David I. Leavitt

David I. Leavitt is an editor at Virilion Inc., a full-service interactive agency in Washington, D.C., where he advises clients with reputation management and crisis communications. Leavitt uses his journalism background to help his clients craft effective messaging and content that speaks to the target audiences using Web sites, blogs, podcasting, video scripts and social media sites.

Leavitt also reviews music on a freelance basis for the "Hartford Courant."

Education

Leavitt graduated "cum laude" from the University of Rochester with a degree in Media Studies and a double-minor in Journalism and History.

Employment

A veteran of analyzing media coverage, Leavitt worked for "Greenwire" starting in 1998, when he began as a staff writer for both "Greenwire" and the "Daily Energy Briefing", a now-defunct publication financed by the Edison Electric Institute. In 2000, David left for the National Journal, where he edited the daily syndicated news feed for MSNBC.com and Fox News on the 2000 election campaign and wrote the "Early Bird," an online update of top national news.

Leavitt returned to "Greenwire" after the 2000 election campaign to run the cover-the-coverage side of the news operations for E&E Publishing, including assigning and editing stories.

In 2007, he began working in the Editorial Services department of a Washington, D.C., agency called Virilion Inc.

Published Works

* "Racial Expression in Sports: Dancing in the Endzone, from the Shuffle to the Leap," delivered at the Pro Football and American Life Symposium at the Pro Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio (October 17, 1997).

* "It's the Environment, Stupid," "Dissent magazine" (Spring 2004 issue).

Personal life

Leavitt is the son of medical historian Judith Walzer Leavitt and Waisman Center medical director Lewis Leavitt, and he is the nephew of political theorist Michael Walzer. He and his wife live in Washington, D.C.

David was also well known in his childhood as master of the "putter," a wiffleball pitch that was nearly impossible to hit.