PR Power with Purpose: How Jo Oliver, APR Helps Leaders Turn Visibility into Impact

Jo Oliver, APR doesn’t just help people tell their stories. She helps them lead with them.

As the CEO and founder of Jo Explains It All, JEA Communications LLC, Oliver has built a purpose driven public relations consultancy for women entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders who want clarity, confidence, and measurable impact. Her work blends strategic storytelling, coaching, and consulting to help founders turn ideas into influence, visibility into value, and missions into movements that serve their communities.

Oliver’s approach is shaped by serious experience and steady leadership. An Air Force Reserve veteran with more than 15 years in communications, she brings strategic discipline and heart centered guidance to every client engagement. Before launching her firm, she spent over a decade in Virginia state government specializing in public relations, crisis communication, emergency preparedness, and reputation management. Those high stakes roles sharpened her ability to communicate clearly under pressure and protect trust when it matters most.

She also educates and empowers leaders through the airwaves. Oliver is a radio personality on ESPN Richmond 106.1 FM, hosting PR Power with Jo, a weekly radio show and podcast focused on what public relations really is and how it functions inside a business. Through candid conversations with business owners and PR professionals, she delivers practical tools that help leaders use PR with intention and build stronger reputations over time.

Her leadership has been recognized statewide, including being named among Virginia’s 100 Women of Color, honoring her commitment to mentorship, representation, and elevating underrepresented voices. A proud Virginia Commonwealth University graduate, Oliver has also served PRSA Richmond as Chair of the Nonprofit Board and as a member of the DEI Board, while continuing to volunteer with local nonprofits and her children’s school, a commitment inspired by her grandmother.

Based in Richmond with her husband, two children, and dog, Oliver enjoys cooking, fashion, travel, classic films, and a curiosity for physics and time travel, with Back to the Future among her favorites. In business and in community, she is building more than visibility. She is building leaders who communicate with purpose and show up with power.