About Jill
A leader, a mentor, and the ultimate “Write Big So You Can Think Clearly” success story
Jill Gwaltney spent four decades growing small companies into category leaders. The throughline was a philosophy she inherited from her father at a drafting table — and now brings to audiences around the world.
Her Story
Jill Cornell Gwaltney has spent her career proving a simple idea: figure out what people need, and don't stop until you've helped them get it.
Jill began her career as the first female sales representative at Forms Engineering, her father's company. Within a year, she was the top salesperson. By thirty, she was its president, leading the transformation and rebrand from Forms Engineering to FEC as the business shifted from forms printing to personalized direct mail. Under her leadership, sales grew from $1.2 million to $44.6 million — and when she negotiated the company's sale in 1996, it closed at twice what shareholders expected.
Building Rauxa
In 1999, Jill founded Rauxa with four employees. Over the next two decades it became one of the fastest-growing advertising agencies in the country — 320 employees, seven offices, and 20% year-over-year growth — built on an unusual strength: integrating data, technology, and creative strategy to move the needle for Fortune 500 brands like Verizon, Vans, Audi, and Alaska Airlines.
By 2016, Rauxa was the largest woman-owned independent advertising agency in the United States. With revenues topping $120 million, Jill negotiated its sale to Publicis Groupe in 2019, then stayed on as Chair to lead a four-agency merger and business development through early 2022.
Along the way, the recognition followed the results: an Orange County Business Journal Women in Business Award in 2005, a spot on the OCBJ Top 100 Fastest-Growing Companies every year from 2007 to 2017, a place on the Inc. 5000 in 2010, recognition as the largest woman-owned advertising agency in the country by 2016, and in 2018, an Adweek Disruptor honor for championing gender equality and diversity across media, marketing, and technology.
Clark Cornell, and a philosophy forged behind enemy lines.
At twenty, Clark Cornell crashed his fighter plane behind enemy lines in Yugoslavia and survived for 62 days on foot, relying on nothing but ingenuity and creative problem-solving.
He carried that survival instinct into the rest of his life. As an engineer and entrepreneur, he built everything around a single belief: figure out what people need, and help them get it done. He told his daughter to write big so she could think clearly — and the lesson was never really about handwriting.
"Write big so you can think clearly.”
—Clark Cornell, to his daughter Jill
Four decades of building
1978: First female sales rep at Forms Engineering
Joins her father's company straight out of Stanford. Becomes the top salesperson within a year.
1985: President at thirty
Leads the transformation and rebrand from Forms Engineering to FEC, shifting the business into personalized direct mail.
1996: A sale at twice the expectation
Grows sales from $1.2M to $44.6M and negotiates the company's sale for twice shareholder expectations.
1999: Founds Rauxa
Starts with four employees and a conviction about integrating data, technology, and creative strategy.
2016: Largest woman-owned agency in the country
Rauxa reaches 320 employees across seven offices, serving Fortune 500 brands nationwide.
2019: Acquired by Publicis Groupe
Negotiates the sale at over $120M in revenue and stays on as Chair to lead a four-agency merger.
Today: Speaker, writer, board advisor
Shares the philosophy of “Write Big So You Can Think Clearly” with audiences around the world, including business leaders, universities, and sports teams.
The leaders she grew along the way
Jill's measure of success was never only the revenue line. It was the people she brought up behind her — leaders who started in entry-level roles and rose to run the business.
That belief — that confidence is built relationally, that being deeply believed in can change the entire trajectory of a life — is now one of the key ideas she shares with leadership teams and businesses.
Gina Smith joined Rauxa as a receptionist and became its CEO with Jill’s mentorship and support.
320+
Employees across 7 offices at the agency she built
$120M
In revenue before its sale to Publicis Groupe
#1
Largest woman-owned independent agency in the U.S.
2018
Named an Adweek Disruptor for leadership in the industry
Check availability
Tell Jill about your event and what you're hoping for. She'll respond personally to discuss fit, format, and dates.
Based in Laguna Beach, California — available to travel