This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only. The information is accurate as of the last page update.
For questions about page contents, contact the Communications Division.
Mary Stengel Austen '86
In late July, Mary Stengel Austen ’86, president and chief executive officer of Tierney and member of the Lafayette College Board of Trustees, was presented with the Brava! Award in Philadelphia by SmartCEO magazine.
The Brava! Women Business Achievement Awards honor the top 25 female CEOs, presidents, business owners, and executive directors in Greater Philadelphia. The awards are presented to women who oversee successful businesses, but also give back to the community through charity and philanthropic endeavors.
Austen co-founded The Tierney Group in 1989, a predecessor to today’s Tierney Communications. With 144 employees in Philadelphia and Harrisburg, it is one of the mid-Atlantic region’s largest communications agencies and a member of the Interpublic Group of companies. Tierney serves a range of industry leaders including Bayer Environmental Science, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Independence Blue Cross, McDonald’s, PECO, TD Bank, and Verizon Wireless.
Earlier this summer, Austen took the helm as chair of the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania Campaign. She had previously served the United Way in many capacities including as vice chair of donor engagement in 2010.
Austen has received many awards for her professional success and community involvement include Holy Family University 2011 Corporate Leadership Award, which honors a member of the business community who has demonstrated the values of family, respect, responsibility, service, and integrity; Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce 2010 Paradigm Award; Pennsylvania League of Women Voters 2009 Civic Leadership Award; and 2009 Woman of Heart honoree for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Luncheon. In 2005, she received the Spirit of Life award, the City of Hope’s most prestigious honor presented to community leaders.
Austen serves on the External Affairs Committee of Lafayette’s Board of Trustees. An English and government & law graduate, she and her husband Peter live in Radnor, Pa. with their five children, ages six to 13.
A member of the executive committee of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Austen also serves on other boards including Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital, Main Line Health, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, and Steppingstone Scholars, Inc.
Under Austen’s progressive leadership, Tierney has won accolades for its pro bono and community involvement programs from the national Stevie Awards for Women in Business (2008) and Philadelphia Business Journal in 2008, 2009, and 2011.