For the seventh straight year, Crosby Marketing Communications has been named a “Top Workplace” by The Washington Post. The award recognizes Crosby as one of the best places to work in the region and is based on high levels of employee satisfaction.

The Top Workplace award celebrates companies that prioritize a people-centered culture. Selection is based solely on employee feedback gathered through an anonymous third-party survey administered by research partner Energage, LLC.

“Being named a Top Workplace for seven straight years is a tremendous achievement,” said Crosby President & CEO Raymond Crosby. “We are committed to working with purpose-driven clients and building an inclusive culture where everyone can grow and thrive. That continues to drive high employee satisfaction and amazing growth.”

Crosby fosters a vibrant employee culture through events such its annual Inspiring Actions That Matter™ day of community service, and a more inclusive workplace with company-wide DE&I training and participation in the Diversity Action Alliance and the 4As Workplace Enlightenment Certification Program. The firm also sponsors the Crosby Marketing Scholars Program, a $100,000 scholarship in partnership with Anne Arundel Community College, to help underrepresented students from diverse backgrounds pursue degrees and future careers in the advertising and public relations field.

One of the nation’s leading independent communications firms, Crosby provides integrated advertising, public relations, social media, and digital marketing services through specialized practices in Healthcare, Government, Nonprofits & Causes, and Military & Veterans. The firm ranks #27 on O’Dwyer’s list of national communications firms and is a top provider on the GSA Professional Services Schedule. Crosby was also named Small Agency of the Year by PRovoke Media in 2021.

Crosby Marketing Communications has won a $1.9 million contract to provide strategic communications to promote Telehealth.HHS.gov, a federal resource to support the integration of telehealth services into the standard of care.

The Telehealth.HHS.gov website provides health care professionals, researchers, and states with the latest on telehealth best practices, policies, research, interstate licensure, broadband, funding opportunities, and events. Telehealth.HHS.gov also provides patients and consumers with helpful information about accessing and getting the most out of telehealth visits. The website was created by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Crosby won the initial contract to support HRSA when it launched the Telehealth.HHS.gov website at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this new contract, Crosby will conduct formative research and create an integrated marketing campaign to further drive greater awareness, visits, and engagement with the site.

”Since the pandemic, Telehealth.HHS.gov has been a critical resource to promote telehealth’s ability to increase access to quality care, including for rural and underserved populations who have more limited options for medical services,” said Crosby CEO and President Raymond Crosby. “We’re excited to continue working with HRSA as the adoption and efficacy of telehealth services and technologies continues to grow.”

HRSA programs provide equitable health care to the highest-need communities. This includes people with HIV, pregnant people, mothers and their families, and those otherwise unable to access quality health care. HRSA also supports the training of health professionals, the distribution of health care providers to areas where they are needed most, and improvements in health care delivery.

Crosby provides integrated advertising, public relations, social media, and digital marketing services through specialized practices in Healthcare, Government, Nonprofits & Causes, and Military & Veterans. The firm ranks #27 on O’Dwyer’s list of national communications firms, is a top provider on the GSA Professional Services Schedule, and is a Google Premier Partner. Crosby was named Small Agency of the Year by PRovoke Media in 2021 and has been a Washington Post Top Workplace for six consecutive years.

A new book, “Poker, Politics & Presidents,” by author Ralph W. Crosby reveals the significant influence card-playing and other games had on U.S. presidents – from George Washington to Joe Biden – and, therefore, impacted all Americans. It illustrates how almost all presidents played games and used these and additional pastimes to escape the overbearing stresses of the presidency. The book also shows how cognitive games, such as poker and chess, went far beyond stress relief, creating a link between those games and politics.

Crosby also discusses how numerous presidents used the camaraderie of poker games to their political advantage, some creating contacts that helped their rise to the presidency. It also details the author’s discovery that the highest-rated presidents were card players, which helped in their strategic thinking, risk-taking, bluffing and ability to read their opponents, including their political adversaries and the country’s enemies.

Little-known personal anecdotes and presidential life experiences enliven the stories, including the following:

• George Washington keeping track of his many gambling wins and losses in his diary.
• Thomas Jefferson playing cards while writing the Declaration of Independence.
• Theodore Roosevelt becoming accepted by New York saloon, backroom pols by playing poker with them, thus jump-starting his political career.
• Franklin Roosevelt cheating at his weekly White House poker game.
• Harry Truman playing cards while awaiting the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
• Dwight Eisenhower buying his first officer’s military uniform and his future wife Mamie’s wedding ring with his West Point poker winnings.
• Richard Nixon financing his first congressional campaign with his World War II Navy poker winnings.
• Barack Obama amassing political support through poker games with fellow legislators.

“Poker, Politics & Presidents” is available on Amazon and through local book stores. For more information, contact Kelsi Fink at [email protected].

Biography

Ralph W. Crosby has spent a multifaceted career as a journalist, author and marketer. Currently, he is chairman of Crosby Marketing Communications, a national advertising/PR firm he founded in 1973. The company is one of the nation’s most successful independent PR firms, with 120 employees and offices in Annapolis, Md., and the Washington, D.C., area.

A graduate of the University of Maryland College of Journalism, Crosby began his professional life as a newspaperman in Baltimore, later becoming a White House correspondent and magazine writer during the Eisenhower-Kennedy-Johnson presidential years, culminating his journalistic career in 1972 as an editor with the Kiplinger organization. He has published three previous books and numerous articles in national magazines, lectured at the University of Maryland and taught writing courses at Anne Arundel Community College.

Key School senior Isabel Littmann has received the 2023 Crosby Marketing & Media Studies Scholarship. The $5,000 award is given each year through the Scholarships for Scholars program to a high school senior who has displayed the attributes and academic rigor necessary to excel in the fields of marketing or media.

“During her time at Key School, Isabel has demonstrated solid writing and research skills — important tools for a successful journalist,” said Raymond Crosby, President and CEO of Crosby Marketing. “She has also been steadfast in giving back to the community through volunteering her time and talent. We are proud that this scholarship will help her take the next step to prepare for her career.”

Littmann plans to study Journalism and Mass Communication at George Washington University. At Key School, she honed her skills by editing the school newspaper and yearbook. She also conducted an independent study program that involved researching and writing about the beaches used by Annapolis’ African-American population in segregated times.

Littmann served as captain and choreographer for her school’s dance activity, and played lacrosse and volleyball. She also led food drives, raised money for charitable causes, and volunteered as a creative movement specialist at a local nonprofit that serves people with Down syndrome.

Scholarships for Scholars, Inc., awards scholarships annually to graduating high school seniors who are Anne Arundel County residents, have demonstrated exceptional abilities in specific disciplines, and have contributed to their schools and to the community at large.

With headquarters in Annapolis, Crosby Marketing provides integrated advertising, public relations, social media, and digital marketing services through specialized practices in Healthcare, Government, Nonprofits & Causes, and Military & Veterans. The firm ranks #27 on O’Dwyer’s list of national communications firms and is a top provider on the GSA Professional Services Schedule. Crosby was named Small Agency of the Year by PRovoke Media in 2021 and has been a Washington Post Top Workplace for six consecutive years.

To better support its continued growth of healthcare and federal government clients, Crosby Marketing Communications has promoted four senior staff to the position of Associate Vice President.

• Jennifer Brohinsky was named Associate Vice President, Integration Management. Since joining Crosby in 2016, she has helped lead innovative public health communications campaigns to engage providers, patients and diverse consumers for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force.
• Promoted to Associate Vice President, Integration Management, Flo Pique-Monnier leads communications and digital engagement programs for Kaiser Permanente and Telehealth.HHS.gov, the federal website that supports the growing use of telehealth services. She has been with Crosby for nine years.
• Karin Siomporas advanced to Associate Vice President, Integration Management. A Crosby team member since 2007, she helps lead integrated marketing campaigns for the Defense Department’s Military OneSource program, which provides quality-of-life programs for service members and their families worldwide.
• Glen Villegas was promoted to Associate Vice President, Digital Design. He creates innovative digital experiences, websites and mobile applications for Crosby clients using human-centered designs and user experience best practices.

Crosby provides integrated advertising, public relations, social media, and digital marketing services through specialized practices in Healthcare, Government, Nonprofits & Causes, and Military & Veterans. The firm ranks #22 on O’Dwyer’s list of national communications firms, is a top provider on the GSA Professional Services Schedule, and is a Google Premier Partner. Crosby was named Small Agency of the Year by PRovoke Media in 2021 and has been a Washington Post Top Workplace for six consecutive years.

To support a growing portfolio of federal agencies and healthcare clients, Crosby Marketing Communications has announced the promotion of three executives to the position of vice president.

• As Vice President, Strategist, Gabrielle Weber oversees the strategic development of large-scale public health outreach and community programs for clients including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Weber, who hold the Masters in Public Health designation, has been with Crosby since 2015.
• In her role as Vice President, Integration Management, Kelly Heritage helps lead comprehensive communications programs for the Department of Defense’s Military OneSource program and Milspouse Money Mission, a program sponsored by the USAA Educational Foundation. Since joining Crosby in 2017, Heritage has supported strategic outreach and engagement campaigns that help service members, military spouses and their families around the world connect with the resources and support they need.
• Promoted to Vice President of Accounting, Shannon Benil oversees the firm’s financial management functions. Benil has supported Crosby’s fiscal operations for nearly two decades.

Crosby provides integrated advertising, public relations, social media, and digital marketing services through specialized practices in Healthcare, Government, Nonprofits & Causes, and Military & Veterans. The firm ranks #22 on O’Dwyer’s list of national communications firms, is a top provider on the GSA Professional Services Schedule, and is a Google Premier Partner. Crosby was named Small Agency of the Year by PRovoke Media in 2021 and has been a Washington Post Top Workplace for six consecutive years.

Crosby Marketing Communications took top honors in the 2022 Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) Best in Maryland competition for its work with the Department of Defense’s Military OneSource program, promoting the well-being of active-duty service members and their families across the globe.

Crosby won Best in Show for its work to support military families with special needs. The Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) campaign was designed to focus on the unique needs of these families by providing digital tools and outreach that make it easier to access services, while creating a more user-friendly experience. The award is the top public relations honor in the state and is given for the most outstanding work entered in the competition.

Two additional Military OneSource programs took awards:

• “United to End Domestic Abuse,” a month-long communications campaign held during Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October 2021. The campaign used outreach on and off military installations to raise awareness that preventing and responding to domestic abuse is a responsibility shared by the entire military community.
• The “Re the We” relationships campaign, which encourages couples and single service members to strengthen their relationships with themselves and others while normalizing getting help for challenges. The program provided tools to help military community members rekindle, retool and repair their relationships.

Sponsored by the Maryland Chapter of the PRSA, the annual Best in Maryland awards honors public relations practitioners in the state who, in the judgment of their peers, have successfully addressed a communications challenge with exemplary professional skill, creativity and resourcefulness.

Crosby provides integrated advertising, public relations, social media, and digital marketing services through specialized practices in Healthcare, Government, Nonprofits & Causes, and Military & Veterans. The firm ranks #22 on O’Dwyer’s list of national communications firms and is a top provider on the GSA Professional Services Schedule. Crosby was named Small Agency of the Year by PRovoke Media in 2021 and has been a Washington Post Top Workplace for six consecutive years.

To further strengthen its strategic consulting capabilities, Crosby Marketing Communications has added Donna Merz Cargas as Vice President, Senior Strategist. It also promoted Chris Coelho to Vice President, Digital Marketing.

Cargas will support Crosby’s growing body of work to promote the Department of Defense’s Military OneSource program, which provides quality-of-life support and resources to service members and their families across the globe. She will lead communications planning for the Exceptional Military Family Program, the Office of Special Needs, Child, Youth and Family, Relocation and Deployment, and various events that celebrate the military community.

Cargas has more than 30 years of brand building and strategic communications experience in both the government and private sector. Most recently, as Communications Director at Breck Inc., she supported the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to help build public/private stakeholder engagement, develop campaigns for state and local election officials, and foster public awareness of misinformation. Prior to this, she served as Communications Lead at JPI, supporting internal and external audience engagement programs for the Department of Homeland Security.

Coelho, a Crosby team member since 2019, was promoted to Vice President, Digital Marketing. He guides digital strategy for clients including the Social Security Administration, Peace Corps and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He also develops integrated strategies for content marketing, social media, search engine optimization, email marketing and alignment of cross-channel messaging that drive higher performance.

Crosby provides integrated advertising, public relations, social media, and digital marketing services through specialized practices in Healthcare, Government, Nonprofits & Causes, and Military & Veterans. The firm ranks #22 on O’Dwyer’s list of national communications firms, is a top provider on the GSA Professional Services Schedule, and is a Google Premier Partner. Crosby was named Small Agency of the Year by PRovoke Media in 2021 and has been a Washington Post Top Workplace for six consecutive years.

Crosby Marketing Communications has promoted Gillian Pommerehn and Carrie Dooher to Executive Vice President.

Pommerehn will serve as Executive Vice President, PR & Reputation Management. As the firm’s chief public relations strategist for the past 15 years, she leads a seasoned team of professionals implementing innovative media relations and crisis communications programs across Crosby’s practice areas. She also oversees national awareness campaigns that help shape attitudes, inspire behavior change, and motivate action for clients that include DAV (Disabled American Veterans) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She leads the firm’s promotional activities, staff events and community outreach programs that strengthen Crosby’s culture of Inspiring Actions That Matter™.

A Crosby team member for four years, Dooher has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Senior Strategist.  She leads Crosby’s partnership with the Peace Corps, overseeing teams that drive branding and a comprehensive integrated marketing campaign to build awareness and increase volunteer applications. She also strategically guides national integrated marketing and behavior-change campaigns for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration that engage professional stakeholder groups and diverse consumer audiences.

“Gillian and Carrie are trusted counselors, and both exemplify the type of purpose and passion Crosby brings to helping clients improve their business and social impact,” said Crosby President and CEO Raymond Crosby. “They are strong leaders who will be instrumental in our continued growth.”

Crosby provides integrated advertising, public relations, social media, and digital marketing services through specialized practices in Healthcare, Government, Nonprofits & Causes, and Military & Veterans. The firm ranks #22 on O’Dwyer’s list of national communications firms, is a top provider on the GSA Professional Services Schedule, and is a Google Premier Partner. Crosby was named Small Agency of the Year by PRovoke Media in 2021 and has been a Washington Post Top Workplace for six consecutive years.

Crosby Marketing Communications has been ranked as the region’s #1 largest advertising agency and #1 PR firm by the Baltimore Business Journal.

The rankings are based on Crosby’s revenue growth and team size, which now numbers 112 marketing professionals. With offices in Annapolis and Washington, D.C., the firm’s client roster includes leading organizations such as Peace Corps, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Kaiser Permanente, DAV (Disabled American Veterans), the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and Department of Defense.

“Earning this #1 ranking is the culmination of years of hard work and constant innovation,” said Raymond Crosby, President and CEO of Crosby. “Our mission of Inspiring Actions That Matter™ guides our work and motivates our talented staff to produce exceptional marketing results and real social impact for our clients.”

Crosby provides integrated advertising, public relations, social media, and digital marketing services through specialized practices in Healthcare, Government, Nonprofits & Causes, and Military & Veterans. The firm ranks #22 on O’Dwyer’s list of national communications firms, is a top provider on the GSA Professional Services Schedule, and is a Google Premier Partner. Crosby was named Small Agency of the Year by PRovoke Media in 2021 and has been a Washington Post Top Workplace for six consecutive years.