H. Rao Unnava named Chairperson-Elect, Lisa Bowman chosen as Secretary and Kay Lemon becomes Immediate Past Chairperson. New AMA Board of Directors include Peter Barber, David Edelman, Jessica Perry, Robin Tooms and Tiffany Barnett White.
CHICAGO, IL, July 09, 2021 – The American Marketing Association (AMA) is excited to announce Karen Albritton, Chief Executive Officer at Walk West and Partner, Thinc Strategy, has been named the Chairperson of the AMA Board of Directors. She will help lead a group of industry-leading professionals whose distinct perspectives are helping to shape the innovations underway at the AMA as we focus on equipping marketers with the skills they need to navigate a changing marketplace and advance their careers.
“It’s an honor to work alongside these committed board directors, the talented AMA Support Center Team and the many volunteer AMA leaders to make the AMA the essential community for marketers,” says Albritton.
Albritton has a passion for helping organizations find real strategies for measurable growth and change and has previously worked as an executive with marketing services firms such as Ketchum, Capstrat and McKinney. She’s also a dedicated AMA member who previously served as president of the AMA Triangle chapter and a member of the AMA Professional Chapters Council. In 2018, she was recognized as the AMA Chapter Volunteer of the Year.
In addition to Albritton’s appointment, three previous board members are stepping into new roles as a part of the AMA Executive Committee of the Board.
- H. Rao Unnava, Dean, Graduate School of Management, at University of California, Davis, will serve as Chairperson-Elect. His research focuses on issues related to brand loyalty and consumer response to advertising. His work has appeared in numerous journals, including the Journal of Marketing Research. Unnava is also one of the founders of Angie’s List.
- Lisa Bowman, Founder and Chief Mojo Officer (CMO) of Marketing Mojo, will serve as Secretary. Bowen previously worked as the United Way Worldwide’s Chief Marketing Officer and as an executive at UPS. Her numerous recognitions include being named the Target Marketing Magazine 2019 Marketer of the Year and the 2017 AMA Nonprofit Marketer of the Year.
- Katherine (Kay) Lemon, Accenture Professor of Marketing at Boston College’s Carroll School of Management, will shift to the role of Immediate Past Chairperson. She is an AMA Fellow, a globally recognized expert in understanding key drivers of firm growth from a customer perspective and her research has been in many publications, including the Journal of Marketing and the Journal of Marketing Research.
Five additional marketing leaders have joined as At-Large Board of Directors.
- Peter Barber is recognized for success in leading innovative marketing in the nonprofit and higher education space. He’s worked for several prestigious marketing and advertising companies, including Lipman Hearne, DDB, Campbell Mithun and the Leo Burnett Company.
- David Edelman has specialized in driving strategic digital and marketing change over the past 25 years and most recently served as Chief Marketing Officer of Aetna.
- Jessica Perry is an accomplished and groundbreaking leader in digital products, membership and subscription models. She is a principal of Six Doors Media and previously served as Chief Digital Officer and head of publishing for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
- Robin Tooms has more than two decades of integrated brand and marketing strategy experience which has gained her a reputation for driving initiatives that capture millions of dollars in brand value. She is currently Chief Marketing Officer at Members Choice Credit Union and as an active AMA community member, she was recently named the 2021 AMA Chapter Volunteer of the Year.
- Tiffany Barnett White is Associate Professor of Business Administration and Advertising and Bruce and Anne Strohm Faculty Fellow in the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois. Her academic interests lie in addressing the behavioral aspects of consumer-brand relationships and her research has been published in numerous journals, including the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing.
Continuing AMA Board of Directors include:
- Dennis James, Chief Financial Officer, Greater Chicago Food Depository and Treasurer, AMA Board of Directors.
- Michael Brady, Bob Sasser Professor and Chair, Department of Marketing, Florida State University.
- Kevin D. Bradford, Teaching Professor of Marketing at the University of California, Irvine
- Ajay K. Kohli, Regents’ Professor and Gary T. and Elizabeth R. Jones Chair at Georgia Tech., and Associate Editor of Journal of Marketing.
- Vanitha Swaminathan, Thomas Marshall Professor of Marketing at the University of Pittsburgh and the Director of the Katz Center for Branding.
- Jacqui Canney, Global Chief People Officer, WPP
“These volunteer leaders represent the upper echelon of thought leadership across academia and practice with records of achievement and impact on organizations, communities, and society at large. The AMA board continues to be an all-star team of important thinkers who take seriously the role of marketing in a better world,” stated Russ Klein, CEO of the AMA.
All AMA Board of Directors will serve in these roles through June 30, 2022.
The full bios for all of the AMA Board of Directors are available at ama.marketing/BOD.
About the American Marketing Association (AMA)
As the largest community-based marketing association in the world, the AMA is trusted by marketing and sales professionals to help them discover what’s coming next in the industry. Our community of local chapters spans more than 70 cities and 320 college campuses throughout North America. We’re home to award-winning content, PCM® professional certification, four premiere academic journals, and industry-leading live and virtual training events.
For more information about the AMA, visit www.ama.org.
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