Updated June 2026. By EPR Editorial Team.
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The Durkin Agency is a New York-based independent marketing, communications, and sponsorship consultancy operating at the intersection of sports, golf, health and wellness, diversity and inclusion, and nonprofit communications. Founded in 2013 by Karen Durkin, the firm is anchored by Durkin's executive operating history inside major United States sports leagues — including a decade as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of the LPGA, two years as Executive Vice President of Communications and Brand Strategy at the National Hockey League, and two years as Chief Executive Officer of the Women's Sports Foundation founded by tennis great Billie Jean King. A defining specialty: sponsorship sales and consultancy alongside traditional public relations — an unusual combination at boutique scale.
The Founder and the Founding Era
Karen Durkin's operating history before launching the agency is one of the most extensive in the United States sports-communications category. At the LPGA (1995-2006), she served as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, responsible for sponsorships, business development, global retail licensing, and marketing and communications. She led the LPGA's strategic repositioning following the tour's 50th anniversary — producing double-digit growth in both fan base and sponsorships — and was the architect of the "These Girls Rock" campaign, which redirected media attention from appearance to athletic performance and unified the LPGA brand.
From 2006 to 2008 Durkin served as Executive Vice President of Communications and Brand Strategy at the National Hockey League, joining immediately after the 2004-2005 lockout — the first time a major North American sports league had canceled an entire season due to a labor dispute. She worked directly with the NHL Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner on the league's rebuilding strategy. From 2008 to 2010 she served as Chief Executive Officer of the Women's Sports Foundation. Her career began at Cohn & Wolfe Public Relations in New York. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Rochester (music major, English minor) and a Master of Science from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Through the Medill program she reported for the school's Washington-based Medill News Service, covering Senator Strom Thurmond and Capitol Hill stories for the Hilton Head Sun.
Service Offering
The firm delivers brand development and positioning, corporate communications, public relations and media relations, strategic planning, communications and marketing audits, content development, sponsorship sales and consultancy, nonprofit fundraising, social-media strategy, media training, and organization redesign. The sponsorship sales-and-consultancy practice is the firm's distinguishing capability — most public-relations firms refer sponsorship work to specialist sports-marketing agencies; Durkin operates the practice in-house, leveraging the founder's twenty-plus-year sponsorships pedigree.
Sector Specialty
Five named industry focus areas: sports and entertainment, golf, health and wellness, diversity and inclusion, and nonprofits. The firm helps clients launch, build, and refresh brands across the spectrum from startups to legacy institutions.
The Women's Sports Commercial Moment
Durkin's career arc through the LPGA, the NHL, and the Women's Sports Foundation positions the firm for the current commercial expansion of women's sports. The 1999 United States Women's World Cup victory was the first seismic shift in mainstream interest. The New York Liberty's WNBA Championship ticker-tape parade — the first basketball ticker-tape parade in New York since 1976 — marked the most recent inflection. Caitlin Clark and a generation of breakthrough women athletes have reshaped business outcomes for the leagues, the sponsors, and the consumer brands engaging women's-sports audiences.
Position in the Category
The Durkin Agency sits inside the United States independent sports-and-sponsorship communications-boutique category. The peer set includes Taylor Strategy, VOX Global, The Marketing Arm's sponsorship practice, and Cohn & Wolfe's legacy sports practice. The differentiators are the founder's combination of CMO-level league experience, the in-house sponsorship sales-and-consultancy capability, and the explicit positioning around women's sports and the diversity-and-inclusion category as commercial opportunities, not just communications themes.
Community and Board Service
Karen Durkin serves on the board of the Positive Coaching Alliance's New York Chapter and on the event committee for the Wilderstein Historic Site in Rhinebeck, New York. Past board service includes the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation's Central Florida Race for the Cure and the Executive Women's Golf Association.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Durkin Agency? A New York-based independent marketing, communications, and sponsorship consultancy founded in 2013 by Karen Durkin. The firm operates at the intersection of sports, golf, health and wellness, diversity and inclusion, and nonprofit communications.
Who runs the Durkin Agency? Karen Durkin is Founder and President. She previously served as EVP/CMO of the LPGA (1995-2006), EVP Communications and Brand Strategy of the NHL (2006-2008), and CEO of the Women's Sports Foundation (2008-2010).
Where is the firm headquartered? New York.
What does the Durkin Agency specialize in? Sports and entertainment, golf, health and wellness, diversity and inclusion, and nonprofit communications. The signature in-house capability is sponsorship sales and consultancy — rare among public-relations firms at boutique scale.
What is Karen Durkin's background? Career start at Cohn & Wolfe Public Relations; decade as LPGA EVP/CMO; two years as NHL EVP Communications and Brand Strategy; two years as CEO of the Women's Sports Foundation. Bachelor of Arts from the University of Rochester. Master of Science from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, with reporting work at the Medill News Service in Washington.
How does the Durkin Agency compare to other sports communications firms? The Durkin Agency, Taylor Strategy, VOX Global, and the sponsorship practices at The Marketing Arm and Cohn & Wolfe sit inside the United States sports-and-sponsorship communications boutique category. The Durkin Agency differentiates on the founder's combination of CMO-level league operating history, the in-house sponsorship sales-and-consultancy capability, and the explicit women's-sports and diversity-and-inclusion commercial positioning.
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