Spotlight on … Anne Crews
October 2025
Vice President, Public Affairs
Mary Kay Inc.
Addison, Texas
You joined Mary Kay in 1983, after working on the staff of Texas Gov. Bill Clements and as a television news anchor. So you were there as Mary Kay developed into the worldwide company it is today. Tell us about that experience.
It’s been a fulfilling and rewarding career, working for a company that has done so much for so many women around the world. Mary Kay Ash started the company in 1963 to provide entrepreneurial opportunities for women, based on a direct-marketing model inspiring an independent sales force to sell skin care products. The Mary Kay independent beauty consultants host either in-person or online parties, do one-on-one facials and educate their customers on self-care. Mary Kay has state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in North Texas and also in China now, staffed by Mary Kay employees.
And the pink Cadillacs?
That began early on, when our founder worked with a local Cadillac dealer to custom paint a Cadillac for her in light pink. Driving a pink Mary Kay car is synonymous with ultimate success!
Tell us a little about Mary Kay Ash herself.
Mary Kay Ash was truly an iconic woman, a visionary! She was committed to enriching women’s lives. That was her passion and the WHY behind her namesake company — to offer opportunities for women that they would otherwise not have had, and that allowed them to work independently, setting their own schedules. She was a true Texan: down-to-earth with a great sense of humor. She had grit and worked tirelessly for her vision of making this world a better place. She led by the Golden Rule. She was the primogenitor of influencer marketing and strongly believed in offering women around the world the gift of entrepreneurship and small business!
How about the issues your government relations team works on?
There’s a great range of issues. We work on local issues — on local ordinances, for example, involving the status of our sales force when they work from their own homes and whether or not they need a license to operate a business in their home.
But we also deal with federal and international issues, from trade policy to the selection of ingredients, and most recently, tariffs. This is, after all, a company working in 40-plus markets around the world. Our work never stops. We are constantly working to provide the best opportunity for our independent sales force members to conduct their businesses smoothly.
And there’s the Mary Kay Ash Foundation. Talk about that.
Mary Kay started the foundation in 1996 to raise and distribute funds to support research into cancers affecting women and to help end domestic violence against women. In fact, The Mary Kay Ash Foundation®, an unwavering champion of supporting survivors of domestic violence and advocating for women’s safety, announced this week it has awarded more than $1 million in domestic violence shelter grants around the country this year alone. Since 1996, the Mary Kay Ash Foundation has given more than $58 million in support to end domestic violence and rebuild lives after abuse. Additionally, the Foundation announced it has awarded over $1.5 million in cancer research to nonprofits, cancer research institutes and cancer support programs and services around the country this year. Since 1996, the Mary Kay Ash Foundation has given more than $40 million in support of eliminating women-related cancers.
Now how about you? What do you do when you aren’t hard at work?
I like spending time with my family and our two dogs. I enjoy working out, riding my bicycle, doing yoga and staying active.
You’ve been a very active member of the Council for some years now. How has that been?
I’m glad you asked because I want to do a shout-out to the Council. The Government Relations & Policy Conference in early September, like so many of the conferences, was outstanding. It says a lot that several women from Sao Paolo, Brazil, were there, just to learn about working with the U.S. government. We at Mary Kay also appreciate the work that the Brussels office is doing. I can’t remember the first council event I attended, but it must have been great because I keep coming back!
Reach Anne at [email protected].
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Our work never stops. We are constantly working to provide the best opportunity for our independent sales force members to conduct their businesses smoothly.
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