The Baltimore Chapter of the American Marketing Association is an entirely volunteer-run organization. Each quarter, the Chapter selects a Featured Volunteer in order to recognize the extraordinary effort of these hard-working and dedicated individuals. The Featured Volunteers are nominated and voted on by the Chapter’s Executive Board.
Katie Ballance of the Programming Committee has been selected as the Featured Volunteer for Spring 2020. Ballance is the Marketing Director at Junior Achievement of Central Maryland, which provides hands-on programming to teach K-12 students about careers, money, and business ownership. She oversees and executes all marketing and communications efforts, including public relations, event marketing and the organization’s digital channels.
After attending AMA Baltimore events, Ballance knew she wanted to get involved, but initially wasn’t sure of which committee. Following a conversation with Chapter President Brynn Devereaux, she connected with Dov Hoffman, Vice President of the Programming Committee, and realized that event planning would align best with her interests. “I am a party-planner at heart,” Ballance explained. “It’s exciting to take an idea for an event and make it happen. I also really love the variety of programs AMA Baltimore offers, providing something for everyone and their unique marketing needs.”
As the Assistant Vice President of Programming, Ballance manages the planning and logistics for all AMA Baltimore events, including the AMA Mingles, the Speaker Series and Link+Thinks. She secures the hosts and/or speakers, coordinates logistics, and creates registration and event pages for the AMA Baltimore website. “Katie has been instrumental in developing new programming and opportunities for the AMA Baltimore community,” said Devereaux. “She works hard behind the scenes and at the events to make sure everything runs smoothly. We are lucky to have her on our team.”
Ballance has most enjoyed the professional connections she has made through volunteering. “It’s been a wonderful experience meeting and reconnecting with marketing professionals who are doing incredible work in our community. It’s easy to get lost in your day-to-day or bogged down by endless networking events, but AMA Baltimore creates an amazing and unique experience each time with great people who are interconnected and want to empower one another,” she said.
Volunteering has also helped Ballance gain new perspectives that she has applied to her professional work. “Learning from other marketers and their areas of expertise has opened my eyes to new possibilities and ways to incorporate them into my day-to-day. I’ve also utilized new and different tools on behalf of the chapter that I wasn’t familiar with or hadn’t used recently. Being a volunteer has made me a better marketer.”
To learn more about volunteering with AMA Baltimore, please visit http://amabaltimore.org/volunteer/
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