Look Mama, I Made It.
The Through Line
Marketing has been the through line of my career. The industry has changed. The audience has changed. The product has definitely changed. But somehow, I've always found myself coming back to the same questions:
Who are we trying to reach? Why should they care? And how do we tell this story in a way that makes them want to come a little closer?
I've been asking some version of those questions for years. And this year, that journey was recognized in a way I wasn't expecting. I was named a 2026 OnCon Top 100 Marketer Award winner.
That's still a little strange to type. Not because I don't believe in the work I've done. I do. I'm proud of my career.
I'm proud of the brands I've helped build, the audiences I've grown, the ideas I've fought for, the risks I've taken, and yes, even some of the things that absolutely did not work. Because there have been plenty of those too. That's the beauty of the massive, complex and messy, enticing world of marketing.
You try. You learn. You test. You listen. You adjust. You occasionally stare at a report wondering why these freaking numbers aren't numbering. And then you try again.
Every industry I've worked in has taught me something different about people; but working in the nonprofit and cultural space has challenged me to think about something deeper. Meaning.
My work at the International African American Museum asks me to think about marketing differently. Of course I'm still thinking about attendance. Revenue. Membership. Awareness. Conversion. All the things that keep my little marketing brain happy.
But I'm also thinking about whether someone feels invited. Whether they see themselves in the stories we're telling. Whether a family walks through our doors and discovers something that changes the way they understand their own history. Whether we're creating relationships with people instead of simply reaching them. It's some of the most meaningful work I've had the opportunity to do.
That's what makes the timing of this recognition feel particularly special.
Being named a Top 100 Marketer isn't something I look at as recognition of one campaign, one job, or even one chapter of my career. It makes me think about the whole journey.
Every industry that made me learn a new audience. Every boss who challenged me. Every colleague who taught me something. Every idea that worked…along with every idea that humbled me. Every time I've had to walk into something unfamiliar and figure it out.
All of it is in there somewhere. I'm still learning; and I hope, in many ways, that I always am.
One of my favorite things about marketing is that people keep changing. Culture keeps changing. The way we communicate keeps changing. Which means there's always another question to ask. Another story to find. Another idea to try.
So yes, I'm incredibly proud to be a 2026 OnCon Top 100 Marketer. But I'm especially grateful that this recognition came during a chapter when the work I'm doing isn't just challenging me professionally or focused on the bottom dollar line.
It's reminding me why I chose this new chapter in my career in the first place.
And that feels pretty special.
