Grow Your Skills, Expand Your Impact: Why NextGen Academy Is Worth Your Time (and Then Some) By Sarah Katsikas
Grow Your Skills, Expand Your Impact: Why NextGen Academy Is Worth Your Time (and Then Some)
By Sarah Katsikas
Last year, I showed up to the inaugural SMPS SF NextGen Academy a little frazzled (BART delays will do that to you) and a little curious. I left with something much more valuable: clarity.
Clarity on where our industry is headed.
Clarity on how our role as marketers is evolving.
And most importantly—clarity on how I could show up differently at work the very next day.
That’s the thing about NextGen Academy. It’s not theoretical. It’s not a “take notes and maybe revisit this later” kind of event. It’s a full-day, immersive experience that gives you tools you can apply immediately—and perspective that compounds over time.
And this year, the theme says it all: Grow Your Skills, Expand Your Impact.
From “Doing Marketing” to Driving Impact
If you work in A/E/C marketing, you already know the job is rarely just one thing. One minute you’re deep in InDesign trying to fix a rogue style sheet. The next, you’re coaching a technical team through an interview strategy. Then you’re back in your inbox, juggling deadlines, proposals, and “quick asks” that are anything but.
Last year’s Academy met that reality head-on.
The sessions weren’t abstract—they were grounded in the actual work we do every day. Time management that actually works. CRM strategies that don’t just sound good but function in real environments. Storytelling that goes beyond buzzwords and actually helps teams win work.
And then there was the AI deep dive.
A three-hour session that didn’t just introduce tools—it reframed how we think about our role entirely. AI as infrastructure. AI as leverage. AI as a way to return time back to ourselves so we can focus on higher-value work—strategy, relationships, and creativity.
I’ll be honest: that session alone paid dividends for months.
At Altura, we started rethinking workflows. We experimented with prompt libraries. We looked at how we could streamline proposal development without sacrificing quality. And while we’re still evolving (aren’t we always?), the shift was tangible.
Less time spent spinning. More time spent thinking.
That’s the kind of impact that doesn’t stay in a notebook—it shows up in your work, your confidence, and your results.
What Makes This Year Different (and Even More Relevant)
If last year laid the foundation, this year builds on it. The 2025 program was about understanding the landscape—how to manage your time, your data, your messaging, and your mindset in a rapidly changing industry.
This year’s lineup leans into something even more powerful: how you translate those skills into influence. Because here’s the truth—being good at your job is no longer enough. (And frankly, it never really was.)
Impact is what moves your career forward.
Impact is what earns trust with leadership.
Impact is what positions marketing as a growth driver—not just a support function.
And every session this year ladders up to that idea.
The Skills That Actually Move the Needle
Let’s talk about what you’ll walk away with.
1. Better Process, Bigger Impact: Level Up Your InDesign
This isn’t about making things “look nice.” It’s about building systems that support accuracy, consistency, and efficiency across your work. If you’ve ever stayed late fixing formatting issues—or worse, caught a mistake after submission, you’ve seen the impact of not having those systems in place. Strong proposals don’t happen by accident. They come from clear organization and reliable processes. This session is designed to help you build that foundation, from establishing a source of truth, to creating structured templates, to refining content that resonates with your audience.
2. The Invisible Asset: Building Your Personal Brand
This one hits at a deeper level, because so many of us were taught that if we just work hard, the results will speak for themselves.
Sometimes they do. Often, they don’t.
This session challenges the myth of meritocracy and gives you a framework for becoming an indispensable asset—not just a reliable one. It’s about defining your expertise, filling gaps in your organization, and building a reputation that carries weight—even in rooms you haven’t entered yet. And if you’re mid-career like me, this is where things get interesting. It’s no longer just about execution—it’s about positioning.
3. Building Influence: Leadership Journeys Across the Industry
There’s no single path in A/E/C. And that’s exactly the point. This panel brings together leaders from different firm sizes and career trajectories to unpack what influence actually looks like in practice. Not title. Not tenure. Influence.
How do you build it?
Where do people get stuck?
What separates those who grow from those who plateau?
These are the questions that shape your next move—whether you realize it yet or not.
4. From Top-Down to Buy-In: Making Leadership Ideas Stick
If you’ve ever been tasked with “rolling something out” across your firm, you know how this goes.
Great idea. Good intentions …limited adoption.
This session gets into the mechanics of change—how to actually move initiatives forward in a way that sticks. It’s practical, it’s applicable, and it’s one of the most underrated skills in our profession, because marketing doesn’t just communicate change—we help drive it.
What You Gain (Beyond the Agenda)
The sessions are strong. The content is real. But there’s something else that makes NextGen Academy stand out.
It’s the room.
There’s a different kind of energy when you bring together people who are in the same stage of their career, navigating the same challenges, and trying to figure out what’s next.
You swap stories.
You share ideas.
You realize you’re not the only one dealing with that situation.
And suddenly, your network isn’t just a list of names—it’s a group of people you can actually call, text, or lean on. That matters more than we often admit, because growth doesn’t happen in isolation.
A Personal Note (and a Bit of FOMO)
I was invited to speak at this year’s Academy—which, truly, is an honor I don’t take lightly. And I’m also the first to admit…I’m disappointed I won’t be there. Family comes first this time, and I’ll be out of town. But if I could rearrange things, I would, because I know what this day delivers. I’ve seen how it sharpens your thinking. I’ve felt how it builds your confidence. And I’ve watched how it translates into real, tangible growth over time.
Not just for individuals—but for firms.
Why This Matters Now
Our industry is changing.
Technology is accelerating. Client expectations are evolving, and the role of marketing is expanding—whether firms are ready for it or not. Programs like NextGen Academy help bridge that gap. They give emerging (and even seasoned) professionals the tools to step into a more strategic role, to connect the dots between marketing, business development, and firm growth, and to move from execution to influence.
And they do it in a way that’s practical, grounded, and immediately useful.
The Bottom Line
If you’re early in your career, this will fast-track your growth. If you’re mid-career, this will help you recalibrate and level up. If you’re leading a team, this is exactly the kind of investment that pays off—quickly and repeatedly, because the ROI isn’t just what you learn that day. It’s how you apply it the next week, and the next quarter, and the next year.
And if last year was any indication, that return adds up.
Join the Room
NextGen Academy is happening Wednesday, May 13 at the Mosaic in Downtown San Francisco—a full day of learning, connection, and practical skill-building designed specifically for AEC marketers.
It includes breakfast, lunch, happy hour, and a room full of people who get it.
If you’re ready to grow your skills—and expand your impact—I can’t recommend it enough.
I’ll be cheering you on from afar.
And if this becomes your “last year me” moment? Even better.
Sarah Katsikas is a Marketing Manager at Altura, where she leads brand and communications for a national energy engineering firm transforming building performance through analytics. She currently serves as Director of Communications for the SMPS San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, driving initiatives that strengthen connection, visibility, and value for members across the A/E/C community.
