Jen Samuel
Jen Samuel is a strategic internal communications professional with over 20 years of experience connecting people, strategy, and culture. Her career in communications began with a Master’s degree in Public Relations, though she quickly realized that traditional paths focused on billable hours and promotions weren’t her passion. Her first role at JetBlue Airways, within operations communicating to flight attendants, revealed her true calling: internal communications and employee engagement. At a time when internal communications was still an emerging field in the United States, Jen built her expertise helping senior leaders translate business strategy into meaningful, human-centered communication that connects employees to organizational goals.
Currently, Jen serves as Senior Account Manager at Local Wisdom, having recently transitioned from in-house internal communications to the agency side. She partners with internal communicators who rely on her team to fill gaps and amplify their impact—work she knows intimately from her experience as a team of one. While her role is now focused on strategic account management rather than tactical execution, she leverages her deep understanding of internal communications to guide clients, develop account strategies, and ensure high-impact delivery that strengthens employee engagement and organizational clarity.
Throughout her career, Jen has worked across aviation, technology, financial services, and consulting, consistently building bridges between leaders and employees. Outside of work, she serves as Production Director at Harvest Fields Community Church in the Bronx, overseeing media, creative, and tech ministries. A calm, collaborative presence under pressure, Jen brings the same poise she honed at 30,000 feet to every project she leads. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Relations from Syracuse University and a Bachelor’s in Communications from the University of Mount Saint Vincent, underscoring her lifelong commitment to storytelling, engagement, and meaningful organizational impact.
• Syracuse University - MS, Public Relations
• University of Mount Saint Vincent - BA, Communications
• Production director at church overseeing production team for services and special events
What do you attribute your success to?
I think one of the things that stands out when I look at my career is being able to build the internal communications function from the ground up. Though my first role 20-plus years ago was with JetBlue, I then joined an organization where they created the function from the beginning, so I was able to get into really building that from literally ground zero. It became normal practice to have town halls with the CEO on a quarterly basis, build their intranet from nothing that didn't exist, implement email tools to be able to track communications, and also work on community engagement. At my second business, we had a community service component where we helped clients that couldn't afford our services by providing the services for free. I was able to connect both the outside, the external, with the internal. We did videos and opportunities with the clients, we interviewed them, but then employees were able to celebrate that and see how, even if they're not in the field, they could be in finance, but see how their work contributes to the overall mission of the business.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
One of my favorite models that I've learned over the years is that weaknesses are overused strengths. That's something that has really stuck with me to not feel down on yourself for things that are kind of natural to you. Unfortunately, when you're younger, you get that confidence over time, but I think that's something that has really stuck with me. Also, that you're enough. Sometimes certain roles may not just be the right cultural fit or the right dynamic, but who you are and what you bring to the table - of course, there's always opportunity to learn and grow, but who you are instinctively is okay. That's something I've learned the hard way over time. I also think about an individual that many years ago I interviewed for a position with, and I didn't get the position, but she did send me a very thoughtful and thorough email as to why I wasn't selected for the position, but also highlighting my skills and offering constructive advice. That has been so encouraging, and even post that, I mean, no one really stays in contact with someone who didn't hire them, but that was an extremely pivotal moment where I was able to assess my strengths, and I'm grateful for that professional going the extra mile to reach back out to me and provide me with that insight.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say, one of my favorite models that I've learned over the years is that weaknesses are overused strengths. That's something to not feel down on yourself for things that are kind of natural to you. Unfortunately, with the younger you are, you get that confidence over time, but I think that's something that has really stuck with me. And also that you're enough. Sometimes certain roles may not just be the right cultural fit or the right dynamic, but who you are and what you bring to the table, and your - of course, there's always opportunity to learn and grow, but who you are instinctively is okay. That's something I've learned the hard way over time.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Jen will be jumping into add more detail in regard to her career path and what has inspired her journey, she will add detail regarding those who have inspired her and if she would like to include the names of the individual she highlighted for making an impact in her professional career. She will also add any details she would like regarding her life outside of work and her interest in hobbies, as well as how she would like to connect with other incredible women within our community and how she would like to inspire our readers.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I would say empathy is something that's very important to me, not just with personal relationships, but also in communications. Really just trying your best to understand your audience, where they're coming from, and instead of just shooting out messages, you know, understand the climate, the situation, the group that you're communicating with. But then also in any personal relationship, we're so quick sometimes to kind of be defensive, but trying to understand someone else's point of view, and how that could factor their perception of the situation. Collaboration is also really important to me - I'm highly collaborative as a person, so I look for roles that value that. There are some work cultures where maybe that just doesn't fit, maybe it's more of a fast-paced environment that they don't have the time to sit and brainstorm, but I've done very well with organizations where that is kind of part of their DNA, where it doesn't matter what level you're in, and we can all collaborate and brainstorm. I think that creates a definitely good dynamic to have. Outside of work, I'm highly involved with my church as a production director, and I realize over time that those natural skills that fall into your profession are transferable. So although I'm learning the technical side of lighting and audio and all of that, being able to serve as a production director just keeps the flow of our services going, our special events, and keeping things organized. I didn't realize that corporate skills would be transferable to a faith-based situation. When the opportunity presents itself, I love to travel and be able to see different parts of the world and get out there, and I think that started because of my first job in the airline industry. Just being able to get out of your normal routine is important to me.