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Debbi Jarvis is the vice president and chief communications officer of AltaGas, a parent company of Washington Gas – a public utility company that serves the Greater Washington region. In this new role, she will lead communications through media relations, brand recognition, and environment, social and government reporting according to the Washington Business Journal.
Previously, Jarvis was the Senior Vice President of Corporate Relations at Howard University. There, she had oversight of corporate relations and was charged with developing and implementing a global strategy for corporate development and the funding of those programs. She also oversaw the management of Howard’s broadcast properties, WHUT-TV and WHUR-Radio, ensuring their business operations were in alignment with the University’s mission.
Jarvis has a demonstrated history of leading teams to develop strategies and programs around corporate goodwill, philanthropic initiatives, corporate reputation and image building through effective nonprofit and community engagement, and marketing and communications. As a member of Howard University President Wayne Frederick’s leadership team and Cabinet, she participates in the overall management of the institution.
Although Jarvis officially joined the Howard family, October 1, 2018, she’s been a Bison by choice for quite some time. The former NBC4 anchor is married to Ernest Drew Jarvis, the grandson of the late, great Dr. Charles R. Drew, blood-plasma pioneer and former chief of surgery at Freedmen’s Hospital, now Howard University Hospital.
Jarvis joined Howard University after serving 14 years at Pepco Holdings, Inc. (PHI), now Pepco Holdings, an Exelon Company. Jarvis was promoted to VP of Corporate Communications overseeing all internal and external communications including media relations, advertising, and website content, and served as the company spokesperson.
Most recently, Jarvis served as VP of Corporate Relations and was an essential part of the team managing the company’s Pepco and Exelon merger. She also had oversight of the integration of Exelon’s Corporate Social Responsibility processes and transition to a new CSR database. Additionally, she implemented the Exelon Energizing Student Potential STEM partnership with DC, Montgomery and Prince George’s County Public Schools impacting more than 35,000 elementary school students. Jarvis was also instrumental in creating the Pepco Hispanic Engineering Scholarship and internship program.
Before joining Pepco, Jarvis worked at NBC4 – Washington, where she was a reporter and anchor for nearly a decade. At NBC4 she fell in love with the DC community and worked to provide a “voice to the voiceless” through her reporting.
Jarvis is a community advocate and has a passion for being a servant leader as evidenced by the creation of significant community projects throughout her career in the Nation’s Capital. Jarvis has served on the boards of dozens of nonprofits including the Washington Area Women’s Foundation, DC Ed Fund, Teach for America, Leadership Greater Washington, Catholic Charities, Imagination Stage, and the Recreation Wish List Committee to name a few.
Jarvis earned a bachelor’s degree in International Business from Hope College in Holland, Mich.; took graduate courses at American University in broadcast journalism as well as classes toward an MBA at Southeastern University. She was in the 2011 class of CSR Executive Education Program at Harvard Business School.