Maria Elkin
Director, Communications
Maria Elkin is the Director of Communications at Community Progress, America’s nonprofit leader for turning “Vacant Spaces into Vibrant Places.”
Elkin directs the organization’s communications, media, editorial, and brand strategy. She supports Community Progress’ mission—fostering strong, equitable communities where vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties are transformed into assets for neighbors and neighborhoods—by helping its experts craft content that’s accessible to diverse audiences across the country. This work follows her experience as the deputy director of content at New America, a DC-based think tank dedicated to solving public problems.
Elkin previously worked in the global health practice at GMMB, a strategic communications firm in Washington, DC. Her clients ranged from universities advocating lifesaving vaccines, to a coalition of US brands focused on creating safer workplaces. A native Russian-speaker, she has a background studying issues affecting former Soviet states, and has worked at the Eurasia Foundation and CRDF Global supporting programs that foster civil society and innovation in Russia and Eastern Europe. She holds bachelor’s degrees in political science and communications from Michigan State University, and can knit a full sweater in two weeks.