About

Towan Isom is the President and CEO of Isom Global Strategies (IGS), an award-winning strategic communications, public relations, and digital advertising firm in Washington, DC. Since starting IGS in her basement 20 years ago, Towan has generated over $22 million dollars in annual revenue. IGS’ clients have included Nike, Comcast Xfinity, the US Marine Corps, Department of Commerce, the US Army, GlaxoSmithKline, and numerous other Fortune 500 companies and federal government agencies with a combined revenue in the billions.

Having grown up a stone’s throw from the US Capitol on the south side of DC, Towan has had a heart for this city ever since. She launched her marketing profession in the realm of real-estate design and build. What started as a hobby when she was 23 expanded her net income to more than a million dollars in real estate assets by the time she was 27. Two years later she founded her communications firm while transitioning from BET Networks (a Viacom company) and the public broadcasting giant, PBS. By the time IGS began to take off, Towan had become widely regarded for her expertise in communications, marketing, and leadership — skills she puts to use to this day in her role as CEO of IGS.

“I grew up in the inner city with a single mom and am largely self-made. I know how to speak to the young guy on the corner, and to the boss in the boardroom. My past has been extremely valuable in my success.”

Clients and partners often cite Towan’s ability to create, curate, and cultivate culturally appropriate campaigns. “I grew up in the inner city with a single mom and am largely self-made. I know how to speak to the young guy on the corner, and to the boss in the boardroom. My past has been extremely valuable in my success,” says Towan. A graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, Towan funnels her decades-long experience in corporate consulting, marketing, and public relations into her personal brand, TowanIsom.com, and helping her clients. In hopes that it will inspire and ignite women and young professionals to make their career goals and professional dreams a reality. Most of her day-to-day work includes bringing in revenue, overseeing staff recruitment, developing new business partnerships, and empowering capacity-building to enable IGS to continue to grow and evolve.

“There are many ‘Millennial experts’ who have never managed Millennials. I own a business and manage them every day. I know intimately the opportunities, challenges, and nuances from a leadership perspective. There is no theory; its daily application.”

Towan is often referred to as “The Millennial Whisperer.” Working with Millennials from early on, Towan grew her firm 710% in one year and landed on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private small businesses two years in a row. Towan is the leading expert other CEOs call when they want to harness the power of Millennials — to lead, engage, and develop Millennials in the workplace. “There are many ‘Millennial experts’ who have never managed Millennials. I own a business and manage them every day. I know intimately the opportunities, challenges, and nuances from a leadership perspective. There is no theory; its daily application,” says Towan.

Towan Isom is the author of Managing Millennials: How to Hyper-Grow Your Company with Millennials (www.ManagingtheMillennials.com) and Chasing Greatness: The Young Professional’s Guide to a Dynamic Life.

While running her own company, Towan lectures, trains, and consults for other CEOs, organizational leaders, and small businesses at every level, whether home-based, micro-sized, or hyper-growth businesses, on how to win and scale their businesses for success in the digital age.