Overview

Gender

male

David Leavy leads global communications and marketing strategy for Discovery Communications, overseeing the company's centralized corporate communications and marketing functions, including corporate messaging, promotion and research activities around the world. He also is responsible for corporate affairs, government relations and public policy, internal communications, corporate social responsibility, talent relations, media planning and partnerships, research and consumer insights, and Discovery Creative, the company's in-house creative services group.

Since joining Discovery in 2000, Leavy has overseen communications and strategy for some of Discovery's most significant transactions, including the company's 2008 debut as a publicly traded company and the announcements of Discovery's joint ventures with Oprah Winfrey, Hasbro and Sony/IMAX. In addition, he spearheaded the development of the company's ‘Discovery Impact' corporate social responsibility programs, which leverage the power of Discovery's brands, businesses and employees to give back to the world through global volunteerism.

Under Leavy's leadership, Discovery's Corporate Communications and Corporate Affairs teams have been recognized with a number of awards, including ‘Large Corporate Communications Team of the Year' from PRWeek and ‘CSR Volunteer Initiative of the Year' from PR News.

Prior to joining Discovery, Leavy served as Senior Director of Public Affairs and Chief Spokesman for the National Security Council and Deputy White House Press Secretary for Foreign Affairs. In that position, Leavy handled all press issues relating to foreign policy and chaired the Interagency Public Affairs Working Group that coordinated the Clinton Administration's long range strategic messaging on international policy. Leavy developed the communications strategies for NATO's military action in Kosovo, the State Visit of Chinese President Jiang Zemin, U.S. military action in Iraq, Afghanistan and Sudan, as well as the Senate's ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Leavy previously served as Assistant Press Secretary at the State Department and the White House Press Office.

He is a graduate of Colby College and Salisbury School.