| About Mary Lou Andre |
Mary Lou Andre
President & Founder, Organization By Design, Inc
Editor, dressingwell.com
Mary Lou Andre is a nationally recognized wardrobe, dress code and corporate image consultant, speaker and author. She is founder and president of Organization By Design, Inc., a Needham, Massachusetts-based wardrobe management, fashion and image consulting firm that helps individuals and organizations understand the power of being appropriately dressed in a variety of situations.
Through her extensive corporate, retail and private client services, Mary Lou has helped thousands of individuals identify and pull together a wardrobe that compliments their professional and casual lifestyles. She is the editor of Dressing Well™ On-Line, Organization By Design's trademarked global connection that averages 20,000 visitors per month. She is also the author of "Ready to Wear: An Expert's Guide to Choosing and Using Your Wardrobe." (Penguin USA 2004) which has also been published in Japanese.
Mary Lou is recognized by the media as a professional image, wardrobe organization, personal style and retail expert and has given in-depth interviews about a variety of these topics on ABC World News Now, CBS The Early Show, and MSN's Money Central. In addition, her fashion and professional image insights are regularly featured in national publications such as In Style, Real Simple, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal,The New York Times, Marie Claire, The Chicago Tribune, The Boston Globe, Esquire, Executive Female, Family Circle, Sales & Marketing Magazine, Woman's Day, Working Mother and The Washington Post.
A graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with a degree in journalism and a concentration in fashion marketing, Mary Lou officially opened Organization By Design in April of 1992 after several years in public relations. Mary Lou served on the Board of Advisors for the College of Humanities and Fine Arts at the University from 2004-2006. Mary Lou currently serves on the Board for Dress for Success Boston.
Private clients of her firm include executives, doctors, lawyers, bankers, media personalities, politicians, fellow entrepreneurs, as well as stay-at-home moms and young women just starting their careers. In the corporate arena, Mary Lou has provided consulting and services for companies such as American Express, Bose, the Estee Lauder Companies, Fidelity, Frito Lay, Harvard Business School Executive Education, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Hewlett Packard, John Hancock, Lillian Vernon, Nordstrom, Sara Lee and Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants.
Mary Lou is the 1999 recipient of the prestigious Avon Spirit of Enterprise Award that recognizes women under the age of 35 throughout the United States that have demonstrated outstanding achievements as young entrepreneurs. The award also pays tribute to her involvement with several charities in the Boston area such as The Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition, the YWCA, The Urban League and Dress for Success Boston.
Mary Lou is also the creator and chairwoman of "Dressing Well: An Evening to Benefit the Multiple Sclerosis Society." After being reacquainted with a childhood friend stricken with the disease in 1999, Mary Lou made a three-year commitment to the MS Society to help educate women about the disease while raising money for a cure by hosting three fashion show/fundraising events in as many years. These events raised over $215,000 for the MS Society during Mary Lou's tenure. In addition, Mary Lou received a MS Leadership Award for her vision and commitment to the cause.
Mary Lou and her husband, TJ Andre, reside in Needham, MA with their twin boys, John Joseph and Timothy.