Newsletter
SMPS Philadelphia Snapshot Newsletter | Spring 2026
A Message from the President
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Hello SMPS Philadelphia,
I am fresh off the plane from APMP BPC Denver. I’m sure you’re asking, “Nikki what the heck is APMP?”, we have enough acronyms. Fair, but it’s important to be aware of other organizations that can help you develop your career and passions.
APMP is the Association of Proposal Management Professionals, and BPC – Bid & Proposal Conference – is their annual conference filled with educational opportunities for bid and proposal professionals across every industry. The topics were as you would expect: proposal process, color team reviews, presentation prep, technology (and AI), burnout... all things that are very relatable to AEC Marketers.
I wanted to share an epiphany I had at BPC. It was during a session where we prepared for an oral presentation. Our mock role, VP of Program Development, would be introducing the team. The question arose, why are you, the "VP", part of this interview?
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Why is the VP part of the interview?
As Chapter President, I was able to lean directly into my experience with SMPS to actually answer this question and win a prize, Tell it Like a TOPGUN by the speaker, Jeff Goldfinger.
I get pulled in when we need a fast decision, a tiebreaker, additional resources, or because my experience can lend a critical and different type of support. That is why the VP is part of the interview, they are the fixer, no matter the issue.
I share this with you because it’s a great reminder that our skills are gained through volunteering and being part of the SMPS Board creates opportunities and experiences that yield real results. If you are looking to expand a skillset, reach out. We probably have a committee or role that can support that!
Happy Summer!
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SMPS Philadelphia Honored by HQ for 2024-25 Member Attendance!
Through SMPS Headquarters, SMPS Philadelphia has been recognized for exceptional performance in the Large Chapter category in 2024-2025, earning distinction for Average Member Attendance. This recognition reflects our chapter’s strong leadership and well-rounded, high-performance operations, demonstrated through consistent member engagement, impactful programming, and a clear commitment to delivering meaningful value to membership. This achievement underscores our chapter’s ability to sustain organizational excellence while continuously enhancing the member experience. Congrats to each and every one of you for truly showing up, and keep an eye out for national kudos in HQ’s publications and socials!
"One of the most respected credentials in AEC marketing, it demonstrates the work, the strategy, and the craft behind marketing in this industry." You said it, Alesha Shaw, CPSM! Congratulations to you, Alesha, Amanda Irwin, CPSM, Christyn Binder, CPSM, Emi Stretton, CPSM, Jaimie Wright, CPSM, and Jen Kelly, CPSM!
SMPS PHL Goes to Washington: NERC 2026
Earlier this spring, 25+ SMPS Philadelphia Chapter members descended upon DC to attend SMPS's Northeast Regional Conference—NERC, a 3-day gathering of hundreds of AEC marketing and business development professionals from up and down the (north)east coast. Inspiring keynotes, dozens of educational sessions, vibey happy hours and social events, energized networking, and getting closer as a Chapter made it, on theme, Monumental!
Congratulations to our own Nicole Healy, CPSM who served as Co-Chair of this year's NERC Communications Committee and check out Jaime Kacperowski, CPSM, WELL AP's blog on her experience and takeaways from NERC 2026.
NERC 2027 promises to be a Maine event — it's in Portland! 🦞
Event Recaps
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APRIL TECH TUESDAY: LET THE BOTS DO THE BORING STUFF - AGENTS FOR AEC MARKETERS
New RFP drops at noon and the technical team wants a kickoff at 2? No problem! Let AI to do the first-cut analysis, outline, calendar, questions, and task list for us. Engineering the Agents and empowering the Prompts here was Kayla McCause, CPSM (Marketing Strategist, Dragonfly AEC Consulting) who shared her deep dive into how we can architect what we need to help save so much time (forevermore!) while still capturing the details and turning out solid work across research, strategy, writing, interview prep, and more. From GPTs to Gems and Assistants to Apps, Kayla showed us how to be – or at least make – our own Agents for change!
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SMPS PHILADELPHIA GOLF CLINIC
Following closely on the Masters (also in April), our AEC marketers hit the links at Bala Golf Club (the Augusta of Southeastern Pennsylvania!) to sharpen their swings, short game, and overall confidence on the course. Long the social game for industry professionals, networking, and deals amidst drives, our golf cohort practiced their new skills on a nine-hole scramble on Bala’s scenic fairway and greens. An afternoon outside of office – we love to see it! Touch grass, they did!
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SPRING ESPRESSO EXCHANGE
Describe your perfect date… Mmm, we’d have to say April 28th, because it wasn’t too hot and it wasn’t too cold – all we needed was a light java. Paraphrasing Miss Congeniality, we put a spring in our step and a turnover in our tummies, all over the tristate! This members-only perk has become such a treat, and the Chapter picks up the check, so stay tuned for our next coffee talk or matcha meetup this summer!
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PROGRESS TOUR - WILLIAM H. GRAY III 30TH STREET STATION
Amtrak and SEPTA and NJ Transit, oh my! All of them call the William H. Gray III 30th Street Station hub or home, so to keep this bustling Philadelphia monument at the top of the rail game, it’s getting some major love and capital. Guided by project team members from Gilbane and Arora, SMPS Philadelphia got a behind-the-scenes look at 30th Street’s $550M transformation, restoration, and modernization. No doubt the transportation AECers were salivating over the scaffolding and what lies above, below, and full steam ahead!
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MAY TECH TUESDAY: UNLOCKING VIBE CODING
Prompting is so 2025. Vibe Coding moves beyond individual AI prompts and stagnating chats to marry strategic intent with systematic logic. A major benefit of members-only Tech Tuesdays: they’re always recorded and often presenter decks and additional resources are provided so you can go back and watch and learn again and again and again. We needed all of the above for Sandra Bones, CPSM’s (Founder, Good Bones Marketing) incredible rundown of the real system architecture of Vibe Coding, which we can – once we understand its parts and pieces – build to really be in control of our firms’ voice, brand, values, and standards across AI outputs. Wow, just wow!
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A LAYOUT LEAGUE OF OUR OWN: FROM AEC INDESIGN ROOKIES TO HEAVY HITTERS
Put her in, coach! A true 5-tool player, Julie Shaffer, FSMPS, CPSM (Owner & Creative Director, Shaffer Creative) played two stellar away games here in Philly (go Phils!) to help us seriously elevate our InDesign game. Beginner and Intermediate/Advanced sessions gave attendees what they thought they needed from this training, and so much more. From the ever-evolving “basics” to advanced proposal workflows, AI and collaboration tools, production strategies, and layout techniques, INDD with Julie IRL, FTW!
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JUNE TECH TUESDAY: ELEVATING AEC PHOTOS WITH LIGHTROOM
A picture’s worth, well, you know! So a thousand pictures are worth a system to organize, edit, and store them smarter. Enter, Adobe Lightroom. In June’s Tech Tuesday, Jaime Kacperowski, CPSM, WELL AP (Creative Marketing Director, Spiezle Architectural Group) showed us how Lightroom can improve the catalog-based organization of our graphic assets, streamline and standardize photo editing, and keyword name and tag, for easy searching and successful finding. Thanks, Jaime, for this Creative Cloud solution to create more polished visual standards across all our firm’s marketing outputs!
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BULLSEYE BASH
While it's not the end of our Program Year (more on this change in the coming months), it's just about – and totally feels like – summer, so why not have a party with games? A sweltering day in Center City and World Cup crowds were no match for cool darts, drinks, and dinner downtown. The first rule of Flight Club? You DO talk about Flight Club!
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New Members
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Michelle Ampofo
Marketing Coordinator, Bala Consulting Engineers, Inc.
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Erin Bennett
Senior Proposal & Marketing Manager, Princeton Hydro
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Season Evans
Director of Marketing and Communications, RPA Engineering
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Clayton Hollinger
Proposal Coordinator, Sowinski Sullivan Architects
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Jenna Krauss
Marketing Coordinator, Bergman Engineering, LLC
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Kyleigh Monahan
Open to Work, Recent Graduate, BS of Business Administration, Lock Haven University
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Bridget Strockoz
Proposal and Marketing Manager, Geosyntec Consultants, Inc.
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Anniversaries
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April
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May
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June
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Deborah Rutledge, 13
Matt Wittemann, CPSM, 12
Dayna Berryman, 9
Hannah Miller, 4
Kelsey Hoffman, 3
Holly Uses, 2
Kelsey Calandra, 1
Kay K. Bellamy, 1
Julia Ciciarelli, 1
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Robert Fini, CTS-D, CPSM, 23
Kathy Kostiuk, CPSM, 13
Laura Frein, CPSM, 13
Jennifer Cantono, 13
Bridget J. Shane, CPSM, 12
Kathleen Volk, 8
Kate Antolick, 6
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Mary Piznar Fitzpatrick, 20
Ashley Neelis, 8
Abby Early, 5
Nia Wills, 2
Yannie Willie, 2
Ellie Brancato, 2
Warren Chiara, 1
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Let’s talk tech! SMPS Philadelphia is calling for presenters for our 2025-2026 Tech Tuesdays. Do you use a program that helps you be a better marketer? Want to share your tech insight with SMPS members? A few brainstormed topics include, but are not limited to, Hubspot, Trello, Slack, PowerPoint, and CRM features. Contact Lauren Coughlin with your ideas!
Join us for members-only Tech Tuesdays, our new monthly series where we learn quick and useful tips for programs AEC marketers use daily. We hold these sessions on the second Tuesday of each month at noon, so grab your lunch, hop on Zoom, and let’s talk tech!
For July's Tech Tuesday, register here!
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Thank you to our 2025-2026 Program Year Sponsors! Your generosity helps SMPS Philadelphia achieve our goals of providing networking, education, and business development opportunities for our members and the industry!
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