No shifting without sifting
Meet Jenny
Growth doesn’t happen by accident.
It happens when you’re willing to dig deep, do the work, and learn from it.
I’m Jenny Weeden, President and Partner at Accelity, where I’ve spent over a decade helping bold teams grow smarter, faster, and more confidently.
But my path here wasn’t a straight line. As a kid, I dreamed of being everything from a princess to a teacher to an event planner—never a marketing leader. But every version of me along the way shaped the one who leads today.
After graduating from the University of Wisconsin–Madison (go Badgers!), I started my career in sales… an experience that, frankly, didn’t light me up. But it did open a door to marketing and eventually, leadership.
When I joined Accelity in 2015, we were a four-person team with big dreams and even bigger grit. Since then, I’ve worn just about every hat you can imagine—marketer, project manager, strategist, copywriter, and even head of HR. Some might call that job-hopping; I call it being a chameleon for the business.
Each role taught me something new about how to build trust, lead well, and stay curious, even when the answer isn’t clear…and I’d do it all over again.
That’s what I mean by no shifting without sifting.
The best leaders don’t skip the hard parts; they sort through them to find clarity.
Every role taught me something new—about my strengths, my gaps, and what real leadership means. More than anything, it taught me how to create impact for Accelity, our team, and our clients.
What I’m most proud of today isn’t the titles I’ve held, but the people I’ve helped grow along the way. Watching others discover their confidence and create work that exceeds their own expectations—that’s the real reward.
They say if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.
I don’t know if that’s true for everyone, and I do know that when you align your work with your purpose, it doesn’t feel like work at all.
Professional growth
The many hats that shaped my career
Hint: they didn’t all look cute on me.
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I started at Accelity with a very entry level title. I came to Jackie with eight months of marketing experience and four years of sales experience in one of her target industries. I wasn't a marketing extraordinaire by any means.
What I love to highlight in my early time here, however, is that Jackie saw potential in me right away. And after two months of being at Accelity, she—unprompted—gave me a raise and a title change. She saw my worth, and she rewarded it.
That's hugely impactful as a young professional and a woman... and recognizing and rewarding talent is a core tenet I still stand by and do my best to uphold today.
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Was I ready to be a manager when I transitioned into this title? Hmmm... haha. I think yes and no. I had the skills of a strong individual contributor, and I do have natural leadership tendencies, AND I had a lot to learn.
Luckily Accelity invested in me and sent me to the Accelerate Institute for new managers/high-potential employees. From there, I started seeing a management style take shape and come through.
I wasn't perfect, and yet I was able to support Accelity's growth and our small team to succeed.
I also learned a TON about hiring at this time; we now adopt the mantra: hire slow, fire fast.
As one of my former bosses used to say, all the learning I did in this role was like "drinking water from a firehose!"
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This role was really a turning point role for me.
It's during this role I learned my strengths: organization, empathy, business operations, management. I also learned my weaknesses: day-to-day internal marketing, big-picture thinking, giving and receiving feedback.
That's quite a list to improve upon! And through some painful conversations and work, I did.
Knowing those things and being receptive to the idea that I had an opportunity to improve and be a better version of me helped me to my next shift.
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Some might call this role HR+. I'd call this role seeking, finding and caring for the heart of Accelity.
I loved this role (and still do keep much of it within my responsibilities!). It gave me the opportunity to really connect with and understand our team.
It's during this role that I also found my strategic business voice. I learned how to walk the line between the big picture and day-to-day and understand the impact each area of the business has on the greater whole.
Doing the inner work of balancing vision with implementation set me up for great success to make my most recent shift.
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If we were on a map, it would say, "We are here!"
And on that map, it could show you all the places I've been. What an incredible and privileged journey I have had.
The great gift I have been given is that I'm also the creator of my own map—each Accelity employee is. We are constantly sifting to understand what we enjoy, where we need help, and how we can fill in the gaps with great teammates along the way.
As President at Accelity, I feel a profound responsibility to this team to help them all become cartographers of their careers.
As a Partner/Co-Owner, I feel a strong responsibility to ensure they have the resources and support to make that possible.
My journey may not be typical; it's been a pleasure nonetheless!
Media
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Bold brand, big moves: why we relaunched our business
Jenny joined The Art of Entrepreneurship to share how Accelity’s rebrand became a masterclass in clarity, collaboration, and bold growth.
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Being open about your mental health at work
In Quartz at Work, Jenny discussed how redefining her work boundaries became a turning point in leading sustainably.
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Explore more content from Jenny on the Accelity Blog
Jenny shares marketing, leadership, and growth lessons. The kind that builds stronger teams with strategy and heart.
