Paula MahonyPresident & Chief Strategist
Jenn DurginMarketing Manager
PAULA MAHONY – PRESIDENT & CHIEF STRATEGIST
As Chief Marketing Officer and founder of Words@Work, Paula works closely with CEOs, boards and marketing leaders on research, strategic planning, positioning and Fractional CMO engagements. She is equally comfortable at 30,000 feet helping determine where an organization should go—and on the ground making sure the strategy gets implemented – and measured.
Paula has spent her career helping businesses—and their customers—move from what worked yesterday to what comes next.
Her approach starts with curiosity. Paula believes the best marketing decisions come from understanding what is changing, listening carefully to customers and stakeholders, and connecting business strategy to marketing strategy before jumping into tactics.
Long before “digital transformation” became part of the business vocabulary, Paula was helping companies navigate change. At NEBS, she led initiatives that transformed customer ordering preferences to speed up cash flow. She managed development of new products designed to help businesses transition from traditional bookkeeping systems toward the emerging world of desktop accounting. All of which was based on research that she personally conducted.
At Georgetown Collection, a venture-funded startup, Paula adapted the sophisticated market-research techniques she had learned in the corporate world into practical, affordable research methodology that could help a growing company make better decisions and become profitable. That experience became the foundation for the research approach Words@Work still uses today.
And in the early days of Words@Work, Paula was testing email marketing and helping to test online ordering when terms like “shopping cart” were still new to most consumers.
The technology has changed. The challenge really hasn’t.
Today, Paula brings all of that experience to organizations facing another kind of “what’s next”—entering a new market, preparing for leadership transition, integrating an acquisition, repositioning a mature brand, aligning a leadership team, responding to changing customer behavior or simply figuring out why the marketing that used to work isn’t working anymore.
After more than 35 years in marketing, one thing still energizes her: helping smart organizations figure out what comes next—and helping people forge a path to success.
Have Paula speak at your next event!
JENN DURGIN – MARKETING MANAGER
Jenn is a marketing, event, and project management professional whose career spans more than 30 years across marketing, event design and execution, client services, retail operations, inventory planning, and business administration.
As Marketing Manager at Words@Work, Jennifer develops integrated marketing plans and brand-aligned content across digital, social media, video, and print channels. She also designs, builds, and manages events from initial concept through on-site execution, coordinating logistics, creative teams, vendors, budgets, and timelines. Jenn evaluates campaign and event performance, using the resulting insights to guide strategy and improve future initiatives.
Her previous experience includes marketing, event, and management roles with Pierce Promotions, J.L. Coombs, and Harris Golf. Her event experience includes designing and executing events and promotions, developing program timelines, coordinating vendors, and aligning each experience with client goals and brand strategy. Earlier in her career, Jennifer held retail management and merchandise allocation positions with Timberland Specialty Stores, Eastern Mountain Sports, and G.H. Bass & Co.
Jenn holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from the University of Maine. She is certified in AI prompting and Google Ads Search. She brings a practical, highly organized approach to her work, along with extensive experience managing relationships, priorities, and projects from concept through execution.