Testimonials

Here’s what several current and recent clients have to say about our work together.

“I’ve worked with Lyn at top-tier schools, mid-tier, and those who need her ministrations to stay viable in a changing, challenging landscape. Across all kinds of challenges, and no few number of crises, Lyn steadies the hands of college presidents and senior leadership, thinks strategically and implements tactically, and adds value to the institutions she works with.

With her deep knowledge of higher ed (from the inside and outside), she offers counsel and perspectives that move issues to productive discussions, to solutions—speedily.”

Roger Sametz
President and Chief Operating Officer
Sametz Blackstone Associates


“Lyn is a gifted and innovative strategist who really understands how nonprofit marketing and communications works. She’s played a critical role in launching the institute, taking us from the early days of limited recognition to very quickly generating visibility, credibility, and overall online momentum.  It’s hard to overstate what an excellent partner and guide Lyn has been to us.  She’s the best I’ve worked with at building organizational brands and ensuring a direct link to advancing our mission and impact.”

Lucinda J. Garthwaite
Director
Institute for Liberatory Innovation


“Lyn was exactly the person we needed to move our arts organization forward. She really “got us” us and our mission. She helped solidify our brand and improve our ability to make an impact in our community.”

Karen Bachman
Co-founder and Board Member
West Hartford Women’s Chorale


“Lyn has a unique talent for seeing the big picture and focusing on useful action. Her wealth of experience in different areas allowed her to understand the nuances of my market and strategy. She was able to zero in and shape our brand immediately. Lyn is willing to roll up her sleeves, and is a really thoughtful advisor who can help with everything from the soul-searching thought work, brainstorming, to nailing the details and concrete next steps.”

Jennifer Vilas Hanks-Allaire
Co-founder
Grandmother Collective


“Lyn is highly skilled at drawing out your expertise and key goals and putting them in front of you where you can’t ignore them. She worked with me to zero in on practical application of my experience and this gave me a lot of confidence as I embarked on my job search. That confidence was invaluable in the presentation of my resume, cover letters, and interviews. In addition, she advised me on how to productively activate my professional social network. I followed her advice and secured the job I wanted within 5 weeks of our consultation.”

Lucy Bourgeault
Higher Education Admissions and Enrollment Leader


“Lyn’s deep understanding of marketing and communications strategy was of significant value in our work at Vermont College of Fine Arts. In her role as VP of Marketing, [Lyn] was instrumental in bringing our model of low-residency graduate education to the national stage. She is able to quickly grasp complex ideas and distill them into a compelling and clear communications architecture. Insightful, smart, and collaborative, Lyn’s vision was a key factor in expanding the visibility and impact of the institution.”

Erica Metzger Hare
Chief Financial Officer
Aspire Living and Learning


“Working with Lyn is a delight from beginning to end. There is such clarity, insight, intelligence, and purpose mixed with warmth and humanity. She offers perspectives that are enlightening and enlarging — I looked forward to every meeting and always walked away with something new and interesting to develop. We could not have asked for a better branding consultancy and the fruits of the process have been multiple and continuous for our organization.”

Judy Dworin
Executive & Creative Director
Justice Dance Performance Project


“Lyn has the ability to zero in and shape my brand immediately. Her branding and marketing expertise has positioned us in new and highly marketable ways.”

Loren M. Hill, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychology & Executive Coaching


“What’s most impressive about Lyn is how she turns thoughts into a brand. She has a gift. Her workshop on storytelling stirs emotional testimony and elicits powerful results.”

Penny Phillips
Director of Marketing & Communications

The Arc of the Farmington Valley, Inc.


“There’s nobody better to shape individual reputations. In our work together, Lyn played a significant role in reshaping and repositioning both the value and mission I had to provide to organizations. [Lyn’s] higher ed and nonprofit expertise was invaluable and provided a tactical, strategic blueprint for my future.”

Brenda J Smith, J.D., MBA
Vice President of Human Resources

Brenda J. Smith Company