy across all channels—from traditional media to digital platforms—to ensure your story is heard by key audiences and decision-makers.
Let’s Advocate for Your Cause
It is essential to influence the debate and drive policy change. We provide targeted public affairs strategies and issue advocacy, specializing in grassroots mobilization, coalition building, and direct outreach to elected officials to amplify your message and secure the support you need to win.
Let’s Build Your Capacity
We focus on strengthening your team’s ability to communicate effectively for the long term. Our capacity-building services include media training, executive coaching, and developing your organization’s internal communications and digital infrastructure for sustained, mission-driven impact.