Our Founder

“Deanna is a highly strategic marketing executive. She is direct and clear in her vision when she is leading a team. Her strong intuition coupled with extensive experience allow her anticipate long term issues and she doesn't shy away from tackling them head on. She isn't afraid to have tough conversations and welcomes a challenge. Deanna is a strong leader, hard working team player and enjoyable to work with.”

“Deanna’s super power is to build teams to meet strategic imperatives. She is able to see the big picture and to align the necessary steps and people in order to accomplish the goal. Some adjectives I would use to describe Deanna, in no particular order, are supportive, tenacious, innovative, adventurous, authentic, open-minded, approachable, and confidant.”

“There are many people in this industry that work hard, are results oriented and continually meet or exceed objectives; Deanna clearly meets this base level of expectation. However, what I found that sets her apart from peers is a willingness to engage in continuous improvement, strong desire to seek a broad range of responsibilities to develop her skills and most importantly deliver innovative solutions to critical business tasks driving the business forward. Her track record of success speaks to this innate desire to be better.”

“I had the privilege of working with Deanna as a commercial partner for the past years in Alzheimer’s disease programs. I found in Deanna a true partner and a compassionate colleague that always had the customers’ needs at the center of her vision and strategy.”

“To say that knowing Deanna is a privilege is an understatement. Working with Deanna is a next-level competitive advantage. I've known Deanna for nearly 20 years and have admired her intellect, drive, and winning attitude. She is a strong and fearless woman, leader, individual, and friend to many.”

“Brand builder. Strategic thinker. Customer and patient advocate. Passionate and articulate presenter. Tireless worker. Outstanding colleague. Deanna is all that and MORE. I worked with her over the past decade plus and have enjoyed seeing her architect brands, drive change, and advocate for what she believes is right over and over in both large pharma and smaller bio pharma companies.”

“Deanna is one of the most effective cross-functional leaders I have had the privilege to work with. Multiple times I have seen her presented with difficult, ambiguous enterprise-level challenges and excel in defining and implementing effective strategies. Deanna always sees the bigger strategic picture and can paint a vision that inspires the people she leads. It has been a privilege to work with Deanna, learn from her, and share in her significant professional achievements we have had the opportunity to collaborate on.”

“Trusted advisor and strategic thinker. Deanna has the ability to draw from her large pharma experience and expertise and apply those learnings to an earlier stage start-up situation. This skill is invaluable for a trusted advisor and strategic partner to a CEO. She is collaborative, thoughtful, and insightful. Working with Deanna has been so positive and inspirational.”

“Deanna is a highly motivated and hard working contributor to her teams. She has proven analytical & strategic, project management, and communication skills, which come across in all of her projects. In my experience in working with Deanna, I was able to see how quickly she could adapt and learn about new therapeutic areas (Alzheimer's, Diabetes, Fibromyalgia) and provide insights into future market conditions, the competitive landscape, key trends, and providing strategic recomendations for her brand.”

“I had the privilege of sitting down with Deanna on my Active Ingredients podcast after she was recommended by the team here at FDI, and what struck me immediately was her clarity of thought and grounded leadership presence. She’s exactly the kind of leader I want to surround myself with: brilliant at what she does, authentic in how she does it, and generous in sharing her journey so others can learn too.”

“Deanna has so many strengths, but I will always cherish the time we worked together due to two in particular: her pragmatic, solution-minded approach, and her ability to remain focused and adaptable through change. Should you need a leader that can clearly see opportunity through chaos, and lead a team to succeed through clarity of vision and persistence, Deanna would be a tremendous addition to any team.”

“It was a pleasure working with and learning from Deanna during our time supporting Alzheimer's at Genentech. She always brought an enthusiasm and passion to the team and our purpose that was infectious. I was inspired by her fearlessness to push the organization where she thought it needed to go even when facing unfamiliar terrain. She brought her diverse experience to all situations and leveraged the people around her to ensure the right people were "in the room" even when it hadn't been done that way in the past.”

“If you’re lucky enough to meet Deanna, and luckier still to work with her, what will strike you instantly isn’t simply her unparalleled work ethic, or her integrity, or her sheer brilliance, or the depth and breadth of her experience and knowledge. To be clear, these will be plainly obvious from the get-go. What will stay with you, in that moment and for the rest of your career, is how Deanna will exemplify with ease and grace the leader that we all aspire to be.”

“Many individuals aspire to be strategists, Deanna is one. From business development to loss of exclusivity, Deanna has the capability to support the success of any organization.”

“Deanna’s dedication is evidenced by her leadership in fundraising and awareness initiatives, as well as the time she dedicates to contribute her marketing and business expertise to the work of our Awareness and Audit committees. Her compassion and energy provide important touchstones for our work.”

“Few people have the chance to work for a visionary leader who is also a phenomenal coach and mentor. I did when I worked for Deanna at Janssen. She led the transformation of Janssen Oncology, strategically positioning the organization to meet customer needs in a rapidly evolving market. Observing her ability to navigate complex organizations with the courage, passion, and strength necessary to make change has been something I will carry with me through my career.”