Meet the Board

President

Through building her career in PR, digital marketing and analytics, Misty focuses on end-to-end strategy based on extensive analysis, psychology, interpersonal communication and an insatiable desire to learn. Though marketing will always be her passion, she sees the industry aligning itself with the tech and data world more and more every day. As a result, she works alongside Data Scientists at PRA Health Sciences during the day, while fulfilling her creative passions through her freelance and philanthropic work at night. You can reach Misty by emailing her at Misty.Wilson@amatriangle.org.

President-Elect

Elizabeth Ruf is a digital marketer with a passion for making a difference through her work. As Senior Manager of Content Marketing at ACUE, she applies her passion for higher education and expertise in strategic brand communications to develop and execute ACUE’s content marketing and communications strategy. Driven by caffeine and good music, she loves the collaborative energy in the Triangle. Liz holds a bachelor’s degree from UNC Asheville and a Master of Public Administration from NC State. You can reach Liz by emailing her at elizabeth.ruf@amatriangle.org.

Immediate Past President

By day, Tracy is an Innovation Product Catalyst at Fidelity Investments with a mission to build awareness and adoption of internal innovations. Working as a growth hacker, she loves that marketing has become an art and a science. She is also fiercely passionate about using digital innovation to solve puzzles and bring people together. By night, you can find Tracy exploring Raleigh, reading or learning new things. In fact, she completed her MBA from North Carolina State University in 2016. She’s also still learning to code. You can reach Tracy by emailing her at tracy.russell-beck@amatriangle.org.

Chief Finance Officer

Emerging technology is changing the way people live, work, and play. But change can cause buyers to put up barriers. To overcome them, Jared Brickman helps anyone from startups to Fortune 100 brands–such as IBM, Spectrum, UTC, and Boeing–execute branding and content initiatives that capture attention, earn trust, and drive results. Currently, Jared serves as VP of Marketing at PrecisionHawk, a Raleigh, North Carolina-based drone and AI-powered data analytics leader. You can reach Jared at jared.brickman@amatriangle.org.

Vice President of Programming

Hayden Brooks is a travel enthusiast, pop culture guru and fashion junkie! By day, Hayden is the Division Director of The Creative Group and works with hiring managers to place specialized creative, digital and marketing talent throughout the Triangle and the Triad. When she’s not working, volunteering with the AMA or in the community, you can find her exploring the Triangle nightlife and looking for her next travel adventure. You can reach Hayden at hayden.brooks@amatriangle.org.

Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Genevieve is a creative storyteller with a passion for building communities, meaningful partnerships, and brand equity. Her international experience in STEAM, educational services, and event programming shaped her career as an agile and multidisciplinary communicator. Born and raised in Québec, Canada, Genevieve is a fluent French speaker and poutine connoisseur. She holds her B.A (Ancient Studies) and graduate degree (Public Relations) from Université Laval and she is writing her first fiction novel. While new to the Triangle, Genevieve is a AMA board veteran. She fulfilled two terms as VP of Programming for our sister chapter in New Mexico. You can reach Genevieve by emailing her at genevieve.brown@amatriangle.org.

Vice President of Strategy

Ron Carson is a 25-year marketing and communications veteran, working inside and outside of the tech bubble. As the chief marketing officer for Terra Dotta, Ron is responsible for the company’s marketing operations and strategy.

Prior to joining Terra Dotta, Ron founded Thirdside, a boutique market intelligence agency, and advised companies from Silicon Valley to New York City. With a customer-first approach to marketing, he helped companies in higher education, healthcare, data visualization, and artificial intelligence understand the delta between intended customer journeys and their actual experiences.

Ron studied mergers and acquisitions at The Wharton School and received his MBA from Santa Clara University and his undergraduate degree in business administration from Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada.

Vice President of Celebrations

Victoria Centeno supports life science and tech focused entrepreneurial companies here in North Carolina at CED as a Customer Success Specialist. She’s an optimist and a hockey enthusiast. Fun fact, she’s been roller skating since she could walk and has her own pair of skates to this day! You can reach Victoria by emailing her at victoria.centeno@amatriangle.org.

Vice President of Community Relations

Olympia Friday has worn many hats throughout her marketing career. As the Digital Engagement & Marketing Coordinator for the National Humanities Center, where she has worked since 2017, Olympia executes strategies that get the organization noticed—and supported—in today’s digital world. A longtime passion for giving back inspired her to lend a helping hand to nearly a dozen local nonprofits and causes over the last 20 years. Olympia is a member of the Junior League of Raleigh, where she co-chairs the Women of Color Affinity Group. She also volunteers with Dress for Success Triangle. Fun fact, she’s a super fan of the sitcom The Golden Girls, having watched every episode more times than she can count.

Vice President of Employment Services

Hank is an author, speaker, podcast host and Sr. Manager of Client Success at iContact, a j2 Global company (Efax, PCMag, Mashable, IGN, Ziff Davis, Campaigner, and more). With a passion for all things digital and social, combined with more than 20 years of experience in sales and marketing, he has been dubbed the Digital Marketing Infotainer because he makes marketing fun and successful. You can reach Hank by emailing him at hank.hoffmeier@amatriangle.org.

Vice President of Analytics & MarTech

Samuel Itin is serving as the VP Analytics & Marketing Technology at AMA Triangle. He is a data-driven marketer, leading a team of optimization and analytics professionals to help organizations around the world test, learn, and make sense of their data at Cognetik. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Binghamton University and a Master of Education from University of St. Thomas. A former educator, he loves sharing knowledge with friends and colleagues. When he is not nerding out over statistics or data he spends his time baking, homebrewing, discovering the perfect coffee, traveling, or curling up with a good book. You can reach Sam by emailing him at samuel.itin@amatriangle.org.

Vice President of Communications

Given the chance, what would you @AskBenRoss? By day at Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL+Converge), he focuses on client services and agency operations, and is known for finding hidden value. He’s mastered the arts of display and social advertising, SEO, email marketing and sometimes even [COMMENT REDACTED] to help companies like RNL, Microsoft, and AOL see uncharted success. Outside of work, Ben is involved in the community as an alumni volunteer with the Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity, as well as sampling as many restaurants around the Triangle as possible (then hitting the gym to work off those calories!) You can reach Ben by emailing him at ben.ross@amatriangle.org.

General Counsel

John-Paul is a founding partner of the law firm Ortiz & Schick, PLLC, which focuses on business law, commercial real estate, construction law, and civil litigation. John-Paul and his firm provide transaction and dispute resolution advice to clients big and small, from restaurants to marketing firms, to general contractors, to IT firms, to commercial real estate developers. Their motto is, “Big firm expertise, without the big firm.” John-Paul is a graduate of Davidson College and received his law degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. Born and raised in Venezuela, John-Paul is fluent in Spanish. He lives in Durham with his wife, Stacy, and their two sons. He is active with the PFA at Sterling Montessori Academy and Charter School. John-Paul is an avid fan of 1980’s hair metal and rock n’ roll. You can reach John-Paul by emailing him at john-paul.schick@amatriangle.org.

Vice President of Membership

Pam helps people-centered organizations reach their goals through high touch experiences. She is the founder of PROMOQUEST, Inc., where she leverages customized promotional solutions to build loyalty. As a certified advisor for the Fascination Advantage®, she combines her magnetic insights with the power of promotional products for customer connection, team building and employee engagement.
Pam is a past president of the Greater Raleigh Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) where she also served as Director of Public Policy and remains an active member. Currently, she is on the President’s Assembly Steering Committee at NAWBO National. Prior to her role as VP of Membership for AMA Triangle, she was the Director of Member Orientation. You can reach Pam by emailing her at pam.williams@amatriangle.org.