AMA Scholarship

AMA Richmond – Robert R. Barber Endowment Fund for Scholarship & Training

In 2001, the Robert R. Barber Endowment Fund for Scholarship and Training was established and named for Bob Barber, CEO and co-owner of Barber Martin Advertising, who was the AMA-Richmond President for 1998-99. The goal of the fund was to reach $100,000 by 2008. Its mission was created to:

  • Ensure the bridge between the AMA-Richmond professional chapter and the area collegiate chapters remains strong.
  • Support area collegiate chapters, in an effort to help them grow their membership and continue to benefit from involvement in the AMA.
  • Make meaningful scholarships to annual competition winners.
  • Create a lasting endowment to assure future funding for these programs.

Since 2001, the fund has grown from $17,000 at its creation to just over $100,000 today, thanks to both corporate and individual contributions, as well as contributions of AMA-Richmond chapter funds raised through events.

Annual Scholarship

AMA Richmond will award two scholarships in 2022: a first place award of $3,500, along with a free AMA Richmond annual membership, and a second place award of $1,500, on behalf of the Robert R. Barber Endowment Fund for Scholarship and Training. Future scholarship amounts will be determined annually.

Eligibility Requirements and Scholarship Guidelines

  • Applicant must be a full-time, undergraduate student attending an accredited college or university in the Greater Richmond region.
  • Applicant must be pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing or a related course of study (i.e. general business, communications, advertising, public relations, market research, etc.).
  • Applicant must be scheduled to graduate no sooner than May 2023.
  • Applicant must be available to interview with the Scholarship Selection Committee in April 2022.
  • Proceeds of scholarship will be paid directly to the students’ college or university towards payment of tuition, books or other school supplies.
  • No applicant shall receive the First Place Scholarship Award more than once.
  • The scholarship application deadline must be postmarked or submitted online, no later than April 15, 2022, at 11:59 P.M.
  • The scholarships will be awarded in May 2022.
  • The application can be completed online: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd7f–10EDoHFjwI7kg1n1iatUFz0M5pKL2GCebasohMSbzNQ/viewform?usp=pp_url

OR

The application materials can be mailed to:
Cat McPherson, MBA
Associate Professor, Business & Marketing Communication
Mary Baldwin University
℅ 6220 Manaford Circle
Glen Allen, VA 23059

For more information, contact Cat McPherson at cfmcpher@marybaldwin.edu or 804-690-7071.

Congratulations to our 2022 scholarship winners!

First Place Winner


Mariah Kumpe

Mariah Kumpe is pursuing her B.S. in Mass Communications with concentrations in Creative and Strategic Advertising and a minor in Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is currently the Social Media Chair for AMA at VCU and Planner for the Ad Club at VCU. Mariah will be President of the Ad Club at VCU for the 2022-23 school year. In her spare time, Mariah enjoys freelancing, photography, and keeping up with pop culture.

This summer, Mariah will be a Creative Intern at Tilt Creative + Production in Richmond, VA and explore Western Europe. Following graduation, Mariah plans to work as an Art Director for an advertising agency.

Second Place Winner


Ashleighe Gibson
Ashleighe Gibson, a rising junior at Virginia Commonwealth University, was born in Queens, New York and hails from Suffolk, Virginia. Initially a biology pre-med major, Ashleighe had a change of heart during the pandemic and realized that her true passion lay in communication, advertising, production, and product development. She pivoted her degree focus and is now majoring in marketing with a concentration in communications and analytics. She aspires to go into entertainment marketing after graduation.

About the AMA Scholarship

In 2001, the Robert R. Barber Endowment Fund for Scholarship and Training was established and named for Bob Barber, CEO and co-owner of Barber Martin Advertising, who was the AMA-Richmond President for 1998-99. The goal of the fund was to reach $100,000 by 2008. Its mission was created to:

  • Ensure the bridge between the AMA-Richmond professional chapter and the area collegiate chapters remains strong.
  • Support area collegiate chapters, in an effort to help them grow their membership and continue to benefit from involvement in the AMA.
  • Make meaningful scholarships to annual competition winners.
  • Create a lasting endowment to assure future funding for these programs.

Since 2001, the fund has grown from $17,000 at its creation to just over $100,000 today, thanks to both corporate and individual contributions, as well as contributions of AMA-Richmond chapter funds raised through events.

The scholarship program fulfills Bob Barber’s original vision for AMA Richmond to help the next generation of marketers grow to be successful contributors to our marketing community and the marketing profession as a whole. It is one of the many ways the chapter supports marketing students today.