Elizabeth Limbach

Senior Communications Manager @ 1% for the Planet

About

Brands bring me in when they are ready to get serious about their story. I'm a journalist in an operator's body. I see stories *everywhere* and relish the job of building the systems and teams to tell them well. After more than a dozen years as an award-winning journalist and editor, I packed up my press badge and took those skills to MUD\WTR, where I built out content marketing and comms functions from scratch, leading to a 164% increase in media coverage in a year. Now at 1% for the Planet, I engineered the org's first communications strategy, driving an 89% increase in PR coverage, and built a CEO thought leadership program that grew LinkedIn engagements 620%. What else? Well ... ✨ I have a knack (let's be real, a compulsion) for finding what's missing in an org—be it process, strategy or potential innovations—and building it. ✨ Strategy is my sweet spot, and I'll champion a simple strategy over a complicated one every time. ✨ Like your favorite 4-year-old, I will ask "why?" until we've arrived at a good, impactful truth before rolling into the fun work of communications planning. ✨ And my fave part of the week is the time spent with CEOs, tugging at the threads of their expertise, drawing out compelling stories and helping shape them into refined points of view that will grow audiences and change minds.

Country

United States

City

Encinitas

Industry

Public Relations & Communications

Skill

Thought Leadership, LinkedIn Marketing, Marketing Campaign Management, Strategic Media Relations, Global Media Relations, Executive Communications, Narrative Journalism, Databases, Written Communication, Communication, Cross-functional Collaborations, Team Leadership, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Interpersonal Skills, Organizational Communication, Project Management, Corporate Communications, Strategic Communications, Punctuation, Internal and External Communications

Experience

Senior Communications Manager

1% for the Planet

2025-1 - Present · 1 yr 8 mos

Senior-most communications leader at 1% for the Planet, leading all narrative, PR, content and executive communications functions. Came in and built the org's first integrated communications strategy from scratch—unifying siloed channels under a cohesive voice and vision, and creating the infrastructure for storytelling that's both strategic and scalable. Highlights: 🌎 Putting 18 years of storytelling experience to work for the planet 🌎 Driving an 89% increase in PR coverage in year one, with placements in The Wall Street Journal, BBC, Forbes, Fast Company, Washington Post and more 🌎 Building a CEO thought leadership program that grew LinkedIn engagements 620%, members reached 1,700%, and impressions 1,300% in six months 🌎 Establishing the CEO as a paid public speaker and supporting with engagements on stages including NYT Climate Forward, Climate Week NYC, WBUR/NPR and VivaTech 🌎 Developing the org's first core messaging program, PR strategy, content repurposing engine and rapid-response communications framework

$MUD\WTR$

Director of Communications

MUD\WTR

2022-10 - 2024-5 · 1 yr 8 mos

Designed, led and executed MUD\WTR’s first external and internal comms strategies, orchestrating holistic strategic communications that amplified the brand’s story through meaningful press placements and strengthened the remote team's connection, clarity and engagement.

$MUD\WTR$

Managing Editor

MUD\WTR

2020-12 - 2022-11 · 2 yrs

Led the development of MUD\WTR's brand voice, style guides and content marketing. Ran a holistic content calendar and editorial team that delivered against company KPIs through a journalistic-quality blog, podcast and weekly newsletter that reached 300k engaged readers.

Freelance Journalist

Magazines, Newspapers

2009-1 - 2022-11 · 13 yrs 11 mos

Bylines in The Atlantic, Allure, Outside Online, Parade, American Way, Ms., Via, Alternet.org, E - The Environmental Magazine, Edible Monterey Bay, Edible Silicon Valley, and Sierra, among others.

Editor

Santa Cruz Waves

2014-8 - 2021-5 · 6 yrs 10 mos

As Editor in Chief of the bimonthly surf lifestyle magazine Santa Cruz Waves, I planned editorial content, organized and oversaw the editorial calendar, managed a stable of freelance writers, edited each issue's stories, advised during the design process, proofed the book, and saw the magazine off to press.

Managing Editor

Good Times Weekly

2009-3 - 2014-4 · 5 yrs 2 mos

As Managing Editor at Good Times Weekly newspaper, where I worked for five and a half years, my role was to help oversee the planning and execution of the weekly paper, as well as plan and carry out long-term projects like the design and launch of a new website. I served as Editor of the paper's biannual Food & Wine magazine, as well as of other special publications. I was the director of the paper's news coverage, which entailed scouting, planning, scheduling, assigning and editing all stories, as well as reporting and writing. I wrote frequent cover stories—in-depth, longform journalism that explored complex and pressing issues. I hired and managed a large stable of writers, photographers and interns, and was the supervisor of two staff members. I won numerous statewide awards for my journalism, as well as helped the paper earn many awards from local organizations for our ongoing commitment to community journalism.