Straight Talk from Our Clients

“I have worked with Mary at both Apple Computer (as a peer in the general message communications development) and as a partner/vendor while she was at National Semiconductor and I was at CKS Partners. In all instances, I enjoyed working with her both personally and professionally. She was always prepared for our meetings with the required information to produce a creative solution to a marketing problem. She was informed when the time came to ask questions and was quick to follow through when the answers were not readily available or apparent. She was open to new ideas and constructive with her feedback, a delicate balance when working directly with the creative team. Her enthusiasm (even for products that, at times, could seem mundane) was genuine and her demeanor was always friendly and professional. I enjoyed our interactions and welcomed the chance to work with her when new projects came online for strategic opportunities and creative solutions.”  – Eric Stouffer, Senior Program Manager, Apple 

Mary engineered a revisioning of Cabrillo’s marketing philosophy, which in no small measure allowed the college to enjoy record enrollments. She is exceptionally gifted at quickly understanding an organization’s position and fit in its particular market segment.

Her excellent communications skills allow her to easily and meaningfully convey complex concepts in a non-threatening and understandable way. Her writing skills are superb. She’s an excellent listener as well. She inspired her staff and colleagues to think and do great things, engendered a work environment that encouraged [others] to think creatively and “out-of-the-box” yet maintained a high level of accountability and productivity. This approach yielded an award-winning marketing campaign for Cabrillo.

She is relentless in her pursuit of excellence. – Bob Owen, Chief Information Officer, Western Kentucky University (formerly VP, IT at Cabrillo College)

Mary’s work was always top notch. She is task-oriented, innovative, and persuasive in getting people on board, especially when the task takes you in a new direction. She was effective in getting [Cabrillo] to think outside the box and look at new ways of achieving long term goals.  – Francine van Meter, Director, Teaching & Learning Center, Cabrillo College

Mary made a huge impact on the branding of our graduate programs…She gave us a much  more professional look, all following a theme of “Global Experience and Ethical Leadership.” She created a style guide for use with everything—emails, PowerPoint presentations, promotional materials and our web site. She revamped our web site’s content and optimized it for Google and other search engines. In the first year, traffic to our site grew significantly. – Angel Burgos, Director, MBA Programs, George Mason University

Mary is a joy to work with…She’s deeply committed to any project she takes on, and brings herself with 100% dedication to partnership and shared work. She brings a fresh, creative approach yet is very grounded in the process of bringing a project to fruition. She brings a depth and breadth of experience, and yet always approaches each new situation with uncommon openness. — Susan Moreschi, Owner and Chief Creative Officer, Indigo Magic

Mary’s deep marketing knowledge and business acumen helped me leapfrog ahead in my career…I learned so much by working with her. She’s a tremendous resource and I recommend her highly to anyone who’s serious about growing their business: incisive and quickly gets to the root of issues. Sees opportunities in every challenge. A person of tremendous integrity and focus. – Alison Simpkins, Marketing Director

“I found Mary a powerful ally on my journey to a multiple 6-figure salary. Most possibly I’d have gotten there without Mary’s guidance but I doubt it would have been nearly so fast, and so unbelievably on target. That she brought laughter and balance into the experience with her was just one of many such bonuses I was happy to discover — like somebody giving me far too much change back, and then telling me to keep it anyway.”  – Jennifer Simpkins, Owner/Designer, Art On A Wire