Denise Donahue

As account services director at Redhead, it goes without saying that I’m a people person.

One of my favorite aspects of working in client relations is the opportunity to do a deep dive into a variety of businesses and operations. I love getting to know what drives their business, especially the “essence” that can't be found in an annual report or mission statement. Meeting new people, learning about their goals, and identifying how I can help them make these goals happen all drive me forward. I love to take a complex story, learn the how and why of it, and create a mess of brainstorming ideas before organizing these ideas in a strategic manner, breaking them down into manageable bite-sized phases.

For me, project development is a creative practice. Especially in an agency setting, planning requires out-of-the-box thinking. That’s why I believe it’s important to leave no stone unturned on the path to creating authentic, effective solutions, for a range of clients and needs. Every project is another chance to help our clients make their corner of the world smarter, more beautiful, and more equitable. Ultimately, I work to make sure our clients’ missions are heard and that their visions are realized.

Prior to Redhead, I ran my own graphic design and marketing company in the Detroit area which I started early on in my career. What drove me was the opportunity to get to know my clients and their business in a variety of areas from their operations, to office design, and all the way through to their marketing. I found startups to be exciting to work with as their passion was electric and I enjoyed the idea of helping them build their vision. Through the process of running my own business I could see that planning, strategizing and connecting with my clients was an area that fueled me, so when considering reentering the workforce I knew that was an area that I wanted to focus on.

My path to the Redhead team was serendipitous to say the least. Seeing how our missions aligned so closely, Redhead seemed like the ideal organization to dive back into my work, with a role perfect for my talents, passions, and stage in my career.

On a personal note, I have a soft spot for collecting plants (although some regret it), and weeding my garden is sadly terribly satisfying for me. An ideal night for me is spent by the fire with my crew or — as we like to call it — being “two dachshunds deep” on the couch together.