Leigh Giangreco

Leigh Giangreco (she/her) is the Director of Communications at the Civic Federation. In this role, Leigh helps ensure that the organization’s research and expertise reach the audiences where they can have the greatest impact. She serves as a senior advisor on the organization’s communications, messaging, positioning and audience strategy.

Prior to joining the Civic Federation in 2026, Leigh worked as a freelance journalist reporting for The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, The Guardian, Agence France-Presse, Bloomberg Citylab and Block Club Chicago. She previously covered politics in Illinois and Chicago for Crain’s Chicago Business. During her career as a journalist in Washington, D.C., she wrote about the business of defense and broke news on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the most expensive weapons program in Pentagon history at the time.

Leigh holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from American University. She enjoys riding her bike around Chicago, learning about the city’s architecture and cheering for the Buffalo Bills.