Joanna Piacenza

I'm a researcher and strategist who has spent 15+ years at the intersection of social science, narrative, and commercial strategy — helping organizations understand what's happening in society and culture, why it matters, and what to do about it. My work consistently shapes decision-making in the Fortune 100 C-Suite and informs public policy on hot-button issues.

I turn research into narrative and narrative into strategy — whether that be a the shift in behavior, the emerging fault line, the assumption everyone is making that turns out to be wrong. And I build the frameworks and storylines that make that insight impossible to ignore.

I've done this at research firms, in newsrooms, and in C-suites. I've built intelligence functions from scratch, led teams of analysts and strategists, and taken research from raw data to flagship reports to major stages. The through-line across all of it is the same: Finding the question behind the question, and making the answer matter to the people who need it.

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I currently serve as Vice President of Thought Leadership and Marketing for Gravity Research, where I lead research commercialization strategy for Fortune 1–600 companies. I translate proprietary corporate intelligence into executive-ready frameworks, flagship reports, and strategic communications — establishing brand authority and generating pipeline by making complex research impossible to ignore.

Previously, I built and led Morning Consult's Industry Intelligence function — the firm's research-led marketing engine — developing external POV strategy, architecting narrative frameworks, and driving full-cycle commercialization aligned with revenue objectives.

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Thought leadership and research I've led or shaped has been cited or featured on CNN, NPR, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the BBC, Nieman Journalism Lab, and The Atlantic, among others. Beyond the C-suite and the boardroom, my work has informed discussions and decisions at the highest levels — cited in National Bureau of Economic Research working papers and referenced in an amicus brief submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court.

I have spoken internationally and domestically about the brands I've built and the research I've developed, including on stages at SXSW, NICAR, Harvard University, AEI, and in partnership with Mika Brzezinski’s ASCEND Summit, among others. I speak on anything from AI workforce trends to leisure travel trends to corporate engagement pullbacks to the white evangelical vote to national demographic shifts to consumer confidence.

I can finish a Wednesday New York Times crossword puzzle (without cheating).

I earned my M.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder and my B.A. in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My M.A. thesis explored Buddhist meditation apps.

Connect with me on LinkedIn here or follow me on Twitter here.