Woman of the Year Receives Honors

One of last year's Garden State Woman of the Year Honorees, Donna T. Pepe and her agency, Communications Strategies, Inc. (CSI), were recently recognized with three industry awards. CSI is a marketing, communications and public relations firm specializing in prescription and consumer healthcare marketing. "These awards reflect not only our strategic thinking, but also the strong results that we achieve for our clients' brands," said Donna, the company's founder and president. "We're thrilled and honored to have been recognized by industry peer groups for our innovative work."

• Two Communicator Awards Go to Communications Strategies, Inc.
CSI won Communicator awards in the Special Events and Special Events Plan categories.

o Special Events: The awards gala, "50 & Fabulous: Celebrating 50 years of Women's Advances Since the Pill," brought together the most prestigious people in the non-profit world to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the FDA approval of "The Pill" and -- more important -- to provide support for prominent advocacy organizations devoted to women's reproductive health. The event recognized the world of women's advances, and the trailblazers who have helped revolutionize women's health.

o Special Events Plan: An integral element of the planning for this event was the creation of a timeline that showcased the progress in women's reproductive health throughout the last fifty years. The timeline captured historical events in the history of women and birth control by decades, and highlighted specific achievements from the first birth control pill being approved in 1960 to the latest Supreme Court movements of 2010.

• Leading Woman Entrepreneur Award Presented to Donna Pepe
Own It Ventures & New Jersey Monthly Recognize Donna T. Pepe as Leading Woman Entrepreneur.

o For more than 19 years, Donna Pepe has been an innovator and advocate for women's health with her marketing and communications firm. Building on her reputation as one of the leading public relations and marketing strategists in the industry, Donna has built Communications Strategies, Inc. (CSI) into a successful marketing communications and public relations company with a unique strategic focus in women's health. The company was recently ranked the tenth largest independent healthcare PR agency in the United States, and the first in New Jersey. In 2007, Donna was named one of the 50 top business women in New Jersey by NJBiz magazine. This year, she was named Garden State Woman of the Year in Media and Communications.

Donna is an entrepreneur and business leader who is committed to changing the model by which we market to women. Armed with the belief that the buying power and influence of women is undervalued and largely untapped by marketing executives who frequently fail to appreciate women's unique attitudes and point of view, Donna has created groundbreaking national campaigns that have significant impact on shaping public awareness and attitudes as well as influencing policy.

"Donna is a true innovator, and long ago found a way to combine her insight about women's health with success for her business. She has the ability to identify upcoming trends, and the genius to transform that vision into successful marketing strategies," said Michael M. Durand, long-time healthcare counselor.

An active member of the community, Donna has supported many women's organizations including Women In Need, National Association of Professional Women, the National Association of Female Executives and the Women's Fund of New Jersey, an organization dedicated to providing women and girls of New Jersey with the opportunity to succeed. Donna was named a "Woman of Influence in Communications" by this organization, who recognized her because of her excellence and vision in the communications field, and lauded her proven experience and innovative marketing talent that sets her apart as an icon in the PR profession.

Currently, Donna is an active member of Planned Parenthood of Greater Northern New Jersey, working with its Board on their fundraising initiatives. She is also on the Board of Executive Women of New Jersey, and does pro bono work for them as well as Dress for Success in Madison, NJ.

The CSI Difference
We're the company behind "I've heard of that." Since 1993, CSI has been an innovator in marketing, especially when it comes to healthcare. We put our clients first, we relate to consumers and we haven't met a challenge that we can't overcome. We know how to make news. No wonder we have catapulted so many brands into household names. Check out our website at www.cstratinc.com and you'll see why we have some of the longest client relationships in the business.

CSI...Because Experience Matters