I have arrived at the age that each week I’ll scan the Washington Post obituaries to see if there is anyone I know. Thankfully, I seldom come across a recognized name.
Yesterday was an exception. Margaret Jean Young died on January 18, 2017 at the age of 78.
I only met Jean once. It was in the early 1990s when I was a journalism student at the University of Maryland. I interviewed for an internship at her public relations consultancy – Young and Associates.
I never worked for Jean and, candidly, as I moved forward in my career gave little thought to how her firm had matured. It’s a good shop that does good work in the technology sector. However, we seldom competed for business.
Yet, I thought it important to recognize Jean because of her contribution to the Washington, DC regional business and PR/communications community.
Jean launched Young & Associates in 1982 at a time when it was incredibly challenging for a woman to achieve success as an entrepreneur. Her work and accomplishment helped pave the path for other women in the region to launch communications companies that serve technology clients.
These include my former boss Joyce Bosc at Boscobel Marketing Communications, Robyn Sachs at RMR & Associates, Elizabeth Shea at SpeakerBox Communications and many others.
Each group of entrepreneurs creates a strong foundation for the next generation, which contributes to the overall prosperity of the business community.
Thank you, Jean.