Marie Leonard

Vice President of Content

Marie came to Community Impact in 2011 after starting her career as a reporter at a daily newspaper in East Texas and earning a journalism degree from Stephen F. Austin State University.

She worked as a reporter and editor for the Cy-Fair edition for nearly 5 years. She then moved to The Woodlands edition and covered local politics and development news in the master-planned community before being promoted to Managing Editor for the South Houston editions in 2017.

After leading the Houston newsroom through Hurricane Harvey, the pandemic, and Winter Storm Uri, Marie was up for a new challenge. She launched the company's innovative digital efforts in 2021 in the role of Digital Product Manager. Her team developed an award-winning daily email newsletter product that now serves more than 125,000 Texans daily. Today, Marie serves as the Vice President of Content for Community Impact, overseeing the company's editorial strategy and direction across its four metros.

Marie was raised in the Dallas suburbs and now lives in Austin, where she’s always on a mission to hunt down the best queso in the city.

The best advice she’d give a young professional

Break down silos by learning all you can about how each department in your organization functions. Understanding the big picture is key to moving your company and yourself forward.

How Marie envisions of the future of journalism

The way we consume information has changed so dramatically in the last 10/15 years, and this industry must adapt to continue reaching new generations. Utilizing new ways of storytelling and reaching audiences will be critical.

In her spare time Marie enjoys

Spending time with her cat Luna, dance cardio, being on the water, binge watching the same 3 shows, trying out new restaurants, traveling and reading.