Career Journey: From Legal Assistant to National Marketing Leader

People are surprised to hear that my career in accounting marketing started as a legal assistant. Yet, that unexpected start shaped a career that led me from marketing coordinator to director to partner. And today, into a senior leadership role with one of the largest national firms in the country.

It wasn’t a straight line, but the twists and turns gave me the perspective and resilience I needed to succeed.

From Law to Marketing

It was the early 1990s when I began my career as a legal assistant. I was young, eager to learn, and focused on keeping everything organized for the attorneys I supported. At the time I thought my future was firmly planted in law. I had aspirations of attending law school, becoming an attorney and putting the bad guys away. But what struck me most wasn’t the law itself, but the way firms presented themselves, the way they built client trust, and how relationships defined success.

I made my first move into professional services marketing in 1997 as a marketing assistant in a law firm in Providence, Rhode Island. I reported to the firm administrator and worked with partners on their personal marketing plans. That’s where my career trajectory changed.

I found a mentor who became a defining influence. She was a published author on legal marketing, respected in the field, and local (which was important to me). She took me under her wing and taught me the fundamentals of professional services marketing: strategy, relationships, and impact. That mentorship was my bridge from law into marketing.

Marketer takeaway: Early mentors shape skills, but also confidence. Seek out people who challenge you to think bigger than your current role.

Stepping into Accounting Marketing

In 1998, at my mentor’s encouragement, I joined Kahn, Litwin & Renza (KLR) as a marketing coordinator. Her advice to me: “Even though this is an accounting firm and not a law firm (where you are comfortable), it’s professional services marketing. You can do this in your sleep.” The accounting profession was still beginning to understand how marketing shapes growth, and I loved the challenge of helping technical professionals connect more deeply with clients and prospects.

I attended my first Association for Accounting Marketing summit after a whopping two weeks in my new role. I was a sponge while in Boca Raton, learning from some of the early leaders of accounting marketing (some of which are my friends to this day). And I was awe of our keynote speaker: the one and only David Maister.

I knew immediately that I needed to be part of the AAM Conference Committee, volunteering right after the conference and never looking back. I eagerly served and chaired committees, joined the board and proudly served as president.

Marketer takeaway: Immersing yourself in the profession accelerates growth. Conferences, committees, and communities are career catalysts.

Building Something from the Ground Up

In 2000, I returned home to Jacksonville, Florida. I scoured the Jacksonville Business Journal’s Book of Lists and sent letters (yes, actual letters) to the top 10 accounting firms in town. I laid out how I could make an impact on their growth.

Three firms called. I got an in-person interview with one, and the others shared the same sentiment of seeing the potential value but not being “quite there yet” to justify hiring a full-time position.

My interview with The LBA Group will always be one of my fondest, and funniest, career memories. It was kismet (meant to be). I found the family I never knew was there and felt that this place would become my career home.

I was honored to become LBA’s first, and only, marketing director. I had to grow up quickly as the role was more than supporting campaigns. I was building strategy, shaping brand, and working directly with partners to connect marketing to business goals. I learned to find my voice in the room and to advocate for the value marketing could bring.

Marketer takeaway: Being the first is hard, but it’s also powerful. Early marketing leaders help define how the firm views growth for decades to come.

The Consultant’s Lens

A few years later, my personal life necessitated flexibility to relocate. That’s when I enthusiastically stepped into a consulting role with The Growth Partnership, whose owners and leaders I had known for years through AAM.

I gained a whole new perspective after working with firms of all sizes, specialties, and geographies. I saw firsthand how niche areas shaped firm strategies. For example, how a firm in the Midwest approached growth differently than one on the coasts, or how tax-heavy firms required a different go-to-market plan than those driven by advisory or assurance.

With a broader understanding of the industry as a whole, I knew there wasn’t one playbook for success. Every firm had to define its own, based on its people, its markets, and its ambitions.

Marketer takeaway: Exposure to different firm models sharpens strategic thinking. The more perspectives you see, the better advisor you become.

Returning to LBA and Breaking Barriers

Life has a funny way of leading you back to your true north, like when I returned to Jacksonville and stepped right back into my role at The LBA Group in 2005. The difference was that I was ready to lead at a new level.

Over the next decade, I built out a strong marketing infrastructure, developed and executed integrated campaigns, elevated the firm’s brand in the marketplace and deepened our client engagement strategies. But perhaps most importantly, I had a champion.

That partner was vocal about the value I brought to the firm. He pushed for something that was a very rare concept then: making a non-CPA a partner. In 2014, I became a partner at LBA, leading practice growth. This was a personal victory and also a signal that marketing deserved a seat at the table because business growth requires more than technical excellence.

Marketer takeaway: Mentors guide you; champions advocate for you. Both are essential if you want to change the status quo.

Expanding to the National Stage

When LBA joined BDO USA in 2016, I transitioned into regional leadership and, eventually, national roles. Moving from a local firm to a global organization was both daunting and energizing. Suddenly, I was balancing the needs of local markets with the priorities of a national brand.

As southeast regional marketing director, I refined my ability to connect local market strategies to national initiatives. Then, in 2023, I stepped into the role of senior marketing director and marketing activation Center of Excellence leader. I oversee numerous functions including national event strategy, go-to-market activation, business development training and knowledge management.

This role is more than marketing. It’s activating strategy across regions, giving professionals the tools to be market-facing, and ensuring that marketing, business development, and client engagement all work together.

Marketer takeaway: As firms grow, marketing’s role shifts from execution to orchestration. Success depends on integration, not just creativity.

Recognition and Perspective

I’ve been fortunate to be recognized by my peers and the industry throughout my career. I served as president of AAM, was named one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in the Accounting Profession, was recognized as the 2013 Marketer of the Year and am an inductee into the Accounting Marketing Hall of Fame.

I treasure all these honors. But the value isn’t in the accolades. It’s in the opportunities they gave me to influence, mentor, and elevate others in the profession.

Marketer takeaway: Your network becomes your safety net. Invest in it early and nurture it often.

What Hasn’t Changed

Today I lead a national team that has a broad scope of responsibilities. But at my core, I’m still that eager assistant who loved learning, the coordinator who thrived on making connections, and the director who wanted to prove marketing belonged in the boardroom.

The titles have changed, the scope has grown, and the challenges have become more complex. But one thing has never changed: my passion for telling the firm’s story, building meaningful relationships, and driving growth through the power of marketing.

If there’s a throughline in my career, it’s mentorship, exposure, advocacy, and community — especially through AAM.

Interested in learning what an AAM membership can do for your career? Find out more about how to join the largest network of Accounting Marketing professionals.