Q. Describe your background (where you grew up, college, etc.):
I was born and raised in Stillwater, Oklahoma and graduated from The University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in advertising from Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Q. What about marketing piqued your interest?
Marketing caught my attention due to the diversity of tasks/jobs that fall under the “marketing” umbrella and the ever-changing techniques and technologies for us to use.
Q. What is your current job and what do you enjoy most about it?
Currently, I am the Marketing Manager at Timberlake Construction. As a marketer in the A/E/C industry, every day is filled with new challenges. What I enjoy most is the variety of tasks that fall under my department. From working on graphics to creating proposals to being out in the field to capture our men and women in action, every day presents a unique task.
Q. How long have you been a member of AMA and why did you join?
I have been a member of AMA since the Spring of 2016. My former supervisor was already a member and told me about the organization and all the benefits and educational opportunities AMA offered. I felt like being active in AMA would help keep me at the forefront of our industry.
Q. Why do you feel it is important to stay up to date with new practices and tactics in the marketing world and how does it relate to your job?
The marketing world seems to always be changing, and if you are not staying up to date with the new practices and tactics, you will be left behind. It can feel defeating when you are one of the last ones to implement or use new practices or tactics. But attending industry-specific training and events, like the one’s AMA hosts, makes it much easier to stay up to date.
Q. What is the best piece of business advice that you have ever been given?
The best advice I was ever given was to not accept the phrase “Well that is how we have always done it.”
I feel, as marketers, we are always learning new practices and tactics or further developing our talents, but what is the point if we do not apply and implement them? Maybe that one thing your company has always done in their precise way needs your skills and a new way to take them to the next level. But that is something you will never know if “Well that is how we have always done it” is your stop sign.
Q. Do you have a favorite marketing publication, podcast, conference, etc. that you would recommend?
My favorite way to learn is through video training because I can do them when I have time and at my own pace. Anyone who also likes to learn like that, I would suggest a LinkedIn Learning subscription. There are courses for everything from personal leadership development to specific how-to’s in Adobe programs and so much more.
Q. What is something most people do not know about you?
I love to spend time in the kitchen cooking and baking, but the end products are absolutely terrible 99% of the time.