Jennifer Aguglia

Resilient. Relentless. Human.

Photo by Samantha Mazza

Current Employer & Job Title: Twenty-Six & Co. | A Creative Agency, Partner

Age: 40

Hometown: Plattsburgh, NY

Education: AA Clinton Community College, BA SUNY Plattsburgh

Equal parts strategist, storyteller, creative director, community advocate, and accidental philosopher, Jen speaks about leadership the same way great marketers approach branding: honestly, emotionally, and without unnecessary filters. One minute she is discussing SEO strategy and client conversion rates. The next she is quoting Conan O’Brien, reflecting on burnout, or explaining why some of her best ideas happen far away from a screen. At the center of it all is a simple belief that feels increasingly rare and refreshing: you can build something ambitious without losing your humanity in the process.

In three words, how would others describe your personal brand — and where do those traits show up most in your work?

Resilient. Relentless. Human.

Resilient because every phase of growth for Twenty-Six & Co. has meant figuring things out in real time. Doing it scared, uncertain, but doing it nonetheless. It required us to commit to the next right move even when the full picture wasn't clear yet. I think about my son, Noah, watching us build this business from my attic office during Covid and I want what he sees to be someone who didn't wait for perfect conditions but rather someone who did it anyway.

Relentless because I don't have an off switch when something matters to me. Kara and I built something real here, not despite the odds, but fully aware of them. We leveraged remote work to expand into larger markets across the U.S. and Canada and relentlessly, tirelessly built a book of work we’re proud of. We’ve built our local market very intentionally and for those clients, our perspective on marketing, on business, on what actually works for the local clients all comes from being genuinely embedded in this community.

Human because this work is rooted in people and relationships. One day we're in hard hats and muck boots on a job site filming, the next we're photographing a fundraising gala. Our clients range from individual artists and utility construction companies to nonprofits, real estate pros, therapists, and everything in between. I’ve loved every minute of listening closely, asking a lot of questions, and taking the time to understand what each client is trying to build. There’s nothing greater than real genuine human connection.

What aspect of your organization's culture do you protect or promote most fiercely — and how have you influenced it?

Conan O'Brien once said "Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen." I've never needed a more complicated philosophy than that. It sounds simple until you actually try to live it inside a growing business, and then you realize how much intention it takes to protect both halves of that equation at once. We’re far from perfect but that quote has carried us through hard seasons. Having doubled in size over the last two years, we’re seeing this living, breathing culture in action every day.

Where do you invest your time outside of work, and what motivates your commitment to those efforts?

My husband, Shawn, and son, Noah, are the center of everything outside of Twenty-Six & Co. They, along with my friends and family, are the reason I stay grounded and the reason the bigger picture never gets too far out of view. I want Noah to grow up watching what it looks like when someone backs themselves, shows up with kindness, and builds something worth being proud of.

Who has most influenced your leadership style? What specific lesson from them still shapes how you lead today?

Steven Krolak, a former colleague from my time at SUNY Plattsburgh.

What he gave me was something harder to teach. He led with steady consistent kindness that didn't need an audience and wasn't performative or strategic. It showed up on an ordinary Tuesday just as much as it did in a big moment. He believed in me during a period when I was still growing into my own potential, and that kind of investment changes the way you lead forever. I've carried that lesson into every stage of building Twenty-Six & Co. People do their best work when they feel safe, respected, and genuinely seen. You can lead with high expectations without leading with fear. You can demand excellence without stripping away humanity. That balance is something I try to commit to every day.

Where are you making your greatest impact right now — in your organization, industry, or community — and how do you measure it?

Right now, my greatest impact is helping North Country businesses understand they deserve the same level of strategy and creative execution that larger markets take for granted. We're in our 6th year, and I measure impact by, not only ROI, but happy clients. And we’re lucky to have many happy clients or partners as we like to call them.

What's something about you that would surprise people — and what does it reveal about how you think or operate?

I'm deeply analog in a lot of ways. For someone who runs a creative agency, I think people expect me to be constantly plugged in, optimizing, consuming content. But my best thinking happens away from the screen. That's where things actually come together for me. I need novelty to stay creative. New places, new conversations, new experiences. I think that's what keeps the work feeling alive rather than formulaic. You can't pour from an empty cup, and you definitely can't create anything interesting from a place of burnout. I've learned to protect the things that fill me back up, even when the to-do list argues otherwise. I don't know that it's surprising so much as it's something I've had to learn to stop apologizing for.

What is one lesson your career has taught you that you had to learn the hard way — and how has it changed you?

Wanting to help is a genuinely good instinct until it isn't. I had to learn the hard way that saying yes to everything, even with the best intentions, has real costs. For your team, for your clients, for the quality of work you're capable of producing when you're running on empty. There's a difference between being generous and being depleted and learning to recognize that line, and actually respect it, has made me a better leader. 

What is the biggest professional or personal risk you've taken — and would you make the same decision again? Why or why not?

Starting this agency. We had skills, we had experience, we had vision, and we had a lot of nerve. There was no safety net and no roadmap. Six years later? Yes. I'd make the same decision. Not because it was easy, it wasn't and hasn’t been, but because I wouldn’t be who I am now and I rather like her. I’m grateful for the quiet, stubborn belief that it was possible and that I'd rather find out than wonder.

The North Country's "Gen IQ" reflects how well we lead, market to, and innovate across generations. Where are we getting it right — and where do we need to evolve?

We're getting it right in authenticity. Businesses here tend to have genuine stories of connection and impact, real community roots, and loyal customer bases built on trust. Where we need to evolve is in how we tell those stories. Too many businesses in this region are still marketing like it's 2012 with inconsistent social presence, no SEO strategy, websites that don't convert. Younger generations are making decisions in seconds based on what they see online. If you're not showing up with intention, you're invisible.

What's one idea, belief, or change you hope to see shape the future of leadership in our region?

I hope we stop apologizing for being here. There's a quiet assumption in a lot of North Country conversations that the talented, ambitious people leave, that if you want to build something serious, you go somewhere bigger. I think the next generation of leaders in this region needs to see people who have stayed, built something meaningful, and chose this place on purpose. That's the shift I want to be part of. Not just surviving here, but building something worth staying for.