About

Darcey Rakestraw, Principal

Darcey started 2050 Strategies in 2019 to help organizations tell their story and advance social, economic and environmental justice. She has helped win campaigns to keep water under public control and to ban fracking, an extreme form of fossil fuel extraction. She has also helped develop communications strategies to:

• Support strong climate legislation and shine a spotlight on the finance industry’s role in the climate emergency

• Highlight the costs of U.S. militarism

• Hold regulators accountable for safe food and clean water 

• Restore voting rights and address the influence of corporate money in our political system

• Urge federal investment in our public water infrastructure to ensure clean and affordable water for all

• Champion equitable access to medicines globally, and reduce healthcare and drug costs in the U.S.

Darcey is now working on a book that examines the dominant narratives that drive mission-based work, to the detriment of our wellbeing and organizational impact. The book provides a framework to overcome burnout and advance new narratives that purposely articulate what we’re building, not just what we’re fighting against.

Darcey has worked in communications across the corporate, governmental and nonprofit sectors for over two decades. The bulk of her career has been dedicated to helping mission-based organizations amplify their research and advocacy. She has managed high-impact teams of communications and digital professionals, earning mentions in national media outlets including The New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, 60 Minutes, InStyle, Time, USA Today, Rolling Stone, and Good Morning America, while growing social media audiences and creating award-winning video content to advance campaigns.

Darcey holds a B.A. in Political Science from Vassar College.