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Marketing Advisory Council


The Marketing Advisory Council’s mission is to help provide highly qualified marketing graduates to regional employers. To this end, the MAC works directly with UNF faculty, advisors and students to provide valuable experiential learning—from informational interviews to internships. The MAC supports specific programs, such as the Honors in Marketing program. In addition, MAC members advise on the relevance of the overall marketing program of study and specific aspects of the curriculum in today’s business landscape.

Organizations

For-profit and not-for-profit companies alike are members of the Marketing Advisory Council. All member organizations regularly hire marketing professionals and all individual members are hiring managers or above who are experience and prepared to provide advice to our students. All members are willing to provide occasional informational interviews to Honors students to help students learn more about the member's industry, skills, or career. Member organizations may also offer Case Projects and provide internships. To schedule an informational interview with a MAC member, email marketing.honors@unf.edu.

 

Headshot of Josh Lusk wearing blue colored shirt with blurred background
Headquartered in St. Augustine, Cause Inspired Media is the world’s largest Google Ad Grant service provider managing more than $80 million in Google ad spend on behalf of more than 560 non-profits. Cause Inspired works directly with the Google Ad Grants team and is trusted by organizations like the United Nations, National Academy of Medicine, VolunteerMatch, Google.org, and many others.

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Community First Credit Union
Deanna Silvey
Product Marketing Manager
Named "Credit Union of the Year" (2020) by the League of Southeastern Credit Unions, Community First Credit Union of Florida is a state-chartered credit union based in Jacksonville serving anyone who lives or works on the First Coast. Community First is one of the 10 largest credit unions in the state, serving more than 155,000 members and with assets of $2.3 billion. Community First has 19 branches- including one on the UNF campus. A not-for-profit, Community First is a full-service financial institution offering banking, loans, mortgages and investments for consumers and businesses across the First Coast. 

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Concepts in Focus, RD Team
Mary Pat Julias
President
One of the area’s leading marketing research firms, Concepts in Focus has testing facilities in Orange Park as well as Limerick, PA offering a broad set of full set-qualitative and quantitative research methods along with specialties including sensory marketing research.

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Crowley Maritime Corporation
Jackie Gonsalez
VP, Business Development
Crowley is a privately held, U.S.-owned and operated global logistics, government, marine, and energy solutions company headquartered in Jacksonville. Providing supply chain solutions and consultative services to some of the largest companies in the world, Crowley is exponentially expanding our capabilities and growing our organization to support the vastly changing global supply chain. Technology, data and predictive analytics are a driving force behind our expansion of services, daily operations and company transformation.

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CSX
Casey Wagner
Director of Marketing
Headquartered in Jacksonville, CSX is a leading supplier of rail-based freight transportation in North America. CSX covers the eastern US with 20,000 miles of track and access to 70 ports.

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Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens
Joanna Blinn
Director of Communications and Marketing
Founded in 1961, the Cummer serves 150,000 visitors a year and holds more than 5,000 pieces in its collection including seven special collections. The Cummer has three formal gardens with a centerpiece live oak estimated to be nearly 200 years old.

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The Doyle Group
Nick Doyle
CEO
TDG is a health and wellness centric, full service marketing agency that provides data-driven strategies to drive results. We propel growth through the planning, execution and analysis of multi-channel marketing campaigns.

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Empowerment Resources, Inc.
Elexia Coleman-Moss
Founding Executive Director
Empowerment Resources, Inc. (ERI) is a private, nonprofit organization located in Jacksonville founded by Elexia Coleman-Moss. ERI’s meets its mission—to make children and families stronger and empower them to be successful leaders in the community today, for a better tomorrow—through programs for children and parents.

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Fanatics, Inc.
Kimberly Frye Alula
VP, Global Inclusion & Innovation
Fanatics is the global leader in licensed sports merchandise, with Fanatics, FansEdge, Kitbag, and Majestic brands providing multi-channel commerce for the world’s biggest sports leagues, major media brands, and more than 200 collegiate and professional team properties. Fanatics seeks to offer experiential learning primarily to students from an ethnic minority.

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Firehouse Subs
Melissa Lee
Director of Digital Content
Firehouse Subs' piping hot sub-sandwiches can be found in more than 1200 franchised and corporate locations in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. The Marketing Team supports the growth of the brand and the business via a focus on brand marketing, digital content, digital guest experience, field marketing, and media. From leading research for new national menu items to creating social media content to developing hyper-local efforts to support single locations, the Marketing Team uses a blend of digital, data, creative knowledge, and media experience to continue to propel Firehouse Subs' success. 

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HC Brands
Bryan Croft
CEO
HC Brands is a leading e-commerce retailer who specializes in designing and manufacturing personalized products ranging from personalized gift such as address stamps, cutting boards and drinkware to business products including signs, nametags and desk plates. All products are sold through a range of digital marketing channels, including ten boutique .com websites as well as leading e-commerce marketplaces such as Etsy, Chewy, and Amazon.

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Mark Stevens
EVP, Chief Growth Officer
High Reason is an analytical + creative marketing communications agency that helps brands find the right answers, faster – with a constant eye toward ROI. Based in Jacksonville, Fla., the agency takes an integrated, calculated approach to deliver seamless programs that intersect the customer journey when and where it matters most, with efficiency. We provide a wide array of services, including research, strategy and planning; digital marketing; branding and creative; media planning and buying; and public relations, content creation and social media.

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Jacksonville Business Journal
Sara Leutzinger Pomposo
Publisher and Market President
The JBJ is a business-oriented paper and website that publishes Jacksonville region business news. Owned by American City Business Journals, JBJ is one a group of 44 publications nationwide.

Headshot of Adam Chaskin wearing suit with blue tie with a framed picture behind him
The JCA is non-profit community center affiliated with the Jewish Federation and Foundation of Northeast Florida, the United Way of Northeast Florida and the Jewish Community Centers of North America. The JAC contributes to the continuation of Jewish life and all people within the Jacksonville community, as well as providing a common meeting ground for everyone, and enhancing the quality of life for all segments of the community to strengthen family life.

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Kessler Creative
Dina Kessler
President
Formed in 2007, Kessler Creative has since then grown to become one of the leading providers of direct marketing services to clients nationwide. Every day, Kessler Creative offers results-driven marketing solutions to marketers, entrepreneurs, franchises, and small & medium businesses that are focused on targeting their ideal consumers with creative, engaging, and effective mail campaigns.

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Operation New Hope
Amanda Mahan
Chief Communications Officer
With over 24 years of experience providing job readiness training and reentry services in Florida, Operation New Hope is a leader in the field. Our Ready4ReleaseReady4Work, and Ready4Success programs improve reentry and employment outcomes by creating opportunities for people to become productive, responsible citizens after involvement with the criminal justice system. We build stronger communities through strategic partnerships with local businesses, community-based organizations, workforce alliances, educational institutions, and the judicial system. Our programs save Florida taxpayers millions of dollars by reducing recidivism, improving public safety, reuniting families, and encouraging self-sufficiency. 

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RF-SMART
Jodi Nuszkowski
Director of Business Development
Founded more than 40 years ago, RF-SMART has cross-industry expertise in managing data on product inventory tracking and movement identifying the what, where, who, when and how long for every item. They help customers increase inventory and order-picking accuracy to nearly 100% while improving productivity, reducing inventory levels, lowering costs, and improving customer service.

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Robin Shepherd Group
Kristen Benjamin
Vice President, Client Services
Founded in 1984, Shepherd is a full-service Jacksonville and Atlanta ad agency provides advertising, design, digital marketing, and public relations in Atlanta, Jacksonville, Orlando, Charlotte, Chicago, New York, Toronto, France and more.

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SCORE
Frances Fisher
SE Regional Director
SCORE is a national service organization that supports small businesses nationwide with a network of over 11,000 volunteers operating in 340+ local chapters around the country. The Jacksonville chapter provides advising in accounting, consulting, distribution, financial planning, franchising, human resources, marketing, operations, publishing, retail sales, strategic planning, sales, consumer products, Internet, technology, and nonprofit management, and doing business with the government.

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TOTE
Heather Alves
Marketing Director
As an industry leader in transportation and logistics, TOTE Group is part of the Saltchuk family of companies, it was built to better serve our customers by connecting our full ship services and technical solutions with maritime operations and terminal services.

TOTE Group oversees independently managed subsidiaries in the Maritime, Terminals, and Services lines of business and TOTE Resources our shared services provider. The TOTE Group companies are dedicated to providing service excellence under the shared values of Safety, Commitment and Integrity. Our purpose is to deliver reliable and superior service to our customers and to the communities we serve.


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UNF Marketing
Isabel Pease 
Associate VP, Marketing & Communications

UNF Marketing and Communications is responsible for promoting and protecting the University’s brand to ensure a strong and consistent identity among all stakeholders. Similar to an agency structure, the office consists of media relations, web and digital services, social media and marketing and supports UNF's mission and strategic goals through integrated and unified messaging. UNF Marketing and Communications provides marketing support for departments and units through graphic design, photography and videography, as well as university-wide guidance and oversight for marketing and promotion. The office is located in Alumni Hall, Building 60. 


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May Chiu
Senior Director, Marketing
Founded and headquartered in Jacksonville in 1984, Venus is a fashion, lingerie and swimwear e-commerce business with customers throughout the US and Canada. Venus is owned by the German multi-channel retailer Bonprix. 

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VyStar Credit Union
Jonathan Hanson
VP of Marketing Strategy and Member Engagement
VyStar Credit Union is the second largest credit union in Florida, serving more than 825,000 members with assets totaling over $12 billion. VyStar membership is open to anyone who lives or works in the 49 contiguous counties of Central to North Florida, 26 Georgia counties and past and present military members and their families all over the world. VyStar is a full-service credit union offering exceptional rates on loans, mortgages, checking, and deposit accounts for both consumers and small businesses.

 


Executive Members

Executive members are individuals who have at least 10-years' experience in marketing or related business areas and have committed to mentoring Honors students through UNF’s Executive Mentor Program. To request an Executive Member as a mentor, email marketing.honors@unf.edu.

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Henry Ferris
Executive Member

Henry has 25+ years' experience in traditional retail and e-commerce marketing with Sears, The Home Depot, Winn-Dixie, and Venus Fashion. He specializes in brand marketing partnership marketing / sponsorships, loyalty marketing and advertising.  Henry also received his J.D degree from Wake Forest University and is a member of the South Carolina Bar Association.


Headshot of Greg Gutkowski wearing black blazer and blue collared shirt with gray background

Greg Gutkowski
Executive Member

Greg is a bestselling author and has over 30 years of multidisciplinary global business experience spanning marketing, sales, and IT management, as well as Internet software development, and advanced data analytics. He advises businesses on Internet technologies and teaches business analytics and digital strategies at the University of North Florida Coggin College of Business. 

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Kristen Majdanics
Executive Member

Kristen was the Senior Vice President of Marketing for Firehouse Subs where she led a team of 27 marketers focused on product development, brand strategy, traditional and digital media, field marketing, social media strategy, loyalty programs, and digital guest experience. She joined the brand in 2008 as a Manager of Brand Marketing. Her time at Firehouse Subs spanned the brand's growth from a regional sandwich chain to a national brand. Before joining Firehouse Subs, Kristen held various roles at public relations, advertising, and design agencies in Kansas City and Chicago. During her agency years, Kristen worked on clients ranging from Hostess Twinkies to the U.S. Army.

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Haim Shternshus
Executive Member

Haim is a data analytics leader with experience both as an analyst and a manager. He has a proven track record of success in using data to drive business decisions and enable users to easily interact with their data. Haim is passionate about data visualization and is a busy data-literacy speaker in conferences and meetups.  Haim is also the founder of the Kaplan Tableau User Group. In addition, he enjoys mentoring students and helping them develop the skills they need to successfully transition from academia to the work-world.