Meet the immediate past President (2022-2023): Tammy Tufty

Tammy Tufty, AMA Charlotte President

Successful organizations like AMA Charlotte are powered by deeply committed people working shoulder-to-shoulder, behind the scenes to keep them alive. As the Chapter launches its new programming year, I had the pleasure of talking with Tammy Tufty, the new President, about who she is and what she is looking forward to as the chapter is focused on reconnecting with our marketing community after a few challenging pandemic years.

Q: WHAT’S YOUR STORY AS A MEMBER OF AMA CHARLOTTE?

This is my 4th year on the Board of the AMA Charlotte Chapter. I served as VP of Communications for two years before starting our Leadership track.

I got involved with AMA Charlotte several years ago by attending several events. I had let my networking lapse and sought connections with other marketing professionals. So, I attended more events, got to know some amazing people, took the leap and joined the board. It’s been one of the best moves I’ve ever made.

I’ve had the opportunity to work and learn alongside some of the best marketing professionals in Charlotte. Plus, by volunteering, I’ve stretched my capabilities and seen new professional possibilities I hadn’t considered before.

“I moved into my current role at Dell Technologies last year and was able to leverage relationships I’ve built through AMA as part of my interviewing process. The relationships I’ve built over the past few years have been invaluable. ”

~Tammy Tufty, AMA Charlotte President

Q: WHAT’S YOUR VISION FOR THE CHAPTER DURING YOUR TERM?

The pandemic impacted our ability to deliver on our vision to be that go-to knowledge source for marketing and sales professionals in the Queen City. I’m excited to bring back a full slate of diverse, in-person events that help our marketing community face their challenges and opportunities head-on in this crazy, ever-changing field.

Q: WHY TAKE ON THE EXTRA WORK?

I love this group of people. They’re passionate, dedicated, and fun to be around. I want to support them and create an environment where they can continue to grow, personally and professionally.

And that helps me grow. It’s also a great way to expand my leadership skills and I’m sure a whole host of other skills that I haven’t even considered.

Finally, I love connecting with people in the Charlotte marketing community. It makes me happy to help others out. Whether it’s introductions, brainstorming or collaborating on events with fellow associations.

AMA CHARLOTTE EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW SERIES: Banks Wilson, Founder and President of Union

The AMA Charlotte team interviewed Banks Wilson, founder and President of Charlotte based marketing firm Union in our ongoing series with marketing leaders.

The agency is consistently ranked as one of the largest marketing employers in town. They are hiring! In fact, with a slate of new client engagements, there are twelve current openings to kickstart 2021.

Account Manager / Supervisor
Delivery Manager
Social Media Supervisor
Social Media Specialist
Paid Social Strategist
Paid Search Specialist
Programmatic Media Specialist
Email Marketing & CRM Specialist
Full Stack Developer
Front-End Developer
Back-End .NET Developer
UX Designer & Information Architect (UX/IA)

See comments for a breakdown of topics by timestamp.

0:16 Susan Wallace - Introduction to VP, Membership

0:38 Olivia Vaughn-Flam - Introduction to VP, Career Development

1:14 Banks Wilson - Introduction Founder and President @ Union.co

1:59 Bank's Career Background

3:08 Bank's Path to Entrepreneurship

4:25 Is Charlotte a destination for marketing professionals?

5:50 Advice for students seeking to pursue a career in marketing

7:14 Evolution of Union.co

12:50 Department Structure of Union.co

13:05 Service Line Specific Roles 1

4:24 Tips for staying relevant

16:08 Identifying Talent

17:03 Union is hiring!

18:30: Work culture at Union

19:35 Agency's Core Values

20:11 Details about a few open roles

20:17 Banks: {Delivery Manager Details}

20:59 Banks: {Paid Social + Programmatic Experience}

21:42 Banks {Social Media Lead}

22:27 Interviewing Tips

23:32 AMACharlotte.com Careers Page

24:18 Networking in Charlotte

25:28 Why work at Union.co?

Special thanks to our American Marketing Association - Charlotte Chapter board colleagues Susan R. Wallace, MBA and Olivia Vaughn-Flam for co-hosting with Wes Ninh Nguyen.

AMA Charlotte Executive Interview Series: Kaycee Kalpin, Vice President, Strategic Marketing at Premier, Inc.

Did you know Premier Inc., a healthcare technology company, is one of the largest employers here in Charlotte, NC; with headquarters in the Ballantyne Corporate Park (South Charlotte Area)? Premier Inc. is a healthcare improvement company uniting an alliance of approximately 4,100 U.S. hospitals and health systems and more than 200,000 providers and organizations.

The Premier Inc. marketing team is led by Kaycee Kalpin, VP, Strategic Marketing, who has served on their marketing team for over 7 years. In this epsiode, board members Tammy Tufty, Olivia Vaughn-Flam and Wes Nguyen discuss all facets of marketing, such as the martech stack, agile marketing, team culture and much more.

Listen to this interview to learn the following:

0:26 Explanation of our Executive Interview Series

2:24 Kaycee describers her role leading 30+ Marketing Team Members

3:45 Journey to becoming VP @ Premier Inc.

7:05 Power of Networking (Hint: This is why AMA-Charlotte is here to serve you)

8:40 Why marketing talent should consider working at Premier Inc.?

10:57 Benefits of Agile Marketing (CC: Stacey Ackerman)

12:50 Marketing Technology Stack

14:40 Value of Data and Tools (ie. Salesforce)

16:40 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives

18:05 Culture of Premier's Healthcare Marketing Team

21:05 Top 3 Career Advice for Marketers

22:20 Kaycee's shoutout for AMA-Charlotte and benefits of staying hungry to learn from the local marketing community

24:28 Power of Community

25:35 Active Open Roles At Premier Inc.

28:55 Calling All Marketo Experts (Are you Marketo Certified?)

31:05 Characteristics of a strong marketing candidate

34:15 Interviewing advice

View Premier Inc. Careers

Meet Our Member: Justin Nicolette

What company do you work for, what is your role, and how long have you been there?

Ally Financial, Director of Public Relations, 2 years.

How did you get into marketing?

I failed accounting in college! I'm half-joking. I was trained in PR in college, and then landed in a cross-discipline role at a previous agency. My career has benefited tremendously from the cross-discipline work I did with some of the industry's brightest brand planners, researchers, and digital specialists. As a PR guy, I was enlightened, and now blend the best of PR and Marketing as my specialty.

What big wins have you had in your marketing role?

Current role: In fifteen short months I've: helped turn six major cities into live Monopoly boards - thanks to augmented reality and our Ally + MONOPOLY game; launched Ally's new smart digital savings tools, helping people to become better savers and reinventing the savings account; and had the pleasure of an assist on the announcement about Charlotte scoring it's very own major league soccer team and Ally as the primary sponsor of Charlotte FC.

Another memorable career win: being asked to lead the architecture of Allstate Insurance Company's motorcycle advocacy program. Eleven years later, the program is still in motion, has been recognized by the federal government and, more importantly, is linked to actually saving lives!

In what ways has membership in AMA Charlotte benefited you professionally?

The Emerging Leaders Cohort, via the AMA Charlotte, has been a huge motivator for me in my career. I feel the connections made there have given me access to an exclusive forum where I can bat around strategic marketing with like-minded folks. It's invigorating!

What  excites you about the field of marketing today?

As someone who got his start in PR, I'm a sucker for good storytelling. I'm absolutely in love with the idea that quality content marketing is now a necessity for any brand (and its leadership) to survive!

What is your all-time favorite marketing campaign? Why?

As a father and the only male in my household, I've seen the light. And humor aside, I'm a firm believer that the future is female. Thus, P&G's #LikeaGirl campaign is always at the top of my list. Not only was it on point from a targeting perspective, it also had natural extensions across other P&G platforms. I also love that its focus on empowerment and positive self image set the tone for many other big brands to pay attention. In short: it was a game changer.

What has been your favorite AMA Charlotte event? Why?

The recent Emerging Leaders Cohort, via AMA Charlotte, has been a huge motivator for me in my career. I feel the connections made there have given me access to an exclusive forum where I can bat around strategic marketing with like-minded folks. It's invigorating!

What was your favorite Super Bowl ad this year? Why?

Groundhog Day, hands down. Jeep and Highdive nailed it...a perfect blend of timelessness and pop culture. The greatest holiday of the year really deserves its time in the light...it's just a shame they didn't film it in Punxsutawney.

In terms of professional development, what area of marketing would you like to explore/learn more about?

Measurement and evaluation - and more specifically, how PR and Marketing can measure more equally.

Answer a question of your own making!

Would you be up for coffee? Yes! Hit me up on LinkedIn anytime.

Interview with Tara Lilly, Head of Marketing at Thirty Capital

One of the perks of being on the American Marketing Association - Charlotte Chapter board is talking directly to marketing leaders in our community. Today was no exception when AMA Vice President, Wes Nguyen, interviewed Tara Lilly (Head of Marketing @ Thirty Capital). 

Thirty Capital is an internal agency for a commercial real estate firm with a portfolio of numerous brands. 

Listen to this interview to learn the following:

* What brought Tara to Charlotte
* Advice for marketing professionals
* Her career path and creative pursuits
* Details about Thirty Capital and how they are growing their marketing team
* Introduction to my board colleague Olivia Vaughn-Flam (VP, Career Development) 

Meet Our Board: 2020-2021 Elected Leaders

AMA Charlotte kicked off a fresh fiscal year on July 1 with a newly-elected Board of Directors. These volunteer leaders represent many different industries and marketing roles across the greater Charlotte region, and are committed to making AMA Charlotte "where marketing meets."

Returning president Anna Vordermark says, "We nearly doubled the size of our Board this year to dedicate resources in high-growth areas. While COVID-19 interrupted many of our plans for the fiscal year ending June 30, we also launched successful new programs like Start Your Day with AMA and the Emerging Leaders' Cohort, largely due to past-VP of Membership, Kim Button." 

AMA Charlotte’s Board members typically serve one-year terms, and are elected in February of each year. Supporting the elected Board are numerous volunteers and committee leaders - many of whom live outside the central Charlotte region and find virtual volunteering a meaningful way to network with peers. The 2020-2021 Board of Directors is actively recruiting volunteers at all career levels. If you would like more information about available roles with AMA Charlotte, please email volunteer@amacharlotte.com. 

AMA Charlotte 2020-2021 Board of Directors

• Secretary / VP of Operations: Jasmine James       

• Treasurer / VP of Finance: Lakesha Holloway

• VP of Programming: Davis Hunt

• VP of Communications: Tammy Tufty

• VP of Partnerships: Daniel Boyce

• VP of Engagement: Constance Brossa

• VP of Special Interest Groups: Taylor Jones

• VP of Talent Management: OPEN

• VP of Career Development: Olivia Vaughn-Flam

• VP of Special Projects: Maithili Khansaheb

• VP-at-Large, Professional Development: Victoria Chopra, J.D.

• VP-at-Large, Executive Channels: Wes Nguyen

• VP-at-Large, Collegiate Relations: Cindy Fox

• VP of Membership: Susan Wallace

• President-Elect: Ashley Porto

• President: Anna Vordermark

Please join our August 25 “Mix at Six” virtual event to meet the new board and learn about some of the volunteer roles available this year.

Meet Our Member: Robert Joseph

What company do you work for, what is your role, and how long have you been there?

Duke Energy, Lead Marketing Technology & Automation Manager, 9 years.

How did you get into marketing?

Studied it in college and made my way into corporate marketing after a few years in ad sales.

What excites you about the field of marketing today?

Constant change.

What is your all-time favorite marketing campaign? Why?

McGraw-Hill's "Man in the Chair.” It is a great representation of what b2b marketers are up against every day.

What has been your favorite AMA Charlotte event? Why?

The ELC Pilot. I'm impressed with the level of commitment and investment the CAMA team is putting into this. They recognized a membership gap and created the value for someone to join.

What was your favorite super bowl ad this year? Why?

Jeep: Groundhog Day. Have always loved the Jeep brand and the movie “Groundhog Day.” Thought it was timely, nostalgic and lighthearted.

in terms of professional development, what area of marketing would you like to explore / learn about?

Data privacy.

Meet Our Member: Taylor Jones

What company do you work for, what is your role, and how long have you been there?

Soft-Tex International, Vice President of Marketing & eCommerce, 3 years.

How did you get into marketing?

I started as an as a new college associate at Red Ventures, where I worked with a wide array of digital marketing domains.

What big win(s) have you had in your marketing role?

The eCommerce business at Soft-Tex has more than doubled in 2 years and we are continuing growing at a clip of 50-60% a year.

In what ways has membership in AMA Charlotte benefited you professionally?

Through the AMA, I achieved the PCM Digital Marketing certification which has helped me stay current on trends and different areas of digital marketing. The content quality of seminars is always very useful, and I have met a number of great professional connections across a wide range of industries and job functions through our chapter.

What excites you about the field of marketing today?

I would say the advancements in technology to truly be able to track everything and the growing number of tools to help us synthesize the data and make informed decisions as marketers to drive qualified business.

What is your all-time favorite marketing campaign? Why?

Probably Budweiser’s “Real Men of Genius.” It was so funny and everyone was talking about it at the time.

What has been your favorite AMA Charlotte event? Why?

I really liked the YouTube event we had a couple of years ago with Google executives. Really great tips for launching video as a meaningful marketing channel.

What was your favorite super bowl ad this year? Why?

The avocados from Mexico commercial was really funny and relevant to me.