Honoring Women's History Month: Meet the Fearless Women behind AMA PDX
The month of March marks Women’s History Month, a time to honor the contributions of women to history, culture, and society. In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8, 1980 as National Women’s History Week and in 1987 Congress designated March as “Women’s History Month.” Since 1995, each president has issued an annual proclamation designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.”
This year’s observance centers on the theme, “Providing Healing, Promoting Hope.” The theme is both a tribute to the ceaseless work of caregivers and frontline workers during the pandemic and also a recognition of the thousands of ways that women of all cultures have provided both healing and hope throughout history.
For five consecutive years, AMA PDX has been led by five extraordinary women who embody this year’s Women’s History Month theme through their dedication to their work, commitment to AMA PDX and care for the community. They are entrepreneurs, creatives, strategists, trailblazers, doers, movers and shakers. Collectively, they have contributed to AMA PDX winning Gold Chapter of the Year for the first time in the chapter’s history. Get to know five of AMA PDX’s fearless Presidents who provide healing and promote hope:
Amber McKenna (she/her) 2018-19
Please share about the marketing work you currently do.
I am a Director of Brand Marketing for The Better Being Co. where I oversee marketing initiatives and product innovation for a natural products brand.
Share an interesting fact about yourself. For example, a favorite hobby, your go-to Portland restaurant, a memorable vacation, a guilty pleasure, etc.
I love to travel and try new things but the past couple years made that a little tough, so I took up kickboxing. It was such a fun challenge and really helped prepare me for my most recent adventure…having a baby!
What made you want to pursue a career in marketing?
I’ve always been passionate about storytelling and making connections. I found that working in marketing was how I could best utilize my communication skills and my interest in people.
Please share one or two things you’re most proud of during your Presidency/leadership in AMA PDX and why.
During my time on the AMA PDX board we started DEI efforts, built a mentorship program, revamped AMA PDX Agency, and breathed new life into the MAX Awards. However, I’m most proud of recruiting so many incredible leaders to the board who are still involved today. I am so thankful to know these folks and to witness the impact they have made to our community.
What advice would you give to young women who want to pursue a career in marketing?
Seek out and connect with other women in marketing. The connections I made with more experienced marketers early in my career continue to serve me 10+ years later. And don’t ever be afraid to ask questions!
Hallie Wiseman (Exall) (she/her) 2019-20
Please share about the marketing work you currently do.
Community building
Share an interesting fact about yourself. For example, a favorite hobby, your go-to Portland restaurant, a memorable vacation, a guilty pleasure, etc.
My (new!) husband and I walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain and made friends with a popular 80’s actor, Andrew McCarthy, star of Pretty in Pink and Weekend and Bernies, and his son, Sam McCarthy, start of Dead to Me on Netflix (who came to our wedding!).
What made you want to pursue a career in marketing?
I loved the mix of creative work and analytical work that marketing offered. Additionally, the ability to change paths within the industry of marketing allows for flexibility and keeps things interesting; two must-haves in a long and fulfilling career!
Please share one or two things you’re most proud of during your Presidency/leadership in AMA PDX and why.
I’m extremely proud of our board for forming our first DEI Task Force and creating a DEI mission statement and crisis plan. This was critical to showcase leadership for our community of marketers both locally and nationally with AMA.
What advice would you give to young women who want to pursue a career in marketing?
My advice would be to think about what truly brings you happiness – is it creative work? Data and analytics? Digital marketing? Whatever it is, follow it whole-heartedly and if you can give back in the meantime, do it! As a woman, remember that you can build whatever life you want for yourself and that you can overcome all barriers and road blocks that may come your way. Having a support system that you can lean on when needed, and one that can open new opportunities when all doors seem shut, is so helpful to have as you grow as a professional. That is what AMA PDX was to me.
My career progression started as a young professional in Portland pursing marketing automation, not knowing what I wanted to do long-term and not knowing how to get the experience I needed to pursue other marketing channels. I decided to go to an AMA lunch and learn with a coworker, and they were discussing one of their open positions for a campaign manager. I applied, and ended up taking a position on the Board of Directors as the Director of AMA PDX Agency, and the rest was history. Through my four years on the board, I met so many great professional connections, lifelong friends, and progressed in my career – going from an individual contributor to the director of a marketing team and now managing a new arm for many marketing teams – Community! Throughout my time, AMA PDX taught me valuable lessons on leadership, team building, marketing, and management, all of which helped me become the professional I am today.
Brandi Martin (she/her) 2020-21
Please share about the marketing work you currently do.
As part of my day-to-day role, I serve as a marketing strategist and digital marketer for various businesses in the hospitality industry.
Share an interesting fact about yourself. For example, a favorite hobby, your go-to Portland restaurant, a memorable vacation, a guilty pleasure, etc.
I love music! I play several instruments, sing, and write music. But I am always game for a night out singing karaoke and cutting loose with friends. Favorite go-to karaoke songs? Anything fun, from the ’80s, or by Disney.
What made you want to pursue a career in marketing?
The psychology of it. I’ve always been interested in how people think and connect. I also enjoy solving problems. I was drawn to marketing because it offered an opportunity to help solve brand and consumer problems by applying psychology and what we know about human behavior, to create positive and lasting relationships.
Please share one or two things you’re most proud of during your Presidency/leadership in AMA PDX and why.
I am most proud of the AMA PDX board’s pivot in response to COVID-19. Our team found new and inventive ways to connect with our members and continue to support them. We offered virtual speed networking and added programs with a much-needed focus on mental health. We amplified how we mentored marketing students and prepared them for the professional world. We focused on educating ourselves and our community about how we could do better and do more for our communities. We strove to be more accessible, inclusive, and welcoming to all marketers. And finally, we set long-term plans to invest in our members and made internal changes to help support those goals.
What advice would you give to young women who want to pursue a career in marketing?
Start building and nurturing your network now. Whether that be faculty, student peers, coworkers, employers, or just people out in the community–don’t overlook maintaining those relationships. People in my network have helped me professionally in so many ways over the years, I don’t know where I would be without them. When I first started out, I thought to be successful I just needed to work really hard and prove myself–I didn’t need anyone else’s help. But looking back I made life so much harder for myself. Once I started focusing on building relationships I realized that more opportunities opened up for me.
Ashlan Glazier-Anderson (she/her) 2021-22
Please share about the marketing work you currently do.
I run a full-service digital marketing agency called AshbeanPDX Marketing. We craft digital marketing and communication strategies for small business owners and nonprofits who are making a positive social impact.
Share an interesting fact about yourself. For example, a favorite hobby, your go-to Portland restaurant, a memorable vacation, a guilty pleasure, etc.
I was born in Hawaii and moved to Oregon when I was 10 years old. In high school, I came in 4th place in a Japanese language speech contest.
What made you want to pursue a career in marketing?
I took marketing as an elective in high school and really enjoyed learning about consumer behavior, market research, and how to connect people with the products and services to meet their wants and needs.
Please share one or two things you’re most proud of during your Presidency/leadership in AMA PDX and why.
I’m really proud of the Agency program that AMA PDX offers to nonprofits. I first became involved in AMA PDX through this program as a project manager leading a team of volunteers, later became a Director/VP overseeing the execution of the program. I love that each year since that time we’ve helped between 5 and 8 nonprofits annually with impactful marketing projects. I am hopeful that AMA PDX will continue to expand this program for years to come.
What advice would you give to young women who want to pursue a career in marketing?
Never stop learning! Marketing is an ever changing and evolving field and if you are open to learning new skills, you’ll see continued growth in your career.
Reland Logan (she/her) 2022-23
Please share about the marketing work you currently do.
I am the owner of Gray Digital Marketing and I help organizations take the time-suck out of social media and turn it into a scroll-stopping money maker by creating marketing/brand strategies that are inclusive so they can reach a more diverse audience.
Share an interesting fact about yourself. For example, a favorite hobby, your go-to Portland restaurant, a memorable vacation, a guilty pleasure, etc.
I am a head high school cheer coach and I am the youth program director for Clackamas Cheerleading
What made you want to pursue a career in marketing?
Marketing is where the creative and analytical collide. It is honestly the only place where my strategic side and creative side settle in peace with one another giving me the space to show up as my best self in all that I do.
Please share one or two things you’re most proud of during your Presidency/leadership in AMA PDX and why.
I am incredibly proud of how I helped catapult diverse programming for the PDX chapter as well as how I have helped shape and contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusion on a national stage for the organization as a whole. I fully believe marketing is for all people because marketers are the story tellers of humanity and we should all have a voice.
What advice would you give to young women who want to pursue a career in marketing?
Never give up, never give in! I was not invited to the table until I built my own table and when I started Gray Digital Marketing I was offered countless roles to lead both marketing and sales for companies. If they refuse to see us… then take your shine where it is appreciated.