Stephanie sumner
Agency Engagement Consultant · Little House Surf
Raleigh, NC
In My Own Words
I’ve spent most of my career helping agencies grow by building strong teams, pursuing the right opportunities and creating partnerships that thrive.
At places like McKinney and Marcus Thomas, I helped shape how those agencies showed up in the world and how they built trust with clients. The agencies I’ve been part of have earned recognition along the way but that’s never been the reason I do this work. What stays with me is the thrill of watching something real take shape when the right client and the right agency come together.
Now at HARMONIUM I bring that experience to the client side. I guide marketing leaders through important moments and coach agencies along the way. Whether we’re building a new partnership or strengthening an existing one I believe in the power of honest conversations, shared ambition and the care it takes to make great work possible.
Work Experience
Co-Founder
Little House Surf2020 – Present
Little House is a revolutionary surfboard concept set to launch in 2026. Recipient of the NC IDEA MICRO grant.
Chief of Client Services
HARMONIUM2025 – Present
Founded in the belief that harmonious relationships in the marketing ecosystem create stronger performance, HARMONIUM is a trusted advisor for marketers and agencies alike. Our Marketing & Media Advisory helps marketers repair, find, build and strengthen agency partnerships with a custom approach that ensures the right fit and lasting success. Our Growth & Financial Advisory helps agencies with their corporate strategy, growth strategy, operational & financial optimization and provides guidance through mergers, acquisitions.
SVP Business Development
Marcus Thomas LLC2022 – 2025
Marcus Thomas is headquartered in Cleveland with 250 people and offices in Cincinnati, Buenos Aires and Santiago. They provide clients with true integration as well as specialization when desired with award winning depth in media, creative, strategy, PR, social, CRM, digital ecosystems and analytics.
Marketing & Growth Consultant
Stephanie Sumner Consulting2018 – 2022
Provide marketing, growth and partner relationship guidance. Projects include: • Identifying new agency partnerships through a comprehensive selection process • Uncovering consumer insights for a national non-profit • Developing a positioning and marketing plan for a young advertising agency • Improving sales presentations targeting C-suite executives of Fortune 500 companies
SVP, Growth North America / Executive Leadership Team
Public Label2021 – 2021
Public Label is a full-service integrated marketing agency that provides a channel-agnostic approach to solving business problems by hacking culture to uncover consumer motivations and identifying the corresponding cultural movements that drive their behavior. In addition to a unique strategic approach to creative development, they have award-winning experiential and shopper marketing teams that allow them to give every part of the customer journey the attention it requires in today’s rapidly changing environment. Offices in Boulder and Toronto.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee Chair
Podcast Host
Quiet Women2020 – 2021
Some women live life out loud while others have chosen a more quiet path. Sometimes called introverts or private people, they keep their stories to themselves. These tales can be inspiring and entertaining stories involving humor, adventure and romance as well as those that are tragic and about overcoming challenges. Whether you are a quiet woman looking for the courage to let yourself be seen or you simply enjoy a good story about real life, join Stephanie Sumner, a marketing executive, entrepreneur and quiet woman herself on her quest to reveal the real and amazing lives of women you’ve never heard from before and celebrate them coming out of their shell.
Director of Strategic Partnerships / Team Lead
VisionPoint Marketing2019 – 2020
VisionPoint Marketing is a marketing agency that helps colleges, universities and community colleges meet their admissions, branding, fundraising and communication goals.
SVP, Client Development
Bright Red2016 – 2018
Bright Red \ TBWA operates within the Omnicom Group network of agencies – an inter-connected global network of leading marketing communications companies – and is a dynamic collaboration of strategy, content, digital and public relations synergized to connect brands and audiences.
VP, Director, Business Development
McKinney1998 – 2016
Business development translates to sales for most industries, but encompasses so much more at an advertising agency - account leadership, staff development, resource management, brand stewardship, customer service, event planning, partner sourcing, marketing plan development, consumer research, social strategy, proposal development . . . I've juggled and worn a lot of hats.
Some of my proudest accomplishments include winning the agency's first global account managing a team across multiple offices; leading the effort that resulted in McKinney being named the Most Effective Independent Advertising Agency in the World; and creating a new business machine praised for it’s efficiency and flawlessness.
Brand experience spans almost every category and includes ESPN, Nike, Virgin, Sony, Travelocity, Nationwide, Crocs, Brown-Forman and Lands' End.