During our Board’s first planning session back in June 2019, I emphasized that we were part of an AMAzing organization and we were going to “Bring the ‘Zing” to the 2019-2020 season.

I am incredibly proud of how our Board came together and brought the ‘Zing, while having a few zings thrown our way. I want to send my sincere appreciation to this year’s Board, speakers, educators, mentors, volunteers, sponsors, and moderators for giving their time and talents to AMA Richmond.

AMAzing Individuals to Celebrate
Every year, AMA Richmond awards two students with a scholarship on behalf of the Robert R. Barber endowment fund. While we typically would award our scholarship winners at a Signature Speaker luncheon, we celebrated virtually on June 9th with members of our Board and past presidents.

Congratulations to our 2019-2020 scholarship winners:

• First place – Claire Burke
• Second place – Alessandra Castaneda

Check out the recording to meet these deserving women and learn more about the scholarship’s namesake Bob Barber, who passed away in September 2019. You can also learn more about winners on our Scholarship page.

Additionally, we present the Golden Candlestick Award annually which recognizes a chapter member for extraordinary volunteerism. This award has been presented since 1974, and we weren’t going to let a pandemic break the streak.

This year, we had two Board members who were both incredibly deserving of this award:

• Connie Dye – Director of Finance – 7x board member, including AMA President ’09-10
• Barbara Slatcher – VP of Sponsorship – 8x board member

Connie and Barbara’s work in Finances and Sponsorship, respectively, has strengthened our chapter and even allowed us to use our budget surplus to donate to RVA Makers’ PPE project in April.

We had many successes this year while overcoming some hurdles, and I’m humbled to have led the Board as president. The 2020-2021 season welcomes the leadership of Alex Mercer who will continue AMA’s mission. We’ve come together as a community to support each other, engage in conversation, and provide education and training in our industry. As we start our new season, we are working on improving our Diversity, Inclusion and Equity strategies to strengthen our chapter and continue to be the essential community for all marketers in the Richmond area to learn, connect, serve and grow.

Stay Strong. Stay Healthy. Stay Safe.
Be kind to yourself & others and always be AMAzing!

Dear AMA Richmond Community,

Across the country and right here in Richmond, we are witnessing tragic events affecting the Black community, as a result of the deep, unresolved racial inequalities that led to the senseless murders of George Floyd and so many others. It’s heartbreaking, and we’re all experiencing a mix of emotions. We acknowledge this and don’t presume any of us can fully understand how these events impact each of us individually.

As an organization, and as your fellow marketers, we oppose racism and discrimination in every form. Our mission is to be the essential community of marketers – a community that includes people from all different perspectives and backgrounds. We recognize these differences are what make us a stronger marketing community, and we know we can be better allies to our Black members, colleagues, and friends.

We, as the Board of Directors, are committed to doing better. We’re having these important conversations and planning how we can improve our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion strategies in the upcoming Board year—and beyond. We know this is not a one-time conversation or fix. We will continue to offer opportunities to learn, engage in conversation, and provide a safe platform to move us forward as a community. As leaders, we are here to serve you and help AMA Richmond evolve to be more diverse and inclusive.

If you have thoughts to share, we want to hear from you. What resources would help you foster productive work conversations, build diverse teams, and create inclusive campaigns? Let us know what programming, content, workshops, or forums could help you be the best marketers you can be. Email us at info@AMArichmond.org or reach out directly to our board members.

Together, we can make a difference.

Jennifer Barbin | President
Alex Mercer | President-Elect
and the AMA Richmond Board of Directors