AMA Scholarship

AMA Annual Student Scholarships Awarded!

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

AMA Richmond (RVA) has awarded two scholarships in 2020: a first place award of $3,500, along with a free AMA RVA 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.

AMA Richmond is proud to support the next generation of marketers with an annual scholarship program, the Robert R. Barber Endowment Fund for Scholarship and Training.

Have questions?
Contact Shelley Burns, Director of Collegiate Relations, at 804-837-4180 or e-mail sburns@richmond.edu.

Meet our 2020 Scholarship Winners!

First Place Winner


Claire Burke
Claire Burke is a rising senior at the University of Richmond (UR) double majoring in Leadership Studies and Business Administration, with a concentration in marketing.

An active three-year member, Claire credits the University of Richmond’s AMA Student Chapter experience for fueling her passion for branding, marketing research, and social media.

Interested to use her marketing efforts to make a social impact, she leveraged an academic assignment opportunity and created a strategic marketing plan for Jacob’s Chance, a non-profit organization that provides inclusive opportunities for children with special needs. Using a $10,000 Google Ad Grant, Claire co-orchestrated the development of four pay-per-click ads that increased online traffic by 41%.

Second Place Winner


Alessandra Castaneda
Alessandra Castaneda is a former honor student at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College where she studied business administration. As a member of the school’s Journalism Club, Alessandra designed the layout of the school paper and marketing strategies to increase student viewership.

Passionate about marketing and eldercare, she is the recipient of a “1,000 hours pin” for the completion of 1,000 hours of volunteer work with geriatric patients at St Mary’s Hospital. A former intern at the J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College’s Office of Marketing, Alessandra’s career plans include building a start-up incubator for gerontologists.

Alessandra will attend Eastern Michigan University, beginning the fall of 2020.

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.