At the German Marshall Fund, teams across regions were working on democracy, digital governance, emerging technology, and geopolitical transformation.

The work was substantive and urgent — but the narrative environment was fragmented.

Different initiatives, regions, and policy domains were speaking in parallel rather than in concert. The deeper challenge was not distribution.

It was coherence.

How do diverse programs become part of a shared public story about the future of democracy?
How does technical and geopolitical work translate into narratives people can understand, feel, and engage with?

As Digital Communications Manager, I led narrative and digital strategy across seven offices, supporting initiatives focused on democracy, emerging technology, and global systems change.

My role centered on:

• designing messaging frameworks

• shaping narrative coherence across programs

• guiding executive and institutional voice

• building digital systems that supported long-term storytelling

• and translating research and policy work into public-facing meaning

I operated at the intersection of substance, narrative, and platform.

Rather than approaching communications as outputs, I focused on narrative architecture.

My work included:

1. Messaging & narrative frameworks

I developed cross-initiative messaging structures that aligned democracy, technology, and geopolitical work under shared narrative pillars — creating continuity across regions and programs.

2. Institutional voice & executive positioning

I supported senior leaders and program heads in translating complex work into public-facing narratives, thought leadership, and digital expression.

3. Digital ecosystem design

I guided how democracy and emerging technology initiatives lived across web, social, and content platforms — designing systems that supported long-term storytelling rather than isolated campaigns.

4. Translation of complexity

I worked closely with analysts and program teams to synthesize research into accessible narratives, visual storytelling, and audience-facing content.

The aim was not simplification.
It was legibility.

This narrative approach helped:

• unify communications across multiple democracy and tech programs

• strengthen the organization’s positioning on emerging technology and democratic resilience

• create clearer connective tissue between policy work and public discourse

• expand engagement beyond traditional policy audiences

• and build narrative continuity across digital platforms

The work supported GMF’s ability to participate meaningfully in conversations about the future of democracy — not just as a research institution, but as a public voice.

This work reinforced a central belief in my practice:

Institutions don’t just produce knowledge.
They produce realities.

How they frame emerging systems shapes how societies understand what is possible, what is at risk, and what can be built.

Designing narrative architecture for democracy and technology work clarified my focus on shaping the connective tissue between research, systems change, and public meaning.