the business
Strategy for ideas that are meant to go somewhere.
EMPRESS Strategic Communications is a strategic communications and community impact consultancy helping organizations communicate with clarity, build meaningful connections, and move important ideas forward.
That work can begin in a lot of places — a new initiative that needs a communications strategy, a story that isn't reaching the right people, a community you need to engage, an event or campaign taking shape, a reputation challenge, a grant opportunity, or simply an idea you know has potential but aren't quite sure what to do with yet.
EMPRESS brings strategy, storytelling, public relations, community engagement, and creative thinking together to help determine what needs to be said, who needs to hear it, and what needs to happen next.
the founder
Jenna Guzman has spent nearly two decades helping organizations communicate clearly, build meaningful relationships, and move important ideas forward.
Her career has taken her through public service, public health, community engagement, media relations, executive communications, events, and organizational leadership. Most recently, Jenna served as Communications Director for St. Mary’s County Government, where she led communications for a complex public organization, advised elected officials and senior leaders, managed high-profile initiatives, and helped connect local government with the community it serves.
Before that, she led communications for the St. Mary’s County Health Department, including helping guide the community through the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Across every role, Jenna has built a reputation for seeing both the big picture and the next practical step. She is equally comfortable shaping strategy, bringing people together, untangling a complicated message, or rolling up her sleeves to turn an idea into something real.
That combination of strategy, creativity, connection, and hands-on execution became the foundation for EMPRESS.
Jenna was born and raised in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, where she now lives with her amazing husband and son—and their rotten fur babies. Away from work, Jenna enjoys good books, messy paint pours, Southern Maryland sunsets, glasses of wine with her girlfriends, and adventures that take her to new places.
That curiosity—about people, places, ideas, and what might be possible—isn’t separate from how Jenna works. It’s at the heart of it.
The Name
Creation. Abundance. Growth. Possibility.
The Empress is an archetype of creation, abundance, growth, and the power of bringing something new into the world.
The Empress doesn't simply represent creation. She represents cultivation: recognizing potential, giving it what it needs to grow, and creating the conditions for something meaningful to flourish.
At EMPRESS, that journey—from possibility to meaningful impact—takes shape in three ways:
CREATE
Turn possibilities into plans, stories, experiences, and ideas people can see and believe in.
CONNECT
Build meaningful relationships and partnerships that bring the right people, organizations, and communities together.
ELEVATE
Give good ideas the strategy, visibility, and momentum they need to grow their reach and deepen their impact.
Let’s Talk
Have an idea, a challenge, or a project you’re ready to move forward? Start here.
Tell me a little about what you’re working on and where you’d like to go. You don’t need to have it all figured out — that’s what our strategy is for.
Not sure exactly what you need? Just ask.