Celebrating Dariel Curren: 35 Years of Dedication to Place Marketing and Beyond

Dariel Curren started working for DCI nearly 35 years ago, in 1989, just months after welcoming her firstborn son into the world. Seeking a creative outlet amidst new motherhood, Dariel took on a small freelance writing project with Ted Levine, the founder of a place marketing agency called Development Counsellors International. At the time, the family-run PR firm had fewer than a dozen employees and a small roster of clients.  

Over three decades later, Dariel is closing out her career as DCI’s Executive Vice President and stepping into retirement, proud to have played a role in building a full-service marketing firm with nearly 90 employees and dozens of clients in economic development, tourism and talent attraction. 

Dariel’s clients through the years have spanned the world, including destinations from Maine to Miami and New York to New Zealand.  She has been a featured speaker for the International Economic Development Council, Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, City Nation Place and numerous state economic development organizations. She has also been published in the IEDC Journal and taught the IEDC Marketing and Attraction course multiple times. Most recently, she has played a pivotal role in organizing DCI’s annual Marketing Summit, which brings together economic development marketing professionals from across America.  

Despite eagerly accepting that first writing assignment to keep from “going out of her mind with boredom,” after moving from the city to the country, she confesses that she had no idea what economic development and place marketing were when she began with DCI, as is the story for many of us. After serving scores of cities, regions, states and countries, she has come to understand the profound impact successful place marketing can have on people’s lives. It can mean a brighter future by creating good jobs with benefits. 

Although she has enjoyed working for countless communities, one of her early standout projects was in Charleston, South Carolina, where she helped the region reposition itself after the Navy Yard closure that wiped out 22,000 jobs. Recasting Charleston as more than a historic tourist town, she placed articles in major outlets like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal to bring attention to the region’s skilled workforce and help attract much-needed corporate investment. 

In Chattanooga, she was instrumental in launching the city’s high-speed gig network, positioning Chattanooga as an innovative hub and attracting attention from national media.  

Her work with the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency stands out as well. She helped launch the Invest in Holland website over a decade ago and has been involved in strategic (and creative!) marketing initiatives to attract global investors. And in Maine, she worked for both the state’s economic development and tourism organizations. Among her fond memories were working with Governor Angus King on a Boston media tour and showing travel journalists the state’s “wild side” via float plane, dog sled and even snowmobiles. Most recently, her work on North Carolina’s “Carolina Core” branding and marketing helped the region secure transformative investments and create thousands of new jobs, a legacy that will shape the central part of the state for years to come. 

Dariel has also served as a role model and mentor for many DCI staff through the years. A trailblazer for remote/hybrid work, she was an early adapter of technology that allowed her to have a home office long before the pandemic made it common. That enabled her to build a successful career while still prioritizing her family – a balancing act that she demonstrated to younger generations was possible given the support of DCI.  

A commitment to DCI’s core values has been a guiding light throughout Dariel’s career. Known affectionately as the “Grammar Queen,” she instilled a respect for accuracy and attention to detail among her colleagues, believing that small errors can detract from the impact of meaningful work. One piece of advice she has received in her career that has stuck with her is “Don’t be afraid to admit you made a mistake. Apologize and correct it.” Nothing good comes from dwelling on the past and instead, she believes you should devote your energy to keeping your promises, one of DCI’s core values and an ethic she sees as fundamental to professional success. 

Reflecting on the evolution of her field over the past three decades, Dariel notes there is still incredible power in the third-party credibility of positive press in newspapers and magazines, but digital marketing has taken the lead in recent years. She appreciates how digital tools can now reach niche audiences of corporate executives, site selectors and talent while being easily trackable and cost-effective. The recent introduction of AI in the workplace will continue to shake things up, but Dariel hopes that the special human touch to storytelling never loses its spark.  

As she steps into retirement, she wants to take a moment to breathe and savor the unknowns of this next chapter of her life. Plans include spending more time with her grandchildren, gardening, exploring the Roxbury Land Trust trails and traveling. Her first post-retirement adventure? A hiking and biking trip in the Swiss Alps—a celebration of a career well-lived and the adventures yet to come.