Goodbye for now, friends.
Dear United Adworkers Community,
It is with grace and gratitude that my time has come to step down as Executive Director of United Adworkers effective Wednesday, March 1. My career at GMR Marketing is calling for my full attention. I will remain an active member and won’t be a stranger to this community. The Board got the news two weeks ago, and has been working diligently behind the scenes to plan for what the future of the Club looks like.
Thank you for your continued support as I navigated new leadership territory over the past 8 months as ED. I am proud of the work guiding the Board to navigate the Club in the post-pandemic era, bringing back The 99 Awards Show to its fullest, producing the awards book, launching the online showcase, and curating two events in 2023 (the Membership Kickoff Party and the HYFIN Brand Debrief). I am also proud of the past 4 years as a Board Member, producing two panel discussions (Beer in Advertising and Muralist), and leading focus groups to discover how best to create a website that combats sexual harassment in the workplace (this project spurred from the Fuze event in 2019, and is currently on pause due to priority shifts from the pandemic). I am walking away with my head held high. Although, this was a very tough decision.
Let’s be honest, the future state of the Club is to be determined. It’s up to this community to guide where it goes next. Do you want an awards show? Do you want in-person networking events? What is it that you’re hoping this club provides you – as either a student or a professional? The Club needs money. Agencies need to renew memberships or make a financial donation to keep programming going and hire a dedicated leader to see it through. Our President Cory Ampe is all ears for the interim.
Feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn to stay in touch: Mary Rankin . Emails to [email protected] are being forwarded to Cory [email protected]. Thanks again for the great time. It has been a pleasure serving you.
All the best,
Mary