Michael Akin is a community builder and changemaker who has consistently created opportunity and successfully tackled challenges by committing to the idea that doing well and doing good are not mutually exclusive. He has done so while building authentic relationships and connections locally and around the world that help people, organizations, and communities thrive. Michael and the LINK team have created an entire industry based around authentic “hyperlocal” engagement, and proven the market viability of a firm that does only community-serving work, generating meaningful social impact in a way that is profitable and sustainable.

Michael serves as the President of LINK Strategic Partners, a strategic communications, stakeholder engagement, and social impact consulting firm proudly headquartered in Washington, DC. Over the past decade+, LINK has expanded from a small local shop to a global firm with hundreds of local, regional, national, and international clients. Our world-class and diverse team of professionals ranges from 17 to 97 years of age and lead our offices in DC, Phoenix, St. Louis, New York, Austin, New Mexico, the North Carolina Research Triangle, and Manchester, England. Over 65% of Team LINK identify as women and nearly 70% as people of color, reflecting LINK’s foundational commitment to be “in and of” the communities we serve. LINK’s mission-driven work includes thousands of hours of pro bono work provided to community partners.

In 2021 and 2024, LINK earned a spot on Inc. magazine’s prestigious Best in Business List, recognizing companies that go above and beyond to make a positive impact in the world. Additionally, LINK has been named to the exclusive Inc 5000 list of the fastest growing and most successful businesses in America a remarkable four times, most recently in 2024. LINK was honored with the Mentoring Program of the Year award at the prestigious PR News Diversity Awards, named Large PR Firm of the Year by the Public Relations Society of America’s National Capital Chapter, celebrated as a Best Place to Work by the Washington Business Journal, rated a Top Place to Work in PR by PR News, and recognized as Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton’s Small Business of the Year. In 2020, Michael oversaw LINK’s certification as one of Fatherly’s Best Places to Work for New Dads.

Michael’s community activities include serving as Chairman Emeritus of the Greater Washington Urban League Board of Directors and the American Experience Foundation. He also serves on the boards of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, the International Town-Gown Association, Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY), LearnServe International, and the Ben’s Chili Bowl Foundation. Additionally, Michael was a Leadership Council member for Raise DC, a founding member of the Washington Business Journal Leadership Trust, a member of the Community Council for WAMU 88.5 FM (Washington’s NPR station), and the Dean’s Council at George Washington University School of Business. He also serves as a committee member on the DC State Fair Advisory Committee. Michael previously served as Board President for St. Mary’s Court, a nonprofit independent living facility in Washington, DC, for seniors or individuals with accessibility needs, and as a board member of Destination DC, Washington, DC’s tourism and destination marketing organization, Think Local First DC, and Cultural Tourism DC.

Michael is a featured presenter on the intersection between effective strategic communications and community engagement at major national and international conferences like those hosted by the International Town and Gown Association, the United Kingdom Town and Gown Association, the National School Public Relations Association, the Aspen Institute, Festival of the Diaspora, and the National Urban League conference, where he is invited to lead sessions and facilitate thoughtful dialogue. In 2020, Michael was selected to moderate a panel titled “Equity (Must Be) More Than A Buzzword” at SXSW EDU, and in 2023 he’s invited back to the SXSW EDU stage to moderate a panel with Urban Alliance and the Obama Foundation, focused on creating more economically equitable communities. Michael launched the LINK Changemakers Series, which features global changemakers for deep and action-oriented discussions on the issues of the day. These virtual panels regularly attract thousands of views from around the world.

Michael received a 2006 GW Award—George Washington University’s highest honor—for advancing GW’s mission in the Washington community with competence, integrity, and good will. In 2011, the Greater Washington Urban League recognized Michael with the Chairman’s Award for his work in advancing the League’s mission, and the DC City Council adopted a formal resolution naming “Michael Akin Day in the District of Columbia” to acknowledge his contributions to positive and collaborative community action. Michael was honored as Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the DC Chamber of Commerce in 2015, and in 2017 he received the prestigious Laura Lisner Award from the Lisner Louise Dixon Hurt Home for his work and advocacy on behalf of DC’s senior citizens. In 2018, the Washington Business Journal named him a 40 Under 40 honoree, and Michael received a Communitas Award for his pro-bono and service efforts. In 2019, Michael was selected by the Washington DC Economic Partnership to serve as a WeDC Ambassador to represent the city at professional conferences nationally. In 2021, Michael was deeply honored to be presented with the Ally Award at the PR News Diversity Awards. In 2022, Michael was named a “Rebel with a Cause” in the Giving Issue of DC Modern Luxury magazine for his philanthropic efforts. Most recently, Michael was included in the 2023 Winter Issue of Inc. Magazine as part of a piece featuring leadership lessons from 35 CEOs, including Oprah Winfrey, Reid Hoffman, Robert F. Smith, and Jeff Bezos.

Prior to founding LINK, Michael was vice president of the community and government relations practice at Reingold Inc., a national communications firm headquartered in Alexandria, VA, where he played a leading role in national campaigns for suicide prevention and combating homelessness among veteran populations. Previously, Michael served as The George Washington University’s assistant vice president of government, international, and community relations. His aggressive community relations work helped make GW a national model for building community partnerships and overcoming classic “town/gown” friction. Prior to that, Michael was a community organizer working on behalf of vulnerable seniors in DC’s Shaw neighborhood.

Michael has an MBA from The George Washington University, where he also graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in political communications. He lives with his incredible wife and 6-year-old son in Washington, DC.