She’s changing the face of PR!
Dreena Whitfield-Brown is a force in the public relations industry—and she didn’t take the traditional route to get there. The New Jersey native, founder of the boutique agency WhitPR, recently earned a coveted spot on Inc. Magazine’s 2025 Female Founders list. But long before the accolades and industry recognition, she started with a passion for storytelling and a one-bedroom apartment.
“I started my business in my living room. I didn’t have any clients. I didn’t have any media contacts. I didn’t even know how to create a working agreement between a client and an agency,” she shared. “And now I’m on Inc.’s list of female founders. That’s nothing but God,” Whitfield-Brown told Because Of Them We Can.
Her journey into PR wasn’t born from formal training. After graduating from Lincoln University with a degree in mass communications, Whitfield-Brown struggled to find an entry-level job in the field. So she pivoted into corporate direct marketing, writing the kinds of promotional letters many of us toss from our mailboxes. But her love for storytelling never left.
While working full-time, she began offering PR services to friends who were launching their own ventures. It was a time when many of her peers were stepping into entrepreneurship, and she saw an opportunity to build alongside them. Eventually, she took the leap.
“I quit my job with no savings, no paid clients lined up—just a belief in myself and what I was building,” she recalled.
That leap of faith became WhitPR, a full-service communications agency that has not only survived, but thrived, in an industry where Black women are often overlooked.
“We genuinely care about the clients that we work with. We want to see them win. We go the extra mile for our clients,” Whitfield-Brown says. “But we don’t always get the recognition. That’s why it’s important for Black women to take up space in this field—because we’re already doing the work. And we deserve to be recognized and applauded for it.”
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Now, 15 years into her journey, the PR maven is finally getting her flowers—named one of Inc. Magazine’s Top 500 Female Founders in 2025. The eighth consecutive year for the prestigious list shines a light on women entrepreneurs making significant waves in the world of business. Judges poured through thousands of candidates, judging the entrepreneurs’ revenue, sales, revenue growth, funding, audience, and even social media momentum.
This year’s list spans more than 20 industries, from PR to Environmental Services and Tech, and features founders from nearly every state in the United States. Inc Magazine describes this year’s honorees as the emerging entrepreneurs leading the nation’s new “female founder boom.”
“These resilient women entrepreneurs emerged from the pandemic with an enviable advantage that includes lassoing approximately $9 billion in 2024 revenue and $10.6 billion in funding,” said Inc.
And even with the national spotlight, Whitfield-Brown said she’s still focused on the work. Learning of the honor made her admittedly emotional, but Whitfield-Brown said she still hasn’t had time to process it. Right now, she’s less concerned with “what’s next” and more committed to making an impact today.
“I want people to remember WhitPR as a company that was born out of a desire to redefine how brands connect with diverse audiences,” she says. “We’ve scaled without outside funding. We’ve stayed authentic. And we let our results speak for themselves.”
Her legacy? Building an agency rooted in faith, fueled by purpose, and grounded in the belief that stories—especially those from overlooked communities—deserve to be told with care and intention.
Today, it’s entrepreneurs like Whitfield who are building pathways for the next generation, and we love to see it. You’re doing a great job, Dreena! Congratulations!
Cover photo: Meet Dreena Whitfield-Brown, the Powerhouse NJ Publicist Named One of Inc. Magazine’s Top Female Founders of 2025/Photo credit: WhitPR