Verified profile

Monica J. Jerbi

Marketing and Strategic Communications Leader

Monica J. Jerbi's profile photo
Current roleIndependent and Contracts-Based Communications and Marketing ConsultantSelf-Employed (Largely for USAID Contractors) · since Sep 2016

About

I fell in love with international development just after college, working on the first of three projects tied to the Middle East Peace Talks on behalf of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Serving vulnerable people in crisis is what kept me in USAID work: translating complex policy goals, expert insight, and evidence into clear, credible communications that build trust and drive meaningful behavior change. Today, I continue to pursue roles where I can support vulnerable people, including combat veterans and their families.

I bring deep marketing and communications experience across digital, print, and live channels, including websites, newsletters, campaigns, outreach materials, and technical reports and proposals. I have supported national and international campaigns in politically diverse environments, facilitated collaborative simulations, and managed communities of practice. I excel at translating complex topics into clear, actionable messaging for diverse audiences and delivering under pressure.

WHAT SETS ME APART: I’m a senior communications and marketing strategist with an integrated skill set spanning writing, strategy, fundraising, brand storytelling, and print and web design. I also bring niche expertise in trauma-aware messaging that inspires action and builds trust without triggering fight, flight, or freeze trauma responses that hinder engagement and impact.

My work is intentionally nonpartisan and unity-framed in polarized environments drawing on USAID stabilization and civil society–strengthening models; Wikistrat experience examining reflexive control, disinformation, and influence dynamics; and trauma-aware messaging that helps avoid unintentional amplification.

HOW I DELIVER:

➔ Wrote or edited 75+ USAID impact reports and evidence-based stories that supported continued funding

➔ Led or supported 10+ national communications campaigns for USAID and other federal agencies

➔ Built, redesigned, and/or managed 15+ websites for federal programs, USAID projects, nonprofits, and consulting firms

➔ Supported winning technical proposals with a total maximum ceiling value of more than $2.2B (largely multi-award contract vehicles).

➔ Increased online donations 85% in under a year with a trauma-informed fundraising strategy

Roles

Sep 2016–Present
Current role

Independent and Contracts-Based Communications and Marketing Consultant

Self-Employed (Largely for USAID Contractors)

Maryland

Communications Director

Serve as a long-term independent consultant to nonprofits and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and other federal agency contractors—transforming expert insights, data, and technical guidance into clear, actionable tools and messages that align with business strategy and apply behavioral communications, knowledge management, and change leadership principles to drive understanding, trust, and action. Regular and recent use of Microsoft Office 365, Adobe Creative Cloud, MailChimp, SharePoint, and multiple web content management systems.

Key achievements by category include:

Strategic Communications and Change Leadership

• Led or contributed to more than ten national communications and marketing campaigns for USAID, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and other federal agencies. Campaigns were microtargeted to reach audience segments at critical decision points—prioritizing engagement through trusted influencers, community networks, and partner organizations sometimes augmented by paid media, news conferences, site visits, and earned press to extend reach and impact. Most applied behavior change communications or knowledge management principles to move audiences to action.

• Developed healthcare communications for CMS, including stakeholder engagement initiatives targeting the Medicare program integrity community. Collaborated with subject-matter experts to produce a comprehensive Medicare fraud prevention handbook, ensuring content accuracy, regulatory compliance, and effective dissemination. Also supported meetings for the federal anti-Medicare Fraud Workgroup for Parts C and D, creating PowerPoints and learning tools as well as supporting secure live broadcasts, ensuring seamless technical delivery and real-time chat moderation.

• Created and managed end-to-end communications products—including outreach for health-related information technology platforms and Medicare training modules—for USAID, CMS, HUD, and multiple nonprofits and consulting firms. Applied design thinking and messaging innovation to produce newsletters, brochures, advertisements, fact sheets, and learning tools that raised awareness and fostered collaborative networks to drive meaningful change.

• Spearheaded a trauma-informed digital fundraising strategy for Hope Ofiriha (Norwegian nonprofit serving South Sudan), increasing online donations by 85% in under a year by emphasizing resilience, hope, and community impact—intentionally avoiding graphic depictions of Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) atrocities to reduce the likelihood of triggering fight, flight, or freeze trauma responses and emotional shutdown that hinder donor engagement and giving.

Stakeholder Engagement and Multimedia Oversight

• Analyzed stakeholder discussions throughout Nigeria to inform and refine a USAID-funded national communications campaign strategy—ensuring that messaging reflected field-level realities and drove meaningful engagement.

• Wrote or edited 75+ USAID impact reports and blog posts, providing clear, evidence-based summaries of program activities and monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities based on official USAID reports, strengthening USAID and partner confidence and supporting continued funding.

• Led content development and coordination with public affairs officers nationwide for Housing on the Move, HUD’s biweekly digital newsletter for employees, stakeholders, and partners focused on low-income housing initiatives.

• Wrote feature articles published in high-visibility industry digital and print outlets, such as the Professional Services Council’s Service Contractor magazine on ME&A, Inc.’s international development successes.

• Launched a live social campaign on behalf of USAID for the White House U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, driving engagement for a gender digital inclusion public-private partnership across Kenya and Nigeria.

• Conceptualized and implemented the highly successful social media-only launch of the USAID-funded OurCity beta Facebook game for Jordan, which generated contributed posts with a social reach of more than 1.1 million, resulting in 1,000 new users in the first week and more than 70,000 users in seven months.

• Built, redesigned, and/or managed 15+ websites for consulting firms, USAID projects, federal agencies, and nonprofits.

Cross-Functional Leadership and Strategic Initiatives

• Supervised online simulations for the crowdsourcing consulting firm Wikistrat, collaborating with cross-functional international teams and mentoring new analysts to ensure effective teamwork. Simulations addressed complex issues such as global health, conflict, hybrid warfare, and disinformation. Received eight Wikistrat awards for foresight and strategic vision, including the November 2016 Analyst of the Month for analysis on hybrid warfare and digital influence.

• Wrote or edited sections of winning technical proposals for Casals & Associates, Inc. for USAID and other federal agencies with a total maximum ceiling value of $1.5 billion (largely multi-award contract vehicles).