President's Message - June 2023
It’s that time of year again, when we open our offices and workspaces to college and high school students seeking that all important intern experience, or maybe just earning some extra cash to defray the outrageous cost of living in the Bay Area. It is one of my favorite times of year at work.
Students bring an excitement and sense of fun to their work not usually seen from those of us on the hamster wheel. Questions from our interns about what exactly marketing does for the business sound like inquiring minds want to know without the perceived judgment assigned to the same question from a Principal.
SMPS SFBAC wants to support your student interns. Every year we offer scholarships to Bay Area students pursuing degrees in a wide range of marketing and marketing adjacent disciplines. The application deadline will arrive on July 29, 2023, just in time for us to award the scholarship(s) before the start of fall semesters. If you know a candidate, please help them submit. More information can be found on the Chapter’s website. Please also reach out to our student coordinator, Sarah Katsikas with Altura Associates, for more information or assistance.
Switching gears for a moment, and not giving this topic nearly the attention that it needs, I invite you to give the Chapter feedback to assist in our upcoming three-year strategic planning efforts. The Strategic Plan covers the board years for 2023-2024 to 2025-2026 and includes goals and objectives for communications, education and programming, membership, sponsorship, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). There are two great ways to participate.
- Sign up for one of our limited attendance focus groups. Consultants from Go! Strategies will lead 15 members through discussions about the Chapter. You can find more information on the Chapter website. Attendance is limited, so please register only if you can commit to attending.
- If you can’t make a focus group, consider dropping us a note on our Google JamBoard. I’ve created the board as a space to leave post-its and thoughts. This is a virtual greenlight, anything goes to add your feedback. Information will be provided to our consultants for inclusion in the plan. You can check it out here.
And as always, my door is always open. If you have an idea for the Chapter or thoughts to share, please feel free to send me a note.
Laurie Lumish, CPSM
Director of Marketing & Business Development, Degenkolb Engineers
[email protected]
President, SMPS SF Bay Area Chapter
