Maria Elkin
Director, Communications
Maria Elkin is the Director of Communications at the Center for Community Progress. A creative thinker and jack-of-all-trades, Elkin leads strategy for written content, visual brand, and audience engagement to help Community Progress concisely broadcast its mission and impact.
Elkin brings more than 10 years of experience in communicating complex topics to broader audiences in areas spanning global health, paid leave policy, cybersecurity, property rights, and more. During her time at New America, a policy think tank, she developed a passion for how good graphic design could help people decipher information when paired with strong copywriting. She applies her expertise in design and data visualization to ensure Community Progress’ content looks as polished as the language it comprises.
Her work at Community Progress has included developing the organization’s first editorial style guide, crafting an SEO-focused content strategy, refining the visual brand, completing a website redesign, and spearheading work to prioritize equitable, community-focused storytelling. Her writings for Community Progress about how vacancy affects communities and why people shouldn’t use “blight” exemplify her approach to bringing this niche topic to broader attention.
Elkin holds a dual Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Communications from Michigan State University. She lives with her wife, son, and two cats in Washington, DC.