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For our member spotlight, Julie Kost, FSMPS, CPSM, sat down for a virtual chat with us to share what it means to be an SMPS Fellow. Julie is marketing manager | associate at Schmidt Associates.<\/p>\n
Could you please share what it means to you to become an SMPS Fellow? <\/strong>It\u2019s incredibly meaningful. SMPS has been a constant in my career\u2014a place where I\u2019ve grown, led, and built lasting connections. Becoming a Fellow isn\u2019t just a recognition of what I\u2019ve done; it\u2019s a chance to give back in a bigger way. It means continuing to advocate for the role of marketing in our industry, supporting others through mentorship, and helping more people see what\u2019s possible in this profession. It\u2019s both an honor and a responsibility, and I\u2019m ready for both.<\/p>\n How do you see this designation changing or elevating your professional role? <\/strong>It gives me a stronger platform to share what I\u2019ve learned, contribute at a broader level, and be seen as a go-to mentor in our industry. At Schmidt Associates, I already have a seat at the table, but this reinforces the value of marketing in firm leadership and supports my long-term goal of becoming a principal. I also see it as a way to get more involved at the Society level\u2014whether through special initiatives, committees, or eventually the board. This designation helps me continue to lead with purpose while helping others see what\u2019s possible in this profession.<\/p>\n What would you like to accomplish as an SMPS Fellow as it relates to the Society or A\/E\/C industry? <\/strong>I want to help more people see the value of SMPS and the potential of a career in A\/E\/C marketing. Most students have no idea this path exists, so I want to start earlier\u2014connecting with high school and college programs to introduce the profession and help build a pipeline of future marketers. I also want to help chapters and the Society communicate the member journey more clearly. If we can show people where SMPS can take them, we can grow stronger engagement and retention. I\u2019ll continue to be a partner and advocate for my local chapter, and I\u2019d like to contribute at the national level\u2014whether that\u2019s shaping new programs, supporting member engagement strategies, or helping define the future of A\/E\/C marketing within SMPS.<\/p>\n How would you like to be a resource to SMPS members? <\/strong>I want to be a sounding board, a mentor, and someone who helps others grow into the kind of leaders they may not see in themselves yet. Whether it\u2019s one-on-one conversations, speaking engagements, or creating tools and templates, I\u2019m always looking for ways to give back and share what I\u2019ve learned. I\u2019d also love to help members map out a path through SMPS\u2014from joining a committee to earning a CPSM, serving on a board, and maybe even becoming a Fellow. I believe in this organization, and I want to help others find their place in it.<\/p>\n Any final thoughts? <\/strong>Get involved. That\u2019s the advice I give every member, because I\u2019ve lived both sides of it. The first time I joined SMPS, I didn\u2019t engage and dropped out after two years. But when I came back, I jumped in\u2014joined a committee, then the board, became chapter president, HRC co-chair, earned my CPSM, and now I\u2019m honored to be a Fellow. The difference was night and day. I learned more, felt more connected, grew my network, and made real friends. This community has so much to offer, but the value comes when you show up. I\u2019m grateful I did.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For our member spotlight, Julie Kost, FSMPS, CPSM, sat down for a virtual chat with us to share what it means to be an SMPS Fellow. Julie is marketing manager | associate at Schmidt Associates. Could you please share what it means to you to become an SMPS Fellow? It\u2019s incredibly meaningful. SMPS has been […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":52346,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[764],"tags":[929,147],"class_list":["post-52353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-member-spotlight","tag-julie-kost","tag-smps-fellows"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smps.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smps.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smps.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smps.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smps.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52353"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/smps.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52353\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52356,"href":"https:\/\/smps.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52353\/revisions\/52356"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smps.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smps.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smps.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smps.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}