Over the years, Desiree Peterkin Bell has worked extensively in public relations in many fields and has continually earned accolades at the highest level. Desiree’s goal as a professional has always been to give customers the support they need to stand out in the public’s eyes. That’s why she was one of many lucky women honored as one of the recent Top Women in PR 2023.
Success in Her Field
When Desiree Peterkin Bell started her business nearly 7 years ago, she knew she wanted to combine all the work she had done over two decades in helping to build #brands, #governments #leaders, and the work in #policy and #PublicRelations into one firm.
That’s why she created DPBell & Associates – an award-winning Public Affairs firm that took her more than 20 years of experience in all the above and elevated the work to make even more impact to reach hundreds of thousands of people.
As the Founder and CEO of DPBell & Associates, Desiree leads a firm that serves both national and international clients, with team members in Washington, D.C., New York City, the Continent of Africa, New Jersey, Tel Aviv, and Los Angeles. They specialize in public relations, brand management, development, positioning, strategic counseling, crisis communications, media training, digital organizing, event production, political consulting, content development, and strategic partnerships.
DPBell & Associates is an award-winning firm that represents movements, not moments; brands that matter and people who want to make a difference.
Whether it’s helping to create groundbreaking legislation, like getting Breonna’s Law passed, getting someone elected, launching a campaign, building a movement, or executive producing award-winning content and global events – all of it is steeped in making an impact.
Desiree is among the most supportive, innovative, and inspiring women in PR. She helped companies brand properly after a crisis, broke them into new markets, and continually engaged with different audiences. Furthermore, she was applauded as an excellent mentor and someone that others in her field looked up to in their work. Her award was as a “change-maker” in PR with DPBell & Associates.
This validation of her hard work came at the right time in her career. Starting a new business and seeking to expand it isn’t always easy. There were some challenges initially, and sometimes she wanted to give up entirely. However, knowing that her name, Desiree Peterkin Bell, will be read in front of hundreds of her peers at the acceptance ceremony in June has made all the hard work worth it.
And sometimes, you have to remember who you are and what you’ve accomplished. Here’s a summary for Desiree: She is a 2x Best-Selling international author, award-winning seasoned public affairs and brand strategist, speaker, and advocate who seeks to lead movements, not moments. With over 20 years of experience, she has served as a trusted advisor and brand builder to some of the nation’s most influential thought, cultural, and world leaders of our time. Today, she operates in her purpose, despite her change in position, to champion causes designed to amplify the voices of people of color and other marginalized communities.
With an accomplished career that is battle-tested and proven, she is proud that she has cemented her role as a key fixture in political, public affairs, and brand strategy circles around the world.
For over 20 years, she has been a fixture in the production, launch, and public relations of impactful high-level events and brands, such as the State of the City Addresses for the City of Newark and then-Mayor Cory A. Booker, legislative agendas, and bill signings for former Mayor Michael Bloomberg; the largest 4th of July celebration in the country, Philly Fourth of July Jam; Jay Z’s Made in America Festival; the Democratic National Convention; Forbes 30 Under 30; the historic 3 city Papal visit of Pope Francis to the United States; The Women’s March, March for Our Lives, EssenceFest, The Summit Series, and the Global Take Back The Mic Interactive Festival, among other events.
While Desiree has previously been recognized as one of the best and brightest in Public Affairs and the PR industry, nationally and globally, by the likes of PR Week’s “40 under 40,” Black Enterprise, The Obama Administration, the National Association of Black Journalists, Black Women In Media and Pope Francis, this award by PRNews is personal for her, and she is grateful to be honored among the best in Public Relations around the world.
When this award is given out at City Winery New York on June 7, she’ll celebrate with her closest friends and clients. Then, she’ll stand up on stage and accept the award with authenticity, power, and poise. Most importantly, she hopes this happy moment inspires other Black women to continue to defy the odds of racism, sexism, mansplaining, and misogyny to make an impact.
Never back down, never settle, always strive for more, and never compromise who you are because you are a force to be reckoned with.