Washington, D.C. – The Cato Institute, a public policy research organization, has announced the appointment of Stacey DiLorenzo as its inaugural Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). DiLorenzo brings with her a wealth of experience in strategic marketing, communications, and brand management, making her the perfect fit to elevate Cato’s outreach and impact in the ever-evolving landscape of public policy discourse.
As Cato’s first Chief Marketing Officer, DiLorenzo will play a pivotal role in shaping the Institute’s brand identity, expanding its digital footprint, and cultivating strategic partnerships to amplify its influence on a global scale. She will also spearhead the development and implementation of comprehensive marketing strategies to amplify the Institute’s mission of advancing the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace.
“We are thrilled to have Stacey as our top communications and marketing executive,” said Peter Goettler, Cato Institute President and CEO. “Her extensive background driving communications, media, branding, and marketing positions her perfectly to lead these teams. She’ll make a crucial contribution to disseminating Cato’s policy work more broadly and will bring our ideas to new and larger audiences.”
DiLorenzo joins Cato’s leadership team after serving nearly 13 years as the Executive Dean of External Relations at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health. There, she led the internationally renowned school’s strategic communications, digital marketing strategy, media relations, and events teams. During her tenure, faculty and research were routinely featured in tier one media, expanding both the brand and reputation of the school.
“I am excited at this point in my career to bring my marketing and communications experience to a public policy research institute with Cato’s reputation for integrity and excellence,” said DiLorenzo. “I believe that a principled, non-partisan, and data-informed approach will be the key to solving the world’s critical policy debates. The Cato Institute and our innovative team, is uniquely positioned to shape the contours of a more peaceful, free and prosperous society.”
Stacey also served as GW’s interim Vice President of Communications and Marketing from 2021 to 2022, navigating a presidential transition and a new centralized communication model, as well as leading through an evolving higher education landscape in the wake of the pandemic.
Before joining George Washington University, DiLorenzo served as senior director of marketing and communications at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she oversaw digital communications, media relations, publications, and social media and served as the managing editor of the school’s award-winning magazine, Johns Hopkins Public Health.
DiLorenzo also had a successful 20 years in the media business. She was managing director of local corporate support and marketing at Maryland Public Television. She spent 13 years at Discovery Communications in various positions, including executive creative director and vice president of marketing for the TLC and Discovery Home networks, where she won many awards for her innovative writing and marketing campaigns. DiLorenzo launched the TLC networks’ first ever major brand campaign, “Life Unscripted,” which led to unprecedented television ratings success for the network with programs such as “Trading Spaces” and “What Not To Wear,” to name a few.