Jeff Joseph brings extensive experience in strategic communications, public affairs, issues advocacy, and organizational leadership. As founder of Starlight Public Affairs, Joseph provides executive level counsel to help clients navigate effective solutions for complex issues. His message- and values-based approach helps Starlight’s clients find and maintain their “true north” throughout any organizational strategic communications, executive leadership, organizational branding, or public affairs efforts.
Joseph partners with a select constellation of independent providers who offer an array of specialized services including marketing and brand, media and presentation training, crisis communications, graphic design, web development, events and executive speaker placement strategy, research, video production and more. Starlight works hand-in-glove with these preferred providers to offer clients fully integrated, streamlined, and customized strategic communications solutions.
Prior to founding Starlight, Joseph most recently served as President, Mid-Atlantic Region for BCW Global, one of the world’s leading communications agencies. In this role, he oversaw client relationships, provided senior level strategic counsel to clients and the agency at large, developed and implemented organizational growth and staff development strategies, and supervised financial management.
Previously, Joseph was president of SIIA, the principal trade association serving the specialized data and information industry and related associations, where he collaborated with the Board of Directors to oversee all operations and business activities to ensure alignment with the Association’s strategic plan, organizational mission, and annual budget. Joseph also spent fifteen years as senior vice president of communications and strategic relationships for the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™, the trade association representing the $505 billion U.S. consumer technology industry. CTA also owns and produces CES® – The Global Stage for Innovation. In this role, Joseph was responsible for the development and implementation of strategic communications, public relations, and public affairs campaigns to support CTA’s mission and drive the growth and success of CES. Joseph also served as a primary spokesperson for CTA, CES, and the consumer technology industry.
Joseph also served as vice president of communications with the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), the world’s largest biotech trade association. He began his career with Ogilvy Public Relations DC where he rose to serve as Senior Vice President representing a range of corporate and trade association clients across a range of public affairs and strategic communications engagements.
Joseph has been involved in several political campaigns, serving as a technology policy surrogate for a U.S. presidential campaign, and as a media consultant and speechwriter for former Washington, D.C. Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly.
A recipient of several honors and awards, Joseph has been named multiple times as one of Washington, D.C.’s most influential people in tech and telecom, one of Washington’s 500 Most Influential Shaping Policy, a Trending Association Innovator by DCA Live, and PR Professional of the Year by PR News. Under his leadership, his PR teams have been recognized by PR News as among the best in the U.S.
Joseph is a lauded public speaker and conference session moderator appearing at CES, SXSW, the NAB Show, Capitol Communicator’s PR Summit DC, and other top events and conferences. He also served as host of the podcast series, CES Tech Talk. He has been cited in publications including USA Today, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Business Week, the Wall Street Journal, and other top trade publications as well as in Associated Press and Bloomberg news stories. He has appeared on NBC Nightly News, CNN, CNNfn, CNBC, Fox News Channel, CNN International, Al Jazeera, Cheddar and local television and radio stations across the nation discussing policy issues, industry products, and trends.
Joseph strongly believes in giving back to his community. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the ADL, Washington, D.C. Region; the Langston Boulevard Development Alliance of Arlington County, Virginia; and Read Early and Daily (R.E.A.D.), an Arlington, Virginia-based non-profit dedicated to ensuring all children have new, quality, culturally relevant books that mirror their everyday lives and communities. He is a past Board member of the Washington Golf and Country Club.
In his free time, Joseph finds joy with his wife Lisa and their two daughters. He also enjoys viewing and participating in sports, discovering new music, debating politics, playing guitar, cooking, traveling, and rooting for the Dallas Cowboys, the Princeton University Tigers, and Georgetown University Hoyas. Joseph is a founding member of a dad’s rock band which is consistently ranked among Best Bands in Arlington, VA by the readers of Arlington Magazine.
Joseph is a graduate of Princeton University where he received a bachelor’s degree in religion.