Q. Describe your upbringing and college career:
I grew up in New Orleans, LA and developed a strong interest in math and social studies from a young age. I moved to Oklahoma in 2003 to attend Oklahoma Christian University, graduating with a BBA in Marketing in 2007 and an MBA in 2008. I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to major in when I first got to college. I started out in the engineering program, but quickly realized that wasn’t what I wanted to do with my career. After visiting with some professors in the business school, I narrowed my choices down to marketing or accounting, and ultimately settled on marketing because I found it to be more fun.
Q. What about marketing piqued your interest?
I’ve always been fascinated by the social sciences and understanding what makes people think and behave the way that they do. Combined with my love of math, marketing research felt like a natural fit where I could use statistics to understand consumer behavior.
Q. What is your current job and what do you enjoy most about it?
I’ve been with Evolve for my entire career. I started as an intern 14 years ago and transitioned to a full-time role after graduating with my bachelor’s degree in 2007. What I love most about my role is helping clients to understand and connect with their customers and target audience, especially in the public health sector where our work generates insights that improve the health and quality of life for Oklahomans. I also enjoy working with such a talented team who I consider friends both in and outside of the office.
Q. How long have you been a member of AMA and why did you join?
I first got involved in the AMA during my senior year of college when I worked with a team of students to start the collegiate chapter at OC. I transitioned to a professional member in 2008 and volunteered on the membership committee, helping out with creating name tags and greeting people at check-in. I served on theAMAOKC board from 2010-2017 in various roles including Collegiate Chair, VP of Membership, VP of Programming, and was President of the chapter during the 2015-2016 term. Upon cycling off the local board in 2017, I was asked to join the Professional Chapters Council (PCC) which is a national AMA council consisting of 12past presidents from AMA chapters across North America. The PCC helps mentor and advise board members for all 70 professional chapters across the AMA and serves as a liaison between the local chapter communities and the national AMA. I’m currently in my fourth (and final) year on the PCC where I currently serve as the Mid-Year Retreat Chair. I love being a part of the AMA because of the connections and relationships I’ve made with marketers both here in OKC and across all 70 chapters in North America.
Q. Why do you feel it’s important to stay up to date with new practices and tactics in the marketing world and how does it relate to your job?
It’s crucial that we stay up to date on the latest practices and tactics because the way we connect with consumers is constantly evolving, both in terms of conducting research and in how our clients are marketing to their customers. Our clients rely onus to be a strategic partner to help them connect with their customers in the most effective ways. AMAOKC provides high quality, well-rounded programming that allows us to understand the changing world of marketing, which enables us to better serve our clients.
Q. What is the best piece of business advice that you’ve ever been given?
You don’t need a title to be a leader. If you’re confident in yourself and in your work, you can make meaningful change both in your organization and for your customers, regardless of your job title or role.
Q. Do you have a favorite marketing publication, podcast, conference, etc. that you would recommend?
While it’s not strictly marketing focused, I tend to read a lot of articles in Fast Company, Business Insider, Forbes, and the Wall Street Journal. On the market research side, Quirks has some great content and the Qualtrics Conference for marketing research is fantastic.
Q. What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I played the saxophone as a kid and in seventh grade, I went to Paris with my school’s marching band to perform in their New Year’s Day parade.