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Tara Dowdell, president of Tara Dowdell Group — a marketing and strategic consulting firm in Jersey City — has officially taken her company to the next level.“The decision to start TDG Speakers was a practical one,” Dowdell said, referencing the niche speakers bureau she founded in January. “I already was doing a significant amount of speaking and constantly getting requests for some of my clients to speak or for speaker recommendations. My firm was essentially already running a speakers bureau, so I decided to formalize it.”

Dowdell began her career in government as a district representative to U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.). She then served as director of appointments in New Jersey’s Office of the Governor. At the time of her appointment, she was the youngest person and the first African-American to serve in this high-level role. Dowdell proceeded to serve as the senior manager of government and community relations for the international shipping arm of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey before serving in senior positions on several high-profile federal, state and local campaigns.

In addition to participating on the third season of NBC’s show “The Apprentice,” Dowdell regularly appears on MSNBC and Fox 5 News NY to provide insight and analysis on a range of political, government and business topics. She also has addressed several major conferences at New York University, Rutgers University, Google and more.

Her fellow speakers at TDG Speakers currently include television news icon Brenda Blackmon, former New York Giants star Charles Way, and IHOP and real estate entrepreneur Adenah Bayoh.

“Most of our speakers have overcome significant adversity or odds to achieve their professional success,” Dowdell said. “As a result, they have inspirational and empowering stories to share, and they can offer very concrete and relatable advice and insight.”

Here is a Q&A look at the concept with Tara Dowdell.

NJBIZ: What do you believe TDG Speakers will become known for?

Tara Dowdell: In addition to traditional speaking services, we offer customizable workshops such as personal branding, media training, presentation skills, social media training and more. And, while we welcome all interested parties, we are proud to offer pricing that is more accessible to smaller professional organizations, businesses and nonprofits.

NJBIZ: Why might such an organization be needed here, and, also, what challenges might you face?

TD: I am not aware of very many speakers bureaus in New Jersey, so I think it is a good market for us. The larger challenge will be competing with the larger bureaus in New York and Washington, D.C., who have had a big head start and widespread name recognition.

NJBIZ: How do you go about attracting and retaining clients?

TD: I personally do a lot of public speaking, and, as a consequence, I have a fairly significant amount of contacts at colleges and universities, business groups and with various conferences. I plan to retain clients by providing exceptional service and ensuring that our speakers are always prepared. We are blessed that our speakers are all dynamic and gracious. A common complaint that I have heard from conference planners is how some speakers show up unprepared and are unwilling to interact much with attendees. I know all of our speakers personally, and I can vouch for their professionalism and generosity of spirit.

NJBIZ: How might your organization foster diversity in the speakers industry?

TD: We will lead by example. For me, it has never been about diversity for diversity’s sake. I have always believed that diversity makes organizations stronger. I am glad that now, there is data that supports my belief.

NJBIZ: This is in addition to your work with your marketing and public relations firm — what is your best advice on achieving balance?

TD: Maintaining a work-life balance has been a challenge for me. I am very driven, and, as a consequence, I work long hours and can be somewhat obsessive. As I have matured, I have learned the need for greater balance. I am always looking for ways to function more efficiently in order to maintain that. I rely heavily on processes, technology and to-do lists organized by priority — one of which is travel. I travel internationally a lot because it is one of my passions, visiting between four and five different countries a year.

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