Pronouns: she/her/hers

Deanna Troust is an award-winning communications strategist, writer, and founder of Truth in Common, a nonprofit that forwards human-centered, pluralistic solutions to the mis-, dis- and malinformation epidemic. She leads workshops for community members and organizations, speaks to professional and parent groups, publishes a newsletter, and lifts up communicators as critical solvers of this foundational global issue. A two-time entrepreneur, she also helps nonprofits tell their impact stories and develop equity-centered communications strategies under her consulting arm, 3 Stories Communications.

Truth in Common is informed by Deanna’s 25+-year career in social change and work in the disinformation research, journalism, democracy and diversity, equity, and inclusion spaces — much as part of years-long partnerships with Mission Partners and IDEAS Generation, a multigenerational DEI consultancy. Her membership in the ListenFirst Coalition adds best practices in bridging social division.

Deanna previously spent almost two decades at Vanguard Communications, where she served on the Executive Leadership Team and managed large government and nonprofit projects, creative and account staff, and much of the firm’s inclusive, multicultural work; highlights included developing storytelling workshops for next-generation Latino leaders and Native-driven strategies to address health disparities.

Deanna serves on the board of DC International School, leads the Inclusion & Racial Justice Task Force at her church, and was a founder of March for Our Lives Lodging, a kitchen-table project that generated over 60 top-tier media stories and interviews between January and March 2018. A native of western New York and graduate of one of Cornell University’s land-grant schools, Deanna lives in Washington, DC’s eclectic Adams Morgan neighborhood with her husband, two bicultural daughters, and a rescue dog named Sweet Pea.