Female executives have faced it all and while they have made sizable gains in senior leadership, it’s been a long and arduous journey for most. The path to senior leadership looks very different to their male counterparts with the biggest hurdles in advancement, experiencing microaggressions, and increased pressures to do it all – personally and professionally. 

While female leaders continue to show immense value to their organizations, they are still outnumbered in the C-Suite. Women represent roughly one in four C-suite leaders, and women of color just one in sixteen, according to the Women in the Workplace 2023 Report from McKinsley/Lean In. That’s why we’re bringing you the She-Suite Marketing Leadership Panel for our upcoming AMA in the PM event.

This annual signature event held during Women’s History Month will feature extraordinary female leaders in Baltimore who are paving the way in their industries. Get ready to hear our panelists’ perspectives on what it takes to be a leader in the marketing space and share their personal journey to the C-Suite. 

Gain unique industry insights on everything from key marketing trends and personal branding and professional development to effective revenue growth strategies, and more. The She-Suite Marketing Leadership Panel will include the following top-level executives:

• Debbie-Bates Schrott, Chief Marketing Officer, Yes& Agency – With over 25 years in marketing leadership, Debbie has combined creative insight with strategic focus to drive brand growth and inspire high-performing teams. As Chief Marketing Officer at Yes&, she leads initiatives in brand awareness, client engagement, and agency growth, emphasizing relationship-building and long-term partnerships for lasting success.
• Sharon Nevins, Chief Revenue / Marketing Officer, The Baltimore Banner – A highly experienced, results-driven, entrepreneurial sales and marketing executive, Sharon is responsible for the brand strategy and revenue generation for the just 2 year old independent, journalism start up. Sharon has over 30 years experience in multi-disciplinary marketing and media strategy, sales and brand development and Event conception and planning. Sharon’s career has combined a unique blend of driving results for clients and profitability for companies.
• Liesa Ross, Award-Winning Marketing Communications Expert and Department Head – Liesa is a seasoned marketing leader with over 20 years of experience in marketing communications, specializing in education, science, and professional industry-focused nonprofits and small businesses. Most recently, she served as Director of Marketing for The Children’s Guild, where she established a data-driven marketing department that strengthened the organization’s public image.

By attending the She-Suite Marketing Leadership Panel, you will learn:

• Tactical and strategic tips from local female marketing leaders in different sectors
• Real-world stories from top-level female executives
• Professional and personal advice for those moving up the corporate ladder
• Leadership lessons from the best of the best

Many thanks to our event partner, StarTUp at the Armory!

Event Details
Wednesday, March 19, 2025 | 5:30 – 7:30 pm
StarTUp at the Armory | 307 Washington Avenue | Towson, MD 21204

Meet the Panel

Debbie Bates-Schrott
Chief Marketing Officer, Yes& Agency
With over 25 years in marketing leadership, Debbie has combined creative insight with strategic focus to drive brand growth and inspire high-performing teams. As Chief Marketing Officer at Yes&, she leads initiatives in brand awareness, client engagement, and agency growth, emphasizing relationship-building and long-term partnerships for lasting success. 

Previously, Debbie led Beyond Definition (formerly Bates Creative), a certified women-owned agency, for almost 20 years until its acquisition by Yes& in 2021. Her career is fueled by continuous learning and a passion for pushing industry boundaries, which she shares as a speaker at events by Adobe, the American Marketing Association, and General Assembly to name a few. Debbie is also committed to community service, serving on non-profit boards such as Blossoms of Hope and contributing to organizations like the American Marketing Association’s D.C. Chapter and the Association of Media & Publishing. 

Sharon Nevins
Chief Revenue / Marketing Officer, The Baltimore Banner
Sharon Nevins is the Chief Revenue and Marketing officer for the Baltimore Banner. A highly experienced, results-driven, entrepreneurial sales and marketing executive, Sharon is responsible for the brand strategy and revenue generation for the  just 2 year old independent, journalism start up. Sharon has over 30 years experience in multi-disciplinary marketing and media strategy, sales and brand development and Event conception and planning. Sharon’s career has combined  a unique blend of driving results for clients and profitability for companies.

Sharon began her career on the advertising agency side of the business spending  her first decade in account services for a number of Baltimore’s  best-known advertising agencies. She then spent a decade working for internally as lead marketing officer for a number of  organizations before landing in the most senior roles of marketing and sales in publishing and media including lead roles for WYPR, Baltimore Magazine and the Baltimore Sun.

Sharon graduated from the George Washington University and is fluent in Spanish. Her two children landed in similar careers, one a public relations professional and the other a journalist. Both live in NY. Sharon lives in Pikesville, Maryland with her husband.

Liesa Ross
Award-Winning Marketing Communications Expert and Department Head
Liesa Ross is a seasoned marketing leader with over 20 years of experience in marketing communications, specializing in education, science, and professional industry-focused nonprofits and small businesses. Most recently, she served as Director of Marketing for The Children’s Guild, where she established a data-driven marketing department that strengthened the organization’s public image. Within her first seven months, she earned the Eagle Eye Award for her forward-thinking approach, and in 2024, her team won the AMA Platinum Award for Integrated Communications Campaign. She holds advanced degrees in advertising, marketing and management, and integrated marketing communications.

Originally from Chicago, Liesa spent 12 years in Washington, D.C., before moving to Baltimore in 2013. During her time in D.C., she was a long-time student mentor, working with Higher Achievement for eight years, mentoring middle school students, and with Capital Partners for Education (CPE) for four years, supporting a high school student. She was the first recipient of Higher Achievement’s Mentor of the Year Award. 

Since moving to Baltimore, Liesa has been active in the community, volunteering with Strong City Baltimore (as an adult mentor), a local PTO, and The Village Learning Place (VLP), where she currently serves on the board. She lives in Charles Village with her wife, Tina, their two teen daughters, and two dogs. Outside of family, work, and volunteering, she enjoys riding her bike to and from Zumba class at The Y, watching cartoons (old and new), reading YA novels—while aspiring to publish her own someday—and treating herself to her favorite neighborhood junk foods that remind her of her Midwestern roots.

Meet the Moderator

Nikki Ucheya
Digital Communications Specialist, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and AVP, Collegiate Relations, AMA Baltimore

Nikki Ucheya currently serves as the Digital Communications Specialist for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She creates static and video content for the Department of Health Policy & Management (HPM) to promote the work of the department’s researchers as well as update related web pages and content. 

Nikki is also AMA Baltimore’s Assistant Vice President of Collegiate Relations. In this role, she works closely with the VP of Collegiate Relations to ensure that AMA Baltimore’s collegiate chapters engage with AMA Baltimore events, career fairs, scholarships and more.

Nikki was also a member of Johns Hopkins University’s AMA collegiate chapter. Through JHU AMA’s consulting arm, Nest Strategies, she functioned as a Business Analyst on a 7-person team of students to meet the marketing needs of local business and nonprofits. Nikki was also a Social Media Manager for her a cappella group, a Marketing Chair for a student-run production company, and a Social Media Coordinator for JHU’s Central Communications Office. In 2023, she was nominated by the Director of University Marketing for the University Experiential Learning program’s Outstanding Achiever Award.

In May 2023, Nikki graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in Public Health Studies,  In her spare time, Nikki likes to arrange music, write poetry, and attend open mic nights. She also enjoys volunteering at Baltimore’s branch of Food Not Bombs, an organization that makes healthy meals using food that would otherwise go to waste and distributes them to anyone who needs them.

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