The AMA Diversity Leadership Institute (DLI) is a transformative program designed to empower undergraduate marketing students from historically underrepresented identities who are passionate about advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
Over an immersive four-day retreat, participants collaborate with their peers, faculty mentors, and industry leaders to address real-world DEIA challenges, reflect on the intersection of identity and leadership, and develop skills that will shape their future contributions to marketing.
The 2025 Diversity Leadership Institute will be hosted at the University Illinois Urbana-Champaign Gies College of Business from June 25 – June 28, 2025!
What You’ll Get
- Learn the history and functions of marketing
- Gain knowledge of contemporary marketing issues
- Participate in intergroup dialogue around issues of equity and social justice
- Collaborate with peers to research and present ethical solutions to current marketing leadership issues
- Reflect on and articulate the influence of personal identities and histories on effective marketing leadership
- Engage in professional networking with marketing faculty and practitioners
With the cost of food, travel and lodging covered, there is no reason for any student marketer to miss out on this life-changing experience!
Application Requirements
- All applicants must be undergraduate students carrying full-time enrollment as defined by their institution (students graduating in the Spring are also eligible and encouraged to apply)
- Active AMA collegiate membership (non-chapter members eligible to apply) Not yet an AMA member? Click here to join today for $29/year for undergrad collegiate membership!
- Applicants who identify as a racial or ethnic minority, identify as LGBTQ or have a documented disability are eligible to apply
- Online application form that includes a letter of recommendation, résumé, specific questions regarding your interest in the program as well as demographic information
*If you receive a message says “uploading files is not permitted when data loss prevention is enabled for your domain,” please make sure that you are logged into a personal Google account to gain access to the application. If you need additional support, please email customersupport@ama.org.
Meet the 2025 DLI Facilitators
Tracy Khan
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Dr. Tracy A. Khan is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she teaches principles of selling and social media marketing and analytics. She’s a naturally curious person who champions the importance of scholarship and asking the big questions. Tracy anchors herself in the belief that her research should have applications to positive societal impact, specifically focusing on sustainability and behavior change. Her outlook as an academician is focused on the importance of possessing a growth mindset. Originally hailing from Southern California, she’s an avid traveler and has lived all over the United States and abroad and received her PhD from the University of Rhode Island.
Jamal Harris
Lippe Taylor | AMA Atlanta
Jamal is an Associate Director at Lippe Taylor, where he oversees social and earned media campaigns for Bayer brands, including Aleve, Aspirin, and Midol. He began his career in financial consulting at Deloitte in 2014 after earning his degree from Morehouse College. In 2018, he transitioned into project management and production at creative agencies such as Dagger, Butter.ATL, and VaynerMedia. During this time, he refined his skills in high-velocity content creation and played a key role in developing creative campaigns featuring notable figures like Killer Mike, Melissa Proctor (CMO of the Atlanta Hawks), and Zaytoven. Throughout his career, Jamal has worked with top brands, including Aflac, Budweiser, Bose, Bayer, Delta, and Buffalo Wild Wings, bringing strategic vision and creative execution to every project.
Erick M. Mas
Indiana University Bloomington – Kelley School of Business
Erick Mas is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University Bloomington. Prior to Indiana University, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Vanderbilt University. Erick holds a PhD in Marketing from the University of North Texas, an MBA from Barry University, and a BS in Marketing from the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez. His research uses consumer psychology to draw strategic consumer insights centered around the influence of social hierarchies, including social class, political ideology, and emotional intelligence on marketplace behaviors. Before academia, Erick had a career in advertising and digital marketing.
Catherine Van
The Oregon Community Foundation | AMA PDX
Catherine Van is the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Initatives Manager at the Oregon Community Foundation. Catherine is committed to cultivating environments where everyone belongs—seen, heard, respected, and valued. Growing up as the daughter of Asian immigrants, she navigated cultural complexities, shaping her understanding of barriers to inclusion and inspiring her focus on centering the most affected in our communities. With over a decade in journalism, healthcare, and nonprofits, Catherine leverages her expertise in equitable communications to amplify underrepresented voices and advance equity through authentic storytelling, strategy, and transparency.
View Past Diversity Leadership Institute Cohorts
2024: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Gies College of Business
2023: The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business
2022: Indiana University
DLI Corporate Donor Opportunities
To learn more about these unique philanthropic opportunities at the Diversity Leadership Institute, please contact Aria Childers, Manager, AMA Foundation, at achilders@ama.org.
Questions?
The AMA Support Center team is here to help at (800) AMA-1150 or customersupport@ama.org