Debra Zimmerman Murphey has been a professional writer and communications professional for nearly 37 years. She has a broad and varied background in the newspaper, magazine and trade newsletter industries, but transitioned her career to become an expert in digital media. Currently, she provides public relations (PR), content and strategic communications insight and development — including grassroots outreach, social media, videos and creative podcasting — for clients of Tobin Communications. She also works on a freelance basis, and on independent writing, website, branding and organizational endeavors.

Her personal website contains many examples of her writing.

Murphey is both a former editor and publisher of Publications Management and senior editor of the leading trade publication PR NEWS. She understands that for writing and content to be effective in PR, marketing and advocacy, they must resonate in the way that news stories do and build credibility and transparency. That means offering information that is accurate, compelling, relevant, well-researched and addresses various audiences’ information and lifestyle needs.

An award-winning reporter and editor who began her journalism career in 1985, she has written for a range of publications and organizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, McMurry Publishing, the Custom Publishing Council, Phillips Publishing, New Media Report, AmericanStyle and Niche magazines, The Washington Post, The Maryland Independent, Southern Maryland This is Living magazine and the Charles County Economic Development Commission.

Murphey also has extensive healthcare, nonprofit, political campaign and grassroots education expertise and has provided PR/marketing insight, content-development input and writing for environmental organizations and animal-advocacy initiatives.

She has also spoken at, and moderated, industry conferences, and taken on assignments which garnered regional and national media attention and/or recognition (e.g., the story of a Holocaust survivor who endured life at three concentration camps, the use of apitherapy in the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis, and investigative/in-depth articles on the criminal and juvenile justice systems, and people living without indoor plumbing). She has won numerous professional awards, including a Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association (MDDC) “Best in Show.”

As a child, and the daughter of a career Foreign Service Officer, Murphey was schooled abroad and lived in Lagos, Nigeria; Bangkok, Thailand; Vienna, Austria; Seoul, Korea; and Athens, Greece. She is currently completing her first book, “Liastona and The Talon Kings,” a tale of ospreys and their magical lives and world. She is also a published poet.

Murphey earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Speech Communications from George Mason University and a Master’s Degree in Public Affairs and Journalism (with a concentration in new media) from American University.

Ed Mortimer, Executive Director, Americans for Transportation Mobility (ATM) Coalition

“Tobin Communications plays a critical role in crafting our coalition’s messages and bringing attention to America’s growing infrastructure crisis. Maury and Debra directed a much needed rebuild of our website and they’ve grown the reach of our social media channels significantly. They’re also producing outstanding written and multimedia content so we can tell the infrastructure story to the American public and decision makers, both inside and outside the beltway. If your organization needs top-notch communications consultants who know how to get things done, I highly recommend the team at Tobin Communications.”

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Dana Gandsman, Senior Director, Reputation Communications, life sciences industry

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Tobin Communications on many occasions. Tobin Communications stands out from other vendors because they deliver solid results consistently and do it at a reasonable price. Finding good partners in the public relations industry is not always easy, but it’s extremely important. If your team is looking for a vendor that will help make your campaign shine, I highly recommend Tobin Communications.”

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Chris Krese, Senior Vice President, National Association of Chain Drugstores

“I’ve worked with Tobin Communications on several Radio Media Tours and they have been simply fantastic. They’ve been integral parts of our public affairs campaigns. And the thing we like best was that he can target geographically, which means our messages are reaching their intended recipients. Tobin Communications delivers timely results, which makes it very possible for us to talk with our stakeholders about the value that we’re delivering on their behalf. And most importantly, Tobin Communications has always met or exceeded our very high expectations.”

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