Olwen Pongrace

Board Member

Olwen Pongrace is a senior strategic communications professional who specializes in working with non-profits. In 2010 she founded the firm, Thorpe Searl Communications, where she manages communications programs on behalf of non-profit clients and is a senior advisor to non-profit leadership and boards of directors.

Ms. Pongrace works with her clients to formulate a vision; develop strategies to achieve that vision; and is often responsible for managing the implementation of that vision including frequently helping to raise the critical funding and/or building partnerships and coalitions needed to achieve success. 

For the past 15 years, she has worked closely with the executive director of National Park Trust in developing strategies designed to raise awareness of the organization’s mission to expand its reach and impact. Through effective programming and communications strategies, such as launching National Kids to Parks Day, she has helped the organization double in size and impact. 

A founding principal and vice president of The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership, a non-profit dedicated to raising awareness of the history between Gettysburg, PA and Charlottesville, VA, Ms.Pongrace worked on the team that founded the organization, raised startup funding, formed a four-state coalition of support, earned National Heritage Area and All American Road designation, raised national media awareness, and used the region’s historic assets as a catalyst to spur economic development of the region. 

Ms. Pongrace has worked as a senior executive with several advertising agencies and has experience managing integrative communications campaigns for real estate developers, banks, foundations, hospitals, health care start-ups, museums, regional economic development offices and retail businesses. She also lived in Brussels, Belgium for five years and was employed by the European Commission working in the press office.

A native Washingtonian, Ms. Pongrace is active in her community. She serves as a board member and immediate past board chair of CulturalDC; was a board member with Choral Arts Society of Washington; and was also a board member of her daughter’s Sidwell Friends Crew Team. She lives with her husband in Washington DC and has three grown children. She is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, earning a Bachelor of Science in communications with a concentration in print journalism.