President, Mary Furlong and Associates
Mary is the President of Mary Furlong & Associates. For 20 years, she has guided the digital marketing strategies of major U.S. corporations for their 45+ age markets. She served as an advisor to the President and Congress during the Clinton Administration as part of the NCLIS. She also served as a member of the New Zealand Investment advisory board. She currently holds advisory board seats on the following companies: Confoti and Pulse Data. She is a member of the Business Forum of the American Society on Aging. And she holds a part-time appointment as an executive professor of Entrepreneurship and Women in Leadership at Santa Clara University, Leavy School of Business in Silicon Valley.
Mary founded SeniorNet.org in l986 and served as the President from l986-l995, establishing the first online community for senior citizens. With funding from the Markle Foundation, Verizon, SBC Communications, IBM and Microsoft, she helped to developed over 100 learning centers across the U.S., Canada and New Zealand. She also founded ThirdAge Media in l996 and was Chairman of ThirdAge from l996-2003, where she raised more than $100 million in venture capital and developed strategic sponsorships and relationships.
Mary has appeared on CBS, the Today Show, PBS and NPR to discuss issues related to trends in aging and technology. Time Magazine recognized her contribution as chairman of ThirdAge Media by honoring her in 1999 as one of its "Digital 50." In March 2001, Fortune Small Business Magazine named Mary as one of the "Top 25 Women Entrepreneurs." Interactive Age included her among its "Twenty-Five Unsung Heroes on the Web." She also received the "New Choices Award" from Reader's Digest along with fellow recipients former President Jimmy Carter and Lena Horne.