Jeffrey A. Davis, APR

A former daily newspaper reporter, Jeff brings more than 25 years of experience in positioning and reputation management, with particular depth in media relations, media training, crisis communications and social media strategy. Lessons learned in the newsroom, including working under deadline, accuracy, cultivating sources and exercising editorial judgment became the foundation.

What followed was decades of senior-level public relations counsel delivered inside some of the largest advertising and marketing agencies in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., serving a broad range of companies, associations, institutions and government agencies across multiple sectors.

Today, Jeff heads J. Davis Public Relations (JD/PR), an independent PR consultancy built for marketing and communications leaders in search of fractional senior-level PR expertise without the overhead of a full-time hire. His work spans media relations, crisis communications, social media strategy, content development and outsourced PR, with experience in transportation and infrastructure, senior living, B2B professional services, higher education and agency-side PR.

Media Relations and Earned Media

Jeff's background as a working journalist informs everything about how he approaches media relations. He understands what makes news and what doesn't, and that practical foundation drives an efficient, targeted approach to packaging and placing stories whether the audience is regional business media, national trade press or local news. A long-standing member of the National Press Club, he maintains well-developed relationships with decision-makers and news gatekeepers at outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes as well as broadcast producers, regional news editors and more.

In an era when AI-driven search is reshaping how organizations get found and evaluated, earned media carries new strategic weight. When prospects turn to Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot or Perplexity for answers about who leads a given industry, those answers are built from what has been written, cited and recognized in the media and other third-party sources, not from ads, paid placements or SEO keywords. Jeff helps clients understand and act on that reality.

Crisis Communications

Jeff has counseled clients through some of the most demanding communications environments imaginable. His crisis experience includes:

National-level response for USA Lacrosse during the Duke lacrosse case

Emergency crisis communications for a fatal apartment explosion in Silver Spring, Maryland — seven lives lost, sustained national coverage and NTSB's largest-ever investigation

Crisis PR for a senior living facility managing a Coronavirus outbreak in Washington, D.C.

Counsel to a daycare center following the arrest and conviction of an employee on child abuse charges

Insider trading allegations involving an organization's executive director

Sexual harassment charges against the top administrator of an educational institution

Deaths at a national ski resort on the West Coast and an outdoor adventure venue in Delaware

Carbon monoxide poisoning and death at a Baltimore housing project

Accusations of mismanagement against leadership of a prominent Washington, D.C. attraction

A high-profile dispute involving a landmark Baltimore building

A controversial property sale involving a youth service organization in Maryland 

Across each of these engagements, the through line is the same: clear thinking, disciplined messaging and steady counsel when the stakes are highest.

Transportation and Infrastructure

Few independent PR consultants bring the depth of transportation experience that Jeff does. His work includes PR and social media programs for the Maryland Transportation Authority, Baltimore City Department of Transportation, the Port of Baltimore, Thurgood Marshall BWI Airport and the Maryland Aviation Administration. As MDTA's first social media lead, he launched and managed the agency's Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts, making MDTA an early adopter among transportation agencies nationwide and establishing social media as a central tool for crisis messaging, public education and event promotion. He has also supported projects by the Ohio Department of Transportation and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

Social Media and Digital Strategy

Jeff was an early adopter of social media in a professional communications context. He advised News Corp on its acquisition of MySpace, counseled Boeing executives on social media strategy, and led Hair Cuttery's entry into social media at a time when most brands were still finding their footing on emerging platforms. When Twitter, now X, was beginning to gain acceptance, The Washington Business Journal wrote a feature story about Jeff and his pioneering use of Twitter as a public relations tool. He has since built a national profile as a speaker and workshop presenter on social media strategy and AI within a PR context, helping organizations integrate emerging digital channels with traditional communications programs.

Podcasting and Digital Media

In 2012, Jeff co-founded Podville Media with Charlie Birney, among the earliest dedicated podcast companies on the East Coast. Today, Podville operates state-of-the-art studio facilities in Washington, D.C. and Maryland, serving creators, brands and organizations locally and globally. Clients have included ESPN, the Los Angeles Times, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Diplomacy, the International Spy Museum and The White House Historical Association. Jeff also co-hosted two podcast series with Charlie: Launch Podcast: Stories About Startups and Practically Social, the Jeff and Charlie Show.

Credentials and Professional Standing

Jeff holds the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) from the Public Relations Society of America, the profession's primary earned credential, and served three terms as president of PRSA Maryland. He is a founding member of The Public Relations Collective, a nationwide alliance of senior-level independent PR professionals. He serves as a regional editor for the Washington, D.C. news organization Capitol Communicator, and is a member of the National Press Club, serving on its communications team and formerly head of NPC's "Meet the Media" series.

His client experience includes the American Occupational Therapy Association, Boeing Network & Space Systems, Council of Independent Colleges, CVS/MinuteClinic, Honeywell, Kaiser Permanente, Major League Baseball Properties, Pfizer Animal Health, Rubbermaid, and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and Office of the Surgeon General.

Jeff earned a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from Ohio Wesleyan University.