AMA Executive Team
Russ Klein
Chief Executive Officer
Russell Klein has quarterbacked teams for many of the world’s foremost brand names—holding top marketing and advertising posts at Dr Pepper/7UP Companies, Gatorade, 7-Eleven Corporation, Burger King Corporation, and Arby’s Restaurant Group.
His Burger King body of work that was recognized by ADWEEK as “The Advertiser of the Decade” for the 2000’s…a distinction belonging to Nike and Budweiser in previous decades. Klein was again recognized as a seminal influence behind Burger King’s recognition at this year’s Cannes ad festival as Creative Marketer of the Year in 2017; referencing a few of his most popular campaigns including:
Burger King’s groundbreaking digital campaign, “Subservient Chicken”
- ranked as the 6th greatest campaign of 21st Century by Ad Age
- and Digital Ad of the Decade by the Wall Street Journal
Klein was responsible for “Whopper Freakout”
- the highest recalled advertising campaign ever measured by Nielsen’s IAG Research among all advertisers
As CEO for the American Marketing Association, Russ is charged with the transformation of the AMA to become the essential community for marketers.
- Klein was once nicknamed “Flamethrower” by an industry publication for his managerial risk-taking and provocative advertising; but he now aspires to be the torch bearer for all marketers.
Barbara Grobicki
Chief Alliances Officer
As Chief Alliance & Foundation Officer of the American Marketing Association, Barbara Grobicki is responsible for developing and maintaining external relationships in support of the vision, mission and goals of the organization. This includes advertising, sponsorship and strategic partnerships.
In her role, she also leads the AMA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the AMA, that supports collegiate scholarships and academic awards that elevate the industry and recognize exemplary marketers throughout their career.
Previous positions include Director of Development at the Haslam College of Business, University of Tennessee, and Director of Ad Sales Marketing, HGTV. She began her marketing career in the boating industry, holding positions of increasing responsibility at both MasterCraft Boat Company and Brunswick Corporation. She holds both an MBA and BA from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
David Klein
Chief Content Officer
At the AMA, David Klein will oversee the omnichannel content strategy for our practitioner, academic and collegiate communities. That includes exploring new initiatives while also guiding flagship AMA brands like Marketing News magazine, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, the AMA Professional Certified Marketer® program, AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education and more.
Before joining the AMA, Klein served as Senior Vice President/Group Publisher for Crain Communications Inc. There he oversaw the strategy and operations of iconic brands like “Advertising Age,” “Pensions & Investments,” “Investment News,” “Crain’s NY Business” and “Modern Healthcare.” He worked with those brands to manage the transition from reliance on print to a more balanced mix of streams while keeping editorial quality as the top priority.
Jennifer Severns
Chief Experience Officer
Jennifer Severns brings the AMA her ability to lead cross-functional innovation and guide digital disruption as we work to enhance and refine customer experience. A relentless imagination powers her creative and agile communication skills as she oversees marketing, insights, innovation, customer service and live experience at the AMA.
Severns has experience with many of the world’s foremost brands including Allstate, Unilever, Dell, Nissan, Subway and more. Perhaps most noteworthy is Jennifer’s stint with Harpo Productions where she and her trailblazing team led digital design. She was central to the original design of the Oprah brand digital strategy for the Oprah Winfrey Show. She is a data-driven doer with a nose for financial results…and believes “there’s always a way.” At Harpo, Severns had full stewardship for the digital program from design, research, business requirements, production, to implementation; at one point growing the Oprah website site to nearly 15 million monthly unique visitors!
Jeremy Van Ek
Chief Operations Officer
As Chief Operations Officer at the American Marketing Association, Van Ek will lead AMA’s financial, operational, and human resource strategies.
Van Ek comes to the AMA with more than 15 years of experience in the marketing industry, including working at Edelman, Arc Worldwide and most recently Trisect, where he was the Chief Financial Officer.
Board of Directors
The AMA Board of Directors is a group of volunteer leaders who are impactful visionaries in marketing. They provide insight and guidance as the AMA works to become the essential community for marketers.
Stacy Armijo, Chairperson
Chief Experience Officer, Amplify Credit Union
Kay Lemon, Chairperson-Elect
Accenture Professor of Marketing, Boston College’s Carroll School of Management
Bill Cron, Immediate Past Chairperson
J. Vaughn & Evelynne H. Wilson Professor in Business, and the Sr. Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Research at Neeley School of Business, Texas Christian University
Karen Albritton, Secretary
Partner, Newport Board Group
Dennis R. James, Treasurer
Chief Financial Officer, Greater Chicago Food Depository
Roger Adams, At-Large Member
Chief Marketing Officer (retired), USAA
Lisa Bowman, At-Large Member
Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, United Way Worldwide
Mark Houston, At-Large Member
Professor & the Eunice and James L. West Chair of Marketing, Neeley School of Business, Texas Christian University
Michael Brady, At-Large Member
Bob Sasser Professor and Chair, Department of Marketing, Florida State University
Bernard Jaworski, At-Large Member
Peter F. Drucker Chair in Management and the Liberal Arts, Drucker School of Management, Claremont Graduate University
Marlene Gordon, At-Large Member
Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary, Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc.
Diana O’Brien, At-Large Member
Global Chief Marketing Officer, Deloitte
H. Rao Unnava, At-Large Member
Dean and Professor, Graduate School of Management, University of California, Davis
Kevin Bradford, At-Large Member
Teaching Professor of Marketing, University of California, Irvine
Ajay Kohli, At-Large Member
Regents Professor and Gary T. and Elizabeth R. Jones Chair, Georgia Tech
Russ Klein, Ex-Officio Member
Chief Executive Officer, American Marketing Association