AMADC Marketing Mentors Network

Mentees Speak Out About How AMADC’s Mentor Program Helped Them

I met the American Marketing Association in 2019 when I attended a workshop on identifying your “north star analytics” - beyond vanity metrics, the key performance indicators you define, and determining how you will measure them. I found the workshop immensely useful, and learned that the organization hosted a mentor network. Fast forward, I joined the American Marketing Association, signed up for the mentoring network, and was matched with mentor Andrea Smith.

The program hosted a meeting a month and delved into various topics featuring diversity in the workplace, identifying your unique skillset, and lots of opportunities to network with members across the experience spectrum and who work in marketing across industries. Since I live in Baltimore and Andrea in northern Virginia, we met on Google Hangout and in person, alternating every two weeks. Andrea introduced me to different kinds of marketing departments for different industries, the variety of roles in marketing departments beyond the ones I have experienced, and helped me hone in on my career trajectory.

At the same time, a colleague in the instructional design office was in the same master’s program I completed, and asked me to be her mentor. So another thing I learned from my mentor was how to be a good mentor.

The program was what attracted me to the American Marketing Association, so when it ended my involvement may have waned. But then Andrea became the chair of the membership committee and asked me to join her. Our committee is designing and executing a plan to increase membership for the DC chapter. I learned that being involved drives and sustains membership--I’ll definitely use that knowledge in the future!