This Northeastern graduate started her own PR firm — and a co-op program for current students
When Ioana Good founded Promova five years ago, it was a priority for her to have a co-op program to give back.
When Northeastern University graduate Ioana Good founded her own public relations and communications company five years ago, it was important for her to have a co-op program for Northeastern students.
Now, her public relations firm, Promova, not only works with clients across the United States, but continues to employ co-op students, including one who was recently hired for a full-time position after graduating.
“I’m so proud of our partnership and giving back to Northeastern,” Good said. “The university gave me so much and to be able to create this co-op program is extremely rewarding.”
Good came to Northeastern a few years after she arrived in the United States with her mother after leaving communist Romania. The two settled in Nashua, New Hampshire, without knowing any English. Good taught herself the language by watching news shows and “Sesame Street” and was enamored with the freedom of the press compared to her upbringing in communism.
A few years later, Good applied to Northeastern, drawn to the university’s large population of international students. She was accepted to study journalism and international affairs.
“It was the only school that I applied to, which was a little crazy looking back,” she said. “Northeastern took a chance on me and gave me an opportunity. I had some really good professors and advisers.”
Good did several co-ops and internships and graduated from Northeastern in 2000 with “a really nice resume.” She went on to work in newsrooms like the Boston Globe and the Orlando Sentinel before shifting gears and working in PR, communications, and crisis work in-house within the legal and architecture, engineering, and construction industry.
In 2020, Good started Promova, a public relations firm with her partner, Adrien Maines. The two got the name from the Romanian and Latin words for “to advance.” Together, they help clients from a range of professional service industries build their brand. They also launched behavioral analysis firm Find A Rainmaker.
As soon as the company launched, Good began bringing in co-ops from Northeastern, reaching out to her contacts there about connecting her with her top students, including Eniola “Eni” Olaogun.
Olaogun came to Northeastern from her hometown of Attleboro, Massachusetts, in 2021 to study politics, philosophy and economics. She cut her teeth doing co-ops at Wayfair and the Boston Housing Authority before joining Promova last July as a PR and branding assistant, getting hands-on experience working on client communications.
“I knew I wanted to do law, and my adviser (pointed out that Promova) works in the legal industry, so I could get into work behind the scenes and also hear from lawyers as I’m trying to sort out my path for my legal education,” said Olaogun. “And this role kind of clicked with my background in politics, philosophy and economics. I’m able to write, read and use my analytical skills with this firm as well, and it meshed perfectly with this role.”
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Working at a Northeastern-founded firm was a different experience than other co-ops, Olaogun said. For starters, Good said she seeks insight from her younger employees because they have different views on the evolving media landscape. Learning how younger generations consume their news has helped inform the firm’s strategies.
“I was able to have a stake in all matters from day one,” Olaogun said. “At Promova, you’re able to add your own input to discussions. It feels like you’re adding value and doing meaningful work.”
Beyond that, Olaogun said it’s beneficial working for someone who knows the university well.
“There’s definitely a bond from day one,” she said. “Because of (Good’s) experience as an alum, she already knows what it is like to be a Northeastern student, specifically, and she knows the co-op process, so everything is streamlined. It’s amazing to be able to talk more personally about your school experience and have someone be able to relate to that very well.”
Good, for her part, said she loves the co-op program not only because of the fresh perspective they bring to media strategy, but because of their work ethic.
“We’ve had several students who have done a phenomenal job, and honestly, I think it’s that Northeastern students are hard-working and serious,” Good said. “I do think that that’s what makes students from here really stand out. We’ve been very fortunate, but we’ve always had very smart students who have made a huge dent.”
Olaogun graduated in May, but remains on at Promova, having been hired on as a full-time coordinator.
“We’re so fortunate to have someone like Eniola,” Good said. “She’s amazing. She’s so smart, she’s got that legal knowledge. All of our legal clients absolutely love her.”
