Snapshot Monthly Newsletter | January/February 2025 Print

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Chapter News

A Message from the President

The Power of Volunteers: Why Your Involvement Matters

This year we embarked on developing our 2025-2028 Strategic Plan. Thanks to many of you who completed our Assessment Survey, we were able to identify common themes to focus on that will help shape the future of our Chapter.

One of those common themes was the need for a volunteer pipeline and a path to help SMPS Philadelphia members who want to get involved find the right committees and roles, and if they choose to, learn the skills to move from committee member to Committee Director, and maybe one day become President of our great Chapter (for reference, my journey took about six years!).

Our Chapter thrives because of our incredible volunteers. Right now, 15% of our membership dedicates their time and talents to making SMPS Philadelphia stronger—planning programs, creating graphics, writing content, connecting with members, updating our website, and ensuring we continue to provide valuable resources for our A/E/C community. To those who already volunteer: thank you! Your contributions help our Chapter run and thrive!

Every event, initiative, and new member experience is shaped by those who step up. If you’ve ever considered getting more involved, now is the perfect time. We are halfway through the Program Year and have a great rhythm, but have also identified areas that still need support.

Volunteering is a chance to make the most of your SMPS membership by expanding your network, learning new skills, developing your leadership skills, and deepening your engagement with our organization.

Whether you just have a few hours a month or are interested in taking on a larger role, there’s a place for you. From helping with events to supporting communications, your contributions – big and small – help move our Chapter forward. If you’re interested in learning more about available roles, please reach out to me or any member of our Board of Directors. Let’s continue building something great together.

Laura Frein, CPSM

DEI Membership Grant Applications are Open! 

SMPS Philadelphia's DEI Membership Grant provides individuals the opportunity to engage deeply with our chapter as a member at no cost, participate in discussions related to operations as a committee member, and through one year of committee service, obtain eligibility to serve on the Chapter’s board of directors. Learn more here and apply by May 2nd!

Help us plan for our future and learn and earn!

Check out our Strategic Plan development process page here to learn more and join us March 26th for a free, members-only In-Person Workshop with Chapter leaders and facilitator Holly Bolton. (Calling all CPSMs, too: participation in this event is eligible for up to 5 CE credits!)

Save the Date: Board of Directors Nominations

Board of Directors Nominations for the 2025-2026 Program Year will open in April and voting will follow in May. In the coming weeks please look out for more information about responsibilities and eligibility requirements for open positions including President Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and our six Directors-at-Large. 🗳️

Save the Date: SMPS Philadelphia End-of-Year Celebration

Mark your calendars for our end-of-year bash on June XX. Event details and registration coming soon! 🎉

Event Recaps

FEBRUARY ESPRESSO EXCHANGE

In our second episode of SMPS Philadelphia: Coffee Talk (SNL 50th anyone??), Chapter members from across our region gathered at local cafes to casually network with fellow marketing professionals over, what else, caffeine! We're so enjoying these friendly meetups to share experiences, challenges, resources, and really connect and grow our SMPS friendships. From cappuccinos in Center City to macchiatos in Marlton to Kona blends in KOP, let's raise a mug, friends!

MCA CEREMONY

And the award goes to... outstanding achievers in AEC marketing and communications projects! Just in time for Valentine's Day, we shared some love for the best of SMPS Philadelphia and Central Pennsylvania's fabulous Marketing Communications Award (MCA) submissions at this year's MCA ceremony. Check out all 2025 MCA submissions and winners here!

STRATEGIC PLANNING MEETING: IDENTIFICATION OF COMMONS THEMES

Planning for the Plan! Following from our Strategic Plan Assessment Survey (thanks to all who participated!), we collaboratively reviewed results and identified common themes which will lay the groundwork for developing goal statements and metrics to measure progress. Thanks to Holly Bolton, FSMPS, CPSM for facilitating! Next up: our Strategic Plan In-Person Workshop!

TECH TUESDAY - ANSWER ENGINE OPTIMIZATION

In February’s Tech Tuesday, we’re graduating from traditional SEO and moving up in the alphabet and AI landscape to AEO—Answer Engine Optimization with Ben Kouba, (Founder/Lead Strategist, LEAF9). Ben helped us understand the fundamentals and technical structure AEO, its growing dominance as AI is leveraged more and more in web queries, and how to explore, test, and maximize smart growth as a result of AEO leads through strategic optimization of content.

SMPS MANAGEMENT MASTERCLASS SERIES: MANAGING A COHESIVE TEAM

In our second management masterclass, Anh Dao Pham, best-selling author of GLUE: How Project Leaders Create Cohesive, Engaged, High-Performing Teams, shared invaluable stories and strategies on how to grow as both a project manager and a team leader in any phase of your career. Ahn taught us skills to help walk those toughest of tightropes between motivating teams and running projects efficiently, effectively, and engagingly from start to finish!

TECH TUESDAY - INTERACTIVE ORG CHARTS

Kicking off Tech Tuesday learning in 2025, we were thrilled to welcome back Lana Wheeler (Marketing Specialist, Stantec) to talk with us about the benefits and how-tos of designing interactive org charts in our proposals. With clickable links to and back from resume content, these engaging org charts are easy yet highly effective ways to make proposals more navigable, dynamic, and just plain impressive!

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Upcoming Events

Registration is now open for the following programs and events. Did you know? You can now view a list of individuals registered for all our events! Visit the SMPS Philadelphia website, and go to "Events" and "Event Registration List" in the dropdown menu. 

Never miss a registration deadline, get event reminders, and stay connected to all things SMPS Philadelphia, in real time! Sign up for text message alerts from SMPS Philadelphia! Text: SMPSPHL to 844-554-0960

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Membership

New Members
Shannon Hawley, CDR, PRC 
Senior Recruiting Specialist, Hargrove Engineers & Constructors
Francesca Wallace, PCM
Owner, Blume Strategies
Kathrine Nash
Proposal Coordinator, Promatech, Inc.

Anniversaries

January

February

Judith Bernicker, 40
Rebecca Custer, CPSM, 10
Danielle Donnelly, 9
Vincent Farese, PE, LEED AP, 23 
Jake Fried, 3
Marlea Harris, 1
Richard Horstmann, CM, 17
Amanda Irwin, 5
Jaime Kacperowski, 3
Rachel Kenshalo, CPSM, 7
Kelly Kraemer, 1
Cheryl Lam, CPSM, 3
Kimberly Latona, 5
Jessica Matase Slattery, 12
Rebecca Moyer, CPSM, 11
Afton Pascal, CPSM, 13
Daphne Perry, 17
Jeffrey Pintof, 1
Lori Piscopo, PE, 8
Christina Tedeschi, 3
Natalie Troxell, 1

Brian Abbate, 1
Noreen Bertinelli, 1
Denis Brennan, 4
Corey Bright, 1
Richard Carbone, Assoc. AIA, 11
Laura Clevenger, 17
Matthew Ferguson, 10
Alexandra Fritz, MBA, 9
Jonathan Goldberg, CPSM, 13
Christina Haahs, 10
Nicole Healy, CPSM, 9
Cody Lowry, 7
Allison Mohr, 1
Vayda Monroe, 1
Catherine Palumbo, 11
Ashley Price, 1
Lisa Radigonda, Assoc. DBIA, 15
Rachel Skidmore, 1
Leslie Turchetti, 10
Kelsey Whalen, 5
Jaimie Wright, 7

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Education

Good luck to all of our Boot Campers and Chapter members taking their CPSM exams in March! We hope, with Practice, that you feel ready and empowered to Domain-ate! 

Let’s talk tech! SMPS Philadelphia is calling for presenters for our 2024-2025 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!

Upcoming Tech Tuesday

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Job Bank

Did you know? You can promote your open marketing and business development positions on the SMPS Philadelphia website.

Marketing Manager | CosciaMoos Architecture

Submit your open positions to the Job Bank here!

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Sponsorship

Thank you to the following companies committed to being 2024-2025 Program Year Sponsors! Learn more about current sponsorship opportunities!

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