ABOUT US
Laurie S. Flynn
Laurie has dedicated the past twenty years to a career in public, media and crisis communications. She spent the better part of a decade on Capitol Hill, first as a Press Secretary to a United States Senator and then as Special Assistant to both the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Laurie was responsible for fielding media inquiries, coordinating interviews and press conferences, writing press releases, speeches and editorials. She also designed specific communications plans for numerous initiatives, including the plan for the inception of the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center.
Subsequently, she brought this experience to the nonprofit world. First, to the American Heart Association in the state of Maryland and, most recently, to Massachusetts' Reach Out and Read program. By increasing the visibility of these nonprofits, Laurie was able to increase volunteer participation and secure substantial funding, enabling these organizations to more effectively further their causes.
As an Independent Communications Consultant, she has written and edited documents for investor presentations, including corporate mission and market strategy statements; crafted critical documents in preparation for corporate acquisitions and appraisals; and regularly written and edited content for corporate websites. She has also served as Communications Director for various political campaigns and spearheaded marketing/public relations campaigns for clients launching small businesses.
Laurie is also an active member of her community, having served as a School Committee Member in the Town of Longmeadow, Massachusetts and currently as a member of the Academy Hill School Board of Trustees. Laurie also volunteers as a reader for children in underprivileged schools through Links to Libraries. She received her Bachelor of Arts in both English and Government from Colby College in Waterville, Maine and a Masters of Fine Arts in Children’s Literature from Simmons College. Laurie regularly reviews Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction for the prestigious literary review journal Kirkus Reviews. Laurie lives in Longmeadow, Massachusetts with her family.
Jennifer Jester
Prior to co-founding Red Mantel Communications, Jennifer spent a decade managing corporate communications and public relations campaigns for large technology companies. As an account manager with the Boston-based public relations firm Lois Paul & Partners, she managed numerous high tech accounts, including Sybase, Inc. and Lotus Development Corporation, which was later bought by IBM.
At Banyan Systems, a $100 million manufacturer of networking software, Jen managed a team of communications professionals and a multi-million dollar budget dedicated to media, analyst and investor relations, advertising, event planning, and marketing publications. As a result of the superior functionality of the company's products and its vastly increased profile in industry and general media, the company enjoyed a successful IPO valued at $182 million. With this valuable experience under her belt, Jennifer ventured out on her own and worked as an Independent Strategic Communications Consultant for a variety of technology companies.
During her tenure as an elected member and Chair of the Longmeadow School Committee (Longmeadow, Massachusetts), Jennifer gained an appreciation of the unique communications challenges faced by public school districts and private educational institutions. As a School Committee member, she worked closely with the superintendent to design and implement communications strategies to enhance constituent and citizen awareness, and to ensure that the school district communicated effectively during crisis situations.
Jennifer is also an attorney with over a decade of experience working with commercial real estate and business clients on a wide variety of matters. She holds a juris doctor from Boston College School of Law, and bachelor and master's degrees in communications and advertising from Florida State University. She currently resides in Longmeadow, Massachusetts with her family.
At Banyan Systems, a $100 million manufacturer of networking software, Jen managed a team of communications professionals and a multi-million dollar budget dedicated to media, analyst and investor relations, advertising, event planning, and marketing publications. As a result of the superior functionality of the company's products and its vastly increased profile in industry and general media, the company enjoyed a successful IPO valued at $182 million. With this valuable experience under her belt, Jennifer ventured out on her own and worked as an Independent Strategic Communications Consultant for a variety of technology companies.
During her tenure as an elected member and Chair of the Longmeadow School Committee (Longmeadow, Massachusetts), Jennifer gained an appreciation of the unique communications challenges faced by public school districts and private educational institutions. As a School Committee member, she worked closely with the superintendent to design and implement communications strategies to enhance constituent and citizen awareness, and to ensure that the school district communicated effectively during crisis situations.
Jennifer is also an attorney with over a decade of experience working with commercial real estate and business clients on a wide variety of matters. She holds a juris doctor from Boston College School of Law, and bachelor and master's degrees in communications and advertising from Florida State University. She currently resides in Longmeadow, Massachusetts with her family.