Amy Thompson
Clear Strategy Partners Culture Series Spotlight
Amy Thompson has seen it all in a communications career that started at one of the largest teacher’s labor unions in the country and took her to some of the most prestigious positions in D.C. During this journey, she worked with creative legends from Madison Avenue, well-known newspaper editors, and former advisors to presidents, first ladies, and congressional leaders.
Now she calls Clear Strategy Partners (CSP) home in this next chapter of her career. A senior account manager at the firm, she’s managing a growing number of clients that provide her with fruitful challenges and utilize her wide-ranging expertise in public relations. As a consummate professional, she is still looking to learn from every experience and building on the knowledge base she has gathered along the way.
Now she calls Clear Strategy Partners (CSP) home in this next chapter of her career. A senior account manager at the firm, she’s managing a growing number of clients that provide her with fruitful challenges and utilize her wide-ranging expertise in public relations. As a consummate professional, she is still looking to learn from every experience and building on the knowledge base she has gathered along the way.
How it all started
Amy grew up in Eighty-Four, Pennsylvania. Located just about 45 minutes southwest of Pittsburgh, the small town is home to the well-known 84 Lumber Company. In her early years, Amy developed ways of navigating tight-knit social circles that often come with small-town living—a skill that would pay off after she relocated to the big city. “Like all small towns, everyone knows each other well, so it was a big change when I arrived at the University of Maryland College Park (UMPC) to study journalism. The school was very close to Washington, D.C., where there was even more to see and do. I didn’t realize it at the time, but D.C. is very much like Eighty-Four in one way: everyone knows each other. It’s like that game Six Degrees of Separation, except in D.C. it’s more like Two Degrees of Separation.”
While in D.C., Amy interned with the American Federation of Teachers, which led to a full-time role with RJR Nabisco. This position gave her the chance to work with respected experts from corporations, public policy, and education, eventually preparing her to pursue another role with Weber Shandwick. Reminiscing about her professional and social life in D.C., Amy elaborated, “I enjoyed the fast pace of agency life back then, and stayed with Weber for about 10 years, working my way up to Senior Vice President.” While the job led to other positions in publishing, the music industry, and a global professional society, she pointed out that, “it was those early years that were the most transformative for me because of the professional mentors I had, and the networks I was able to cultivate and grow.”
While Amy thoroughly enjoyed the daily D.C. grind, she took a temporary hiatus from full-time work a few years ago to tend to family matters. After some time away, she soon found herself looking to get back into a full-time public relations role. Since she still planned on keeping up with some of her family responsibilities after resuming work, she needed a remote position with flexibility and leadership that understands life’s unpredictable challenges.
While in D.C., Amy interned with the American Federation of Teachers, which led to a full-time role with RJR Nabisco. This position gave her the chance to work with respected experts from corporations, public policy, and education, eventually preparing her to pursue another role with Weber Shandwick. Reminiscing about her professional and social life in D.C., Amy elaborated, “I enjoyed the fast pace of agency life back then, and stayed with Weber for about 10 years, working my way up to Senior Vice President.” While the job led to other positions in publishing, the music industry, and a global professional society, she pointed out that, “it was those early years that were the most transformative for me because of the professional mentors I had, and the networks I was able to cultivate and grow.”
While Amy thoroughly enjoyed the daily D.C. grind, she took a temporary hiatus from full-time work a few years ago to tend to family matters. After some time away, she soon found herself looking to get back into a full-time public relations role. Since she still planned on keeping up with some of her family responsibilities after resuming work, she needed a remote position with flexibility and leadership that understands life’s unpredictable challenges.
Choosing Clear Strategy Partners
Over the years, Amy came to realize that what she valued in both employers and clients could often be boiled down to one thing: reciprocal loyalty. While she jokes that it “sounds a bit gangster” to single out loyalty as one of the most important qualities in the professional world, she sees great value in it.
She expressed that reciprocal loyalty creates a virtuous circle, leading to long-lasting, healthy, mutually beneficial client-firm relationships. Even before joining CSP last November, Amy noticed that CSP had a loyal client base, furthering her interest in working with the firm: “Having worked at a large PR agency and then going in-house and hiring PR agencies, I’ve come to value what those politicos early in my career taught me: loyalty matters. Clients and co-workers all need to trust that you are in it for the long haul and have their backs, no matter what or when. CSP’s impressive roster has many longtime client partners, which speaks volumes.”
In addition to being attracted to CSP’s long and positive track record with clients, a role with the firm also came with the flexibility and benefits that would allow Amy to live a full life outside of work. She also realized that she would be joining team members who also had diverse work histories and myriad unique skills.
At CSP, Amy takes advantage of the flexibility that comes with a role at our firm and has found a good work-life balance. She enjoys working from home in Maryland and appreciates the proximity to people, places, and things that she loves when she signs off at the end of the workday. Outside of work, she spends as much time as possible outdoors. From trail running with her dog to mountain biking and gardening, she stays active throughout the week. When she needs a break, you’ll find her with her nose in a book: “I just finished Jonathan Eig’s autobiography on Muhammad Ali, and I just started Charles Mann’s 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus.”
Written by Timon Kaple
Digital Writer/Strategist
Clear Strategy Partners
She expressed that reciprocal loyalty creates a virtuous circle, leading to long-lasting, healthy, mutually beneficial client-firm relationships. Even before joining CSP last November, Amy noticed that CSP had a loyal client base, furthering her interest in working with the firm: “Having worked at a large PR agency and then going in-house and hiring PR agencies, I’ve come to value what those politicos early in my career taught me: loyalty matters. Clients and co-workers all need to trust that you are in it for the long haul and have their backs, no matter what or when. CSP’s impressive roster has many longtime client partners, which speaks volumes.”
In addition to being attracted to CSP’s long and positive track record with clients, a role with the firm also came with the flexibility and benefits that would allow Amy to live a full life outside of work. She also realized that she would be joining team members who also had diverse work histories and myriad unique skills.
At CSP, Amy takes advantage of the flexibility that comes with a role at our firm and has found a good work-life balance. She enjoys working from home in Maryland and appreciates the proximity to people, places, and things that she loves when she signs off at the end of the workday. Outside of work, she spends as much time as possible outdoors. From trail running with her dog to mountain biking and gardening, she stays active throughout the week. When she needs a break, you’ll find her with her nose in a book: “I just finished Jonathan Eig’s autobiography on Muhammad Ali, and I just started Charles Mann’s 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus.”
Written by Timon Kaple
Digital Writer/Strategist
Clear Strategy Partners