Mary Lou Quinlan

Founder

Mary Lou Quinlan is a marketer, author, actor, speaker and advocate for women. Her career is a testament to the power of reinvention.Mary Lou’s career as an executive began at Avon Products where she rose to director of advertising, then moved to the NYC national advertising industry where she became the first female CEO of ad agency N.W Ayer & Partners. She shifted to entrepreneur when she founded her own women’s marketing company, Just Ask a Woman, speaking and advising major brands, including Citibank, Wells Fargo and American Express among others, on what women want.Mary Lou is the author of four books, including What She’s Not Telling You, Time Off for Good Behavior, and Just Ask a Woman. Her latest book, a memoir of her mother called The God Box, quickly became a New York Times bestseller and the inspiration for yet another career evolution as playwright and actor.� She co-wrote a one woman play based on the book and has performed it around the US, including a sold out Off Broadway run, and has donated all proceeds—nearly $350,000 to date--to hospitals, hospice and cancer care and education.� The play earned four and five star critical reviews at the renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2014. This summer and fall, she will perform a 10 city tour of the show in Ireland.She’s written for Real Simple, O, the Oprah magazine, and a monthly career column for MORE. She’s appeared as a correspondent on The CBS EARLY Show and co-starred on the ABC series “American Inventor” produced by Simon Cowell, among many media appearances.�She has been awarded honorary doctoral degrees by five US universities, including one from her alma mater Saint Joseph’s University. She lives in NYC and Bucks County, PA with her husband Joe Quinlan. She’s currently writing a new solo show about women’s careers called “Work” which she hopes to stage at women’s conferences and theater festivals.www.justaskawoman.comwww.thegodboxproject.com