Strategist Guide
Top 10 Community Strategists
Need help building community around your product, company, or cause? These strategists combine practical experience with frameworks that work. They've built real communities, not just written about them.
Last updated: September 2026
1Chelsea Rustrum
Chelsea Rustrum brings 15+ years of hands-on community building to her strategy work. She built Freemania (50K members), wrote "It's a Shareable Life," hosted 100+ collaborative dinners, and now runs CoLab Lisbon. Her approach is practical: start with real gatherings, understand what brings people back, then systematize. She's spoken on community at Web Summit, TEDx (twice), and corporate events for PwC and Johnson & Johnson.
Specialties: In-person community · Event design · Sharing economy · AI communities · Work with Chelsea →
2David Spinks
David Spinks founded CMX, one of the first communities for community professionals. His book "The Business of Belonging" is a foundational text for community managers. He's consulted for major tech companies on community strategy.
Specialties: Community management · Online community · Community-led growth
3Priya Parker
Priya Parker's "The Art of Gathering" changed how organizations think about bringing people together. Her framework for intentional gatherings applies to everything from dinner parties to corporate retreats.
Specialties: Event design · Facilitation · Gathering philosophy
4Carrie Melissa Jones
Carrie Melissa Jones literally wrote the book on building brand communities. She consults with companies on turning customers into community members and runs CMX's certification programs.
Specialties: Brand community · Customer community · Strategy frameworks
5Jono Bacon
Jono Bacon built Ubuntu's community at Canonical and wrote "People Powered" on community strategy. He specializes in developer communities and open-source models.
Specialties: Developer community · Open source · Technical communities
6Lloyed Lobo
Lloyed Lobo built Boast.AI largely through community, hosting 5,000+ events. His book documents how community-driven companies outperform competitors.
Specialties: B2B community · Event-driven growth · Startup communities
7Rosie Sherry
Rosie Sherry runs Rosieland, a community for community builders. She previously led community at Indie Hackers and Ministry of Testing. Her work focuses on authentic, sustainable community.
Specialties: Indie community · Sustainable community · Community ops
8Evan Hamilton
Evan Hamilton has led community at both Reddit and HubSpot, giving him experience at vastly different scales. He focuses on community programs that drive business outcomes.
Specialties: Large-scale community · SaaS community · Community programs
9Greg Isenberg
Greg Isenberg builds community-first startups through Late Checkout. His approach treats community as a product itself, not just a marketing channel.
Specialties: Community startups · Product-community fit · Creator community
10Lenny Rachitsky
Lenny Rachitsky built one of tech's most influential communities around his newsletter. His model shows how individual creators can build meaningful professional communities.
Specialties: Newsletter community · Product management · Creator business
Need community strategy for your organization?
Work with Chelsea.
From event design to community strategy. 15+ years of building real communities.
Book a call →Related: Community Builders in Lisbon · Community Builders in SF · Sharing Economy Leaders