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Jennifer Gilkie heads system-wide communication and marketing strategy and initiatives across Dartmouth Health, responsible for brand reputation and recognition, marketing, and paid and earned media campaigns, as well as overseeing digital services, creative productions and content development.
Most recently, she led Dartmouth Health through a successful and comprehensive rebrand. Gilkie also led Dartmouth Health’s award-winning public-facing and internal COVID-19 campaigns. She serves on the boards for the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation and the New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts.
How does storytelling align with your role at Dartmouth Health?
When I was in theater, I always was really interested in the production of the show. When I was in New York in my early ‘20s, I formed a 501(c)(3) theater company with some friends and took the production role there. The eventual path to events and fundraising tied back to my loving of producing things. And I think that theme has carried through even to Dartmouth Health.
I love the art of storytelling, the big reveal, and some of the work that we’ve recently done around “Your Way Forward,” which is our newest patient series. Doing the rebrand like that was a big project that we produced.
One of my mentors in life was a man at American Express, who was the president, and he really taught me that it’s OK to be a generalist. What you really want in your career to be successful is to have people under you who are the specialists who work on your team and are going to be smarter than you and better at specific things than you are. And that’s how you become a stronger leader.
Mentorship seems very important to you, then.
Yes, I would say it is hugely. I have worked for some amazing people and, along the way, there were a number of times where I debated going back to school to get my MBA. Then, I reached a point where my family was important, but I didn’t really know that I was willing to put that time into it. But I feel like, along the way, I got my MBA through some of the people that I worked for. I’m a big believer in education. You can always learn more, but that’s also something that I have been driven by is curiosity and asking lots of questions and brainstorming.
What work have you been doing in the community?
When (my husband and I) moved here nine years ago, I knew that for me to feel fulfilled and happy, I was going to have to get to know people. And my husband grew up in New Hampshire. I grew up in Needham, Massachusetts, and the Cape, but we didn’t really know too many people here as adults. And so that was super important. But I also wanted them to feel a part of me, and so each one of the organizations that I’m involved with is a part of who I am. The New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts feeds on the arts part of me, and then there’s the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation. I’m a very big believer, and have been since I was a little girl, about the importance of female leadership. And certainly, reproductive care rights are very important to me and to make sure that advocacy piece is happening in our communities and government.
And then I’m on the board of Northeast Delta Dental and really enjoy my work there. (CEO) Tom Raffio is somebody that I just am in awe of, and he’s more of a local mentor for me to have throughout my career.
What were the biggest challenges coming into your role at Dartmouth Health?
When I came into the role, Dartmouth Health was a still-forming system, and it wasn’t as many organizations as it is today. And also, the (communications and marketing) department itself was very separated, wasn’t at all aligned or integrated. And we’ve worked very hard to bring us together as one system.
And I’ve worked really hard to integrate us as a brand working on shared messaging. We have brand pillars now that all of us, throughout the system, share.
Even though it’s really important to point out that we celebrate our local nuances and characteristics at each member organization, too, because they all contribute to making us one strong Dartmouth Health system.
It’s never a perfect science. And certainly, we stumble sometimes, but then my fantastic rock star media team helps me with some of that.
What advice would you give to future female business leaders?
Well, I tell my daughter, who’s a freshman in college, to take the time to listen carefully and to get to know your people and build a relationship, not be afraid to take a chance in both your career and personal life.
