About Dana Newell | BentonNewell Communication

My Story

The Strategist Behind the Strategy

M.S. Healthcare Management, Policy & Marketing · MBA · BS Exercise Science/Physiology

I'm Dana Newell, MS, MBA — Fractional CMO & COO, and the person organizations call when marketing and operations aren't working together the way they should.

My career started in healthcare sales, operations, and marketing that included agencies and consulting firms. That gives me something most marketers never have: I know how healthcare, medtech, and pharmaceutical organizations actually work from the inside. I've run physician practices, managed multi-site clinical operations, owned P&L responsibility across portfolios reaching $200M in healthcare and tech, and executed go-to-market strategies in some of the most complex, relationship-dependent markets in healthcare.

My differentiator is that I hold genuine operational depth and genuine marketing depth simultaneously — not as separate credentials, but as one integrated capability. I understand how a messaging decision ripples through a billing workflow. I understand why a demand generation campaign fails when the front-desk process is broken. Most executives have one side of this or the other. I have both.

"I don't just build campaigns — I help companies fix the systems and alignment issues that are quietly killing their growth."

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The Work

30 Years. Hundreds of Engagements. One Throughline.

My career started in healthcare sales, operations, and marketing — which gave me something most marketers never have: I know how healthcare, medtech, and pharmaceutical organizations actually work from the inside. That foundation shaped everything that followed.

Following graduate work at The New School (MS in Healthcare Management, Policy & Marketing) and an MBA from East Carolina University, I built and ran operations for 30 community medical centers across New York and the surrounding region for a large hospital system. I turned around 12 multi-specialty physician practices, each growing from $1M to between $5M and $10M in revenue, serving as CMO/COO — launching revenue-producing profit centers, redesigning the revenue cycle, and cutting overhead from 90% to 45%. At a leading national healthcare company, I served as Eastern Region VP, rebuilt a 25-person sales team, grew the region 30%, and won a $3M+ RFP from a 1,000-bed hospital.

Through BentonNewell Communications — founded in 2003 — I've served as fractional CMO, COO, and CEO for organizations ranging from early-stage digital health platforms to multi-site clinical practices and $100M health systems. My work spans physician group marketing, digital reputation management, go-to-market strategy for healthtech platforms, life sciences commercial development, and operations transformation.

I also serve as marketing faculty at East Carolina University's College of Business, where I teach marketing strategy and go-to-market frameworks to the next generation of business leaders. I serve with the AMA Triangle chapter and sit on the boards of the Black Entrepreneurship Council and Girl Scouts of Coastal Pines.

The numbers tell only part of the story: 211% increase in appointment bookings. 34% website traffic growth. $5M practice built from $1M. 30% regional revenue growth. $3M+ in RFP wins. GTM playbooks built to drive sustained revenue. A fledgling sales team transformed into a 25% growth engine. 200+ professionals managed across 10 regional leaders. But the real story is in the organizations behind those numbers — and the alignment between marketing and operations that made them possible.

Background

Credentials & Community

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Marketing Strategy Faculty

Teaches marketing strategy at East Carolina University, bridging academic rigor with 30+ years of real-world B2B practice.

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AMA Triangle VP of DEI

Serves as Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for the American Marketing Association Triangle chapter.

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Speaker & Podcast Guest

Sought-after voice on B2B marketing strategy, fractional leadership, and the connection between marketing and operational excellence.

In Her Own Words

Watch Dana in Action

Hear Dana discuss "Marperations" — her framework for integrating marketing and operations — on the HankHoffmeier.com podcast. The same clarity, conviction, and real-world grounding she brings to every client engagement.

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More From Dana

On Stage & In Conversation

Another look at Dana in action — sharing the frameworks, real-world stories, and practical strategy that help B2B brands align marketing and operations for sustainable growth.