Bold Strategy for a Better World.
Uncover
the Story.
Hi friends, nice to meet you! I’m Mary Austin Harrelson, a marketing and communications strategist helping purpose-driven organizations translate complexity into clarity and build meaningful relationships that create long-term value.
I work with mission-driven brands, lean teams, and organizations navigating growth, change, or complexity—especially across fashion, food and beverage, wellness, hospitality, sustainability, and experience-driven sectors. Whether launching something new, repositioning a brand, deepening stakeholder trust, or building stronger systems for growth, I help organizations connect the dots between sustainability, stakeholder relationships, and measurable business outcomes.
I believe the conversation around value has become too narrow. The products we wear, eat, drink, and experience are not simply transactions. They shape identity, culture, well-being, belonging, and how we move through the world. While these industries may appear distinct on the surface, they are deeply interconnected—rooted in the same ecosystems of people, planet, supply chains, labor, and community before ultimately becoming part of our daily lives.
That interconnectedness shapes how I approach my work. I help organizations translate complex sustainability efforts, stakeholder realities, evolving regulations, supply chains, and product systems into clear strategies, meaningful communications, and integrated experiences that people can understand, trust, and act on. From stakeholder engagement, journey mapping, and materiality-informed insights to campaigns, customer experiences, and performance optimization, I believe meaningful impact happens when values, systems, and story work together.
With over a decade of experience across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, as well as a Master of Science in Sustainability Management from Columbia University, I bring a blend of systems thinking, sustainability expertise, and marketing strategy to help organizations move people, strengthen trust, and build enduring value.
Because meaningful growth doesn’t happen in silos. It happens through relationships.
Where Vision Meets Action.
A strategic services toolkit for organizations ready to align purpose with message.
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Build stronger, more meaningful relationships with the people who matter most through intentional stakeholder engagement, audience understanding, and human-centered experiences that increase trust, retention, loyalty, and long-term value.
Service offering:
Audience definition & values clarity
Stakeholder mapping
Competitive landscaping
Audience segmentation & development
Journey mapping & toolkit
Survey design & behavioral analysis
CRM strategy & stakeholder engagement planning
Human-centered communications & service design
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Craft clear, credible, and compelling narratives that translate complexity into understanding—helping organizations strengthen positioning, build trust, communicate impact, and inspire meaningful action.
Service offering:
Brand positioning & messaging frameworks
Sustainability storytelling & impact communications
Narrative development
Executive thought leadership
Copywriting (website, campaigns, reports, launches, etc)
Internal & External communications strategy
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Transform fragmented efforts into cohesive marketing ecosystems that align messaging, channels, and priorities to increase awareness, engagement, and measurable business outcomes.
Service offering:
Integrated marketing strategy development
Campaign strategy & execution
Omnichannel design & multichannel marketing (e-mail, social, SMS, digital, in-person)
Marketing calendars & communications planning
Event marketing & partnerships
Product & initiative launches
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Create the operational foundation for smarter, more scalable marketing through stronger systems, cleaner data, and more intentional audience engagement that improves performance without increasing complexity.
Service offering:
CRM strategy & optimizations
Marketing operations & system management
Audience segmentation & list strategy
Marketing program design (loyalty, influencer, ambassador, philanthropic, and community)
Data integrity & governance
Marketing process redesign
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Create the operational foundation for smarter, more scalable marketing through stronger systems, cleaner data, and more intentional audience engagement that improves performance without increasing complexity.
Service offering:
Communications audits
Digital channel audits (AI, SEO, FAQs, etc.)
Plain-language transformation
Service design & process redesign
Accessibility & customer-centric communicationss
Customer-centric service training
Experience optimization
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Help founders, executives, and mission-driven teams navigate growth, change, and complexity with greater clarity, alignment, and confidence—turning competing priorities into actionable direction.
Service offering:
Leadership advising
Stakeholder alignment
Executive communications strategy
Cross-functional collaboration support (connecting dots & breaking down siloes)
Strategic clarity & prioritization (short - long term)
The Work Behind The Words.
Selected Projects Across Industries and Impact Areas
Heard it here first.
What clients, collaborators, & co-creators have to say.
Employee at NYC Department of Environmental Protection
“This workshop helped me understand where the process breaks down, where we lose the customer, and what we can do to fix it.”
Sara Goddard, City Council Member for Rye, NY and Chair of Sustainable Westshester
“What truly sets Mary Austin apart is her ability to combine strategic thinking with action, both academically and professionally. She anticipates needs before they arise, navigates complex environments with ease, and consistently raises the bar.”
Brooke Monahan, Senior Stylist Director at Vêtir, Inc.
“She is an extremely dedicated worker who takes pride in her work and ensures from the beginning to the end point of execution that all details are thoughtfully considered.”
Hyma Menath, Director of Fellow Support for FUSE
“Mary Austin Harrelson did a fantastic job as a FUSE Fellow with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, where she led the development of a system to enhance customer communication. I had the pleasure of working with her throughout the year of her Fellowship and witnessed her dedication, strategic thinking, and impact firsthand. I’m confident she’ll bring the same excellence to every opportunity ahead.”
Connect.
Ready to collaborate? Whether you have a project in mind, want to explore partnership opportunities, or just start a conversation, I’d love to hear from you.
Drop your details in the form, and I’ll be in touch soon!
