Monadnock Media Group’s New Media Advisor Eager to Support Keene’s Growing Business Community

KEENE, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) Lesley Healy has worn many professional hats—sales executive, business teacher, arts administrator, and stay-at-home mom. Now, she’s stepping into a new role as a media advisor with Monadnock Media Group, eager to bring her diverse experience to Keene’s business community.

Healy, who moved to Keene six years ago from Wilmington, MA, described her latest career shift as both a return to her roots and a new chapter. Trained as a communications major with early experience in radio, she began her career in sales and account management before teaching business at a vocational high school. After taking several years off to raise her children, she reentered the workforce last year as front of house manager at Keene State College’s Redfern Arts Center.

“I just started working at the Redfern last year to get myself back into the professional world,” Healy said. “After being a stay-at-home mom for so long, I wanted something fulfilling that would help me build my confidence back up and, as I like to say, find my mojo again.”

Her decision to join Monadnock Media Group marks a deliberate return to sales, a field she says offers both challenges and big rewards.

Healy’s career path has been anything but linear, something she embraces with optimism. “I’m still trying to decide what I want to do when I grow up,” she joked. “But it’s mostly that I just like to do different things and evolve.”

She also spoke with enthusiasm about her adopted hometown of Keene, which she praised for its unique balance of small-town charm and economic vitality. “A lot of small towns are dying. And Keene is not. Keene is growing,” she said. “People want to be here, people want to spend their money here. And I can’t wait to tap into that and learn even more about it.”

For Healy, the city’s access to outdoor recreation—especially valuable during the COVID-19 pandemic—has been just as important as its thriving local business scene. “There aren’t that many places where you can have a Target and a Walmart, and also a vibrant downtown with local shops,” she noted.

As she begins her work with Monadnock Media Group, Healy said she is most excited about connecting with area businesses and helping them grow. “I feel lucky to be here in a community that is prosperous and still evolving,” she said.