Alumni Profile: Mary Harp-Jirschele

Mary Harp-Jirschele spent 10 years as a newspaper reporter (Appleton Post-Crescent, Green Bay Press-Gazette and Green Bay News Chronicle) followed by nearly 20 years in the communications department at a Fortune 500 company.

As Vice President of Communications and Facilities at Aid Association for Lutherans/Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Appleton and Minneapolis, she was responsible for all communications-related activities including magazine publication, media relations, member relations, creative services (artists, writers, TV production studio), internal communications, strategic communications and so on.

Mary left the corporate world in 2004 to join an Executive Recruiting firm, Employment Resource Group. As Chief Operating Officer, she was responsible for all operational activities of this award-winning firm. In addition, Mary offered communications consulting services that span everything from crisis communications to presentation coaching.

In January 2008, Mary became Executive Director of the J. J. Keller Foundation, Inc., in Neenah, Wisconsin.  The new family foundation, which will grow to approximately $80 million in assets in 2008, is dedicated to helping meet basic human needs in northeastern Wisconsin.  The family takes special pride in providing funding for programs that would otherwise “fall through the cracks” and go unmet.

Mary and her husband, Jeff, who has his own communications/marketing firm and is a City Council member, make their home in Appleton.