Today, as founder and president of Dulye & Co., the College of Arts and Sciences graduate advises organizations on leadership, workforce effectiveness and change management through her trademarked Spectator-Free Workplace methodology, encouraging employees at every level to take ownership of an organization’s success rather than simply observing from the sidelines.

Her path to that work began in Walden, New York, where she grew up immersed in her family’s businesses. She began helping at her mother’s printing company at age 8, and by 13 was writing obituaries and reporting for her father's weekly newspapers, building an impressive portfolio before graduating from high school.

Growing Up Orange

Attending Syracuse was never in question. With a father and older brother who were alumni, Saturdays often meant a 3½-hour drive each way to watch Orange football games.

“I grew up wandering the campus and knew it like the back of my hand even before I was a student myself,” she says.

An English major, Dulye says her liberal arts education in the College of Arts and Sciences broadened her thinking far beyond literature.

“Learning to learn from diverse sources and perspectives is an extreme gift,” she says. “That makes you a tremendous potential employee for any organization.”

After graduation, she worked as a daily newspaper reporter in Philadelphia before transitioning into public relations while earning a master’s degree in international relations from Drew University. That launched a corporate career with General Electric, Duracell, AlliedSignal and Public Service Electric & Gas, where she guided internal and external communications through periods of constant organizational change.

In 1998, she founded Dulye & Co., combining lessons from her family’s entrepreneurial background with decades of corporate experience. Her consulting practice helps organizations build cultures where communication, collaboration and shared accountability drive performance.

“You can’t win by leveraging edicts from the corner office,” she says. “You’ve got to invite employees at all levels to be part of change processes and decisions. That's what a Spectator-Free Workplace is.”

Investing in the Next Generation

Dulye considers another achievement equally meaningful: the Dulye Leadership Experience (DLE), created in partnership with Syracuse University and fully underwritten by Dulye.

The annual program selected about 20 juniors and seniors from across the University for an immersive weekend led by senior corporate executives, from companies including GE, HSBC Bank, Johnson & Johnson, Lockheed Martin and more. Students developed vital skills that complemented their classroom learning, including networking, personal branding, professional communication and career ownership.

“Helping young people sell themselves confidently and understand the assets they have that a company would want and need was a very big piece of the DLE mission,” she says. “The goal was to provide the knowledge, tools and connections to carve your own career path.”

Dulye credits Cathryn Newton, then-dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, for embracing that vision and mission, and supporting Dulye to launch the pilot back in 2008.

For Dulye, the investment was about strengthening Syracuse University's reputation through the success of its graduates.

“There was no better investment for me than for someone to be a standout at whatever company they joined and say, ‘I’m a Syracuse University graduate,’” she says. “That's a priceless billboard for my school.”

Her Syracuse pride remains unmistakable. Dulye drives an orange Jeep with a personalized “GOSU” license plate, a daily reminder of the university that has remained central to her life.

After its success at Syracuse, Dulye expanded the DLE in 2016 to serve multi-generational professionals in the Berkshires — where she resides—and well beyond, including the US, Canada, UK, Europe and Asia. The program closed earlier this year; however, its influence continues through the thousands of DLE alumni who remain connected and supportive of each other, personally and professionally.

Service has remained a defining thread. Dulye volunteers year-round to serve nonprofit and community organizations, as well as rowing clubs in Massachusetts and Florida. In 2024, she co-founded Safe Swim Berkshires, a drowning prevention program combining free water safety instruction with leadership development for underserved teenagers.

“I thrive in creating something from nothing,” she says. “Seeing the need, taking ownership of it and building a community around it.”

That philosophy has guided every stage of Dulye’s journey, whether in business or community service. As she puts it, “Meaningful change requires enthusiastic participation.”