This is my last A/E/C Insider column as president of the Society board, and what a year it has been! For those of us who have the honor to be president of a chapter or the Society, there’s a lot of anticipation of what our year will be like. We spend time planning with our fellow board members to achieve goals for the year. It never entirely goes according to plan … and that’s okay!
When the current Society board came together last summer, I felt we had something special as a group. There was respect for each other’s experiences and perspectives. There was incredible tenure within the industry and in SMPS. There was a sense of purpose and motivation to positively impact SMPS into a future beyond our board tenures. While we shared ideas, made plans, set goals, and discussed the coming year, it didn’t quite go as expected. Early in the calendar year, we discovered that our impact would look much different than we had anticipated with the search for a new SMPS CEO.
Just last week, I had the honor of sharing with the organization the announcement of Marci Thompson as our new Society CEO. The outpouring of support for Marci, the incredible SMPS staff, my fellow board members, and the SMPS member search committee has been tremendous. There is renewed excitement for SMPS and its future under Marci’s leadership.
In a dynamic industry like ours, change is a constant companion. It arrives unannounced, challenges our comfort zones, and pushes us towards growth. Whether a daily bump in the road or something as significant as hiring an organization’s CEO, navigating change must be met with courage, strategy, and creativity at the leadership level.
As a Society board, we selected a diverse, member-centric search committee and drafted expectations for our future CEO. The search committee did much of the heavy lifting by carefully reviewing candidates (over 40 total) and making selections at various stages. The board and committee were thoughtful in their approach and diligent in their process, as they knew this change was critical to the Society’s future.
Leadership is hard, especially when faced with change. I’m so grateful for this year’s SMPS board and our search committee as they used this challenge as an opportunity and worked closely for the overall good of the Society. It was indeed a rewarding experience in the end.
This is a new beginning for SMPS as we look to the next 50+ years of transforming business through marketing leadership. Marci will propel the organization to new heights through her ability to create a vision, set strategic objectives, and energize our membership. And we are confident that our organization will continue to thrive under her leadership.
As I look to the immediate future, I hope to see many of you at Amplify A|E|C in Salt Lake City. Amplify is not just our conference this year; it will celebrate our collective journey through an unexpected yet rewarding year. It’s a testament to the strength of the staff, board, and members who thrive on diversity, challenge, and innovation.
Amplify A|E|C is an incredible platform to showcase our commitment to learning, growing, and evolving. It highlights our dedication to transforming business through marketing and business development leadership. It will be an extraordinary conference.
As I conclude this final column, I want to share some advice: embrace change whenever you can, as many times it leads to growth, a new experience, or an opportunity you could have never imagined.
Finally, I want to thank the board again for their commitment to SMPS this year as I have truly enjoyed working alongside them. They are individually and collectively amazing – thank you, Paula, Holly, Adam, Ben, Ann, and Andrea! I celebrate Marci Thompson in her new role as CEO – she will do great things. Lastly, I want to thank each of you for your commitment to SMPS as a member, leader, volunteer, and industry partner – together, we make this A/E/C extraordinary!
Cheers to an unexpected year! See you in Salt Lake!
Article written by SMPS President Dana Lancour, FSMPS, CPSM, who is vice president, branding + communications of Barton Malow. She can be reached at dglancour@bartonmalow.com.
