WWPR Women of the Year: Where Are They Now – Jennifer Curley
By Elisa OHalloran
Jennifer Curley is currently the Founder and CEO of Curley Company, a strategic communications and public affairs firm based in Washington, D.C. She was honored to receive the WWPR Woman of the Year award in 2020.
Jennifer said, “The award came at a pivotal moment - 2020 was the first year of COVID and a year of crisis and transformation for our industry and our world. It gave me renewed purpose and confidence to lean into my leadership style and continue building an agency that prioritizes communications with impact.”
Since 2020, the Curley Company has continued to grow and expand their capabilities in earned media, healthcare, and public affairs. Jennifer recalls, “In 2022, I appointed KayAnn Schoeneman as President of Curley Company - a strategic move that ushered in a new chapter of shared leadership and growth.”
The firm has been recognized by PRWeek, PRovoke Media, and the Washington Business Journal, and most recently, Curley has opened a Seattle, Washington office to further build our technology capability and more fully integrate AI. She was elected as the first woman to chair of the Board of Trustees at St. Lawrence University in 2023 and in 2022 she authored Playing the Long Game, a business book about how she built Curley Company which was released to coincide with her agency’s 20th Anniversary.
Looking ahead, her leadership philosophy is rooted in adaptability. Jennifer adds, “As I reflect on leadership right now, I find myself thinking a lot about leading through change. To borrow a phrase from a colleague, leaders today must be change literate. For me, that means keeping a steady hand on the wheel to provide reassurance, while also playing the long game and remembering that current challenges are only moments in time.”
Her advice for women leaders is both practical and inspiring. “Be curious and be willing to try new tools or think differently. We call this Future Ready Comms, which today means leading on AI and navigating the earned media landscape, while preparing for opportunities in our industry. Also, raise your hand for the new assignment and make sure you have a good mentor,” says Jennifer.
Right now, Jennifer is particularly energized by an initiative close to her heart. “I’m especially excited about our Executive Impact Accelerator at Curley Company – a product we built to help leaders sharpen their thought leadership and align it with both business goals and the external media landscape. Since then, we’ve rolled it out with clients who are already seeing results: greater clarity, renewed purpose, and more authentic engagement.”
