Former presidential speechwriter shares experiences, advice
Empowered women, empower women. PHOTO CREDIT: UN System Staff College
The University of Rhode Island kicked off its Women in Leadership Series on Tuesday, Jan. 25 with a seminar by businesswoman and URI Trustee Christine Heenan.
The event was hosted by Ann Weston, the senior program manager for the URI Foundation and Alumni Engagement. Heenan was interviewed by URI Masters of English student Marybeth Reilly-McGreen.
“The URI Women’s Leadership Council is led by a group of volunteer alumni to support and enhance the personal and professional growth of URI women by cultivating meaningful opportunities to unite, celebrate, empower and learn from each other in order to create lasting relationships in the community and beyond,” Weston said.
Currently, Heenan works as an executive partner and Chief Communications Officer at Flagship Pioneering, a life sciences venture capital company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts that has invested in companies such as AstraZeneca, Nestle Health Science and Bayer Crop Science.
In addition to her position for Flagship Pioneering, Heenan’s resume includes working as the Senior Vice President for Global Policy and Advocacy for The Rockefeller Foundation, Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications at Harvard University, and her work as a speechwriter and Senior Policy Analyst for the White House under the Clinton Administration. Heenan also started her own communications company, The Claredon Group, back in June 2000, where she advised notable clients such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
During the seminar, Heenan spoke about her experience as a powerful businessperson, mother and professor at Brown University and Harvard University.
“I’m from Philadelphia originally,” said Heenan. “I moved to Providence when I was in middle school, I went to Classical High School while my mom went to URI at night and I went on to be a journalism student at [Boston University].”
When asked why she was driven towards more of a strategic communications field rather than a more standard path taken by most journalism majors, Heenan said she believed that, while she was always interested in newspapers from a young age, a consultant job she was offered right after completing her undergraduate degree was what sparked her interest in her current field.
During the seminar, Heenan reflected on one of the most pivotal moments in her career as a businesswoman, when she was offered a job as a Press Secretary for Senator Jack Reed after he was elected as a representative to Rhode Island’s second congressional district.
“I think a lesson for [me] and people in early stages of their careers is not to be afraid to pivot and then pivot again,” said Heenan. “I got my head around the fact that I would love to be in Washington and I went to my boss and said ‘I got an opportunity. I’m going to do this’. The conversation that ensued was him saying ‘I think this is a better fit for you’.”
Heenan’s then-boss told her that if she stayed, he would relocate her to Washington, and therefore she went back on her original plan.
“I always say Jack Reed got me to Washington because I didn’t take [his] job,” said Heenan.
Heenan reflected on having to let go of her worries about disappointing others in order to move forward in her career, which is something that she stated was very hard as both a woman and a first-born child in her family.
“The earlier you learn those skills and learn the importance of separating yourself to be a straightforward, helpful, clear communicator in those moments, and that you can do so with humanity and kindness, those are really important skills I think,” said Heenan.
The recording of Heenan’s full talk is available on the URI alumni page, as well as more information about the upcoming seminars in the spring speaker series.