Barb Carr is the Senior Manager of Brand Licensing & Business Development at Hallmark, where she brings a dynamic career history spanning telecommunications, healthcare, and consumer products. With more than a dozen years of dedicated service on the board of the American Marketing Association Kansas City (AMAKC), Barb has been a steadfast advocate for marketing excellence while also embracing life’s personal milestones—becoming both a wife and a proud mother to her son.
Barb holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Kansas and earned her M.B.A. from Durham Business School in the UK, where she spent a transformative year immersed in international study. Her leadership extends beyond the workplace and AMAKC into the community, serving as Chair of the Children’s Ministry Council at her church, Co-chair of Advent Health’s 2026 Living in Vitality event, and Co-chair of the Fetal Health Center Patient Family Advisory Council. She also contributes as a member of the NICU Patient Family Advisory Council at Children’s Mercy Hospital. Outside of her professional and volunteer commitments, Barb finds joy in traveling, crafting, gardening, reading, and playing the piano—activities that reflect her creativity and love for lifelong learning.
Maris Hammons is the Director of Marketing & Communications for the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN), where she leads marketing strategy for the organization’s certification programs that span the emergency nursing spectrum. With a background in healthcare marketing that began in 2019, Maris brings over a decade of marketing experience across agency-side client service, public relations, graphic design, event management, retail marketing and other verticals.
Born and raised in Overland Park, KS, Maris attended Notre Dame de Sion High School and the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Henry W. Bloch School of Management and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies.
She now resides in Parkville, Missouri with her husband and their three dogs. She loves to travel and enjoys doing so frequently for her job, but when at home, she likes to listen to audiobooks on trail walks, dining al fresco at one of Kansas City’s many great eateries when the weather allows, and shopping (especially for vintage/antiques, books and candles).
Maris joined the AMAKC Board of Directors in fall 2025 and looks forward to amplifying the incredible resources and opportunities this organization offers for marketing pros in the KC metro.
Jordan is an Account Manager at SJC Marketing, where she oversees client accounts, coordinates marketing campaigns, and ensures the seamless execution of strategies. She excels in organizational skills, building client relationships, and driving results through data-driven analysis.
Jordan holds a Bachelor of Science in Speech Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations from Missouri Western State University. Her commitment to excellence in both professional and community spheres makes her a valuable asset in any role.
She started volunteering with AMAKC and helped support the former communications chair.
Her dedication extends to community involvement, including serving on the board for Big Brothers Big Sisters St. Joseph and Missouri Western State University's Alumni Association, as well as volunteering on her worship team and women’s ministry at Grace Calvary Chapel.
Susan J. Campbell is the head of SJC Marketing, a full-service marketing, communications and content company offering strategic solutions for organizations seeking to have their voices heard in crowded markets. Susan is a professional writer and consultant, with expertise in marketing, communications, content creation and strategy. A graduate of Missouri Western State University with a core focus on marketing, and the University of Missouri, Columbia with a Master’s in Strategic Communications, Susan is a St. Louis native who found herself married to a farmer.
Susan is also active in the local community, serving on a number of boards and committees, including the Missouri Western State University Foundation Board, the Craig School of Business Advisory Council, Rotary International and now the AMAKC board. When not working with her team or her clients, Susan tries to use her marketing skills to convince her grown children to move back to the Midwest. She has a 50% success rate to date.
Brian’s inolvement with the AMA is extensive, having served two terms as President, a variety of Director and VP roles, and ongoing mentoring/training of new Board members. He enjoys helping AMAKC fulfill its mission of education by engaging marketing/business students and educators with the professional community.
Brian is a Professor of Marketing as well as Director of Undergraduate Business Development at Avila University.He teaches both in the undergraduate and MBA programs and advises all Marketing majors. His research/teaching areas are Marketing Research, Marketing Strategy, and Consumer Behavior.
Vince started his boutique consulting firm (VVV Consultants LLC) on 1/1/2009, after working for Saint Luke’s Health System of
Kansas City for 16 years; Blue Cross Blue Shield of KC for 2 years and Tillinghast Tower’s Perrin Actuarial Consulting for 2 ½
years. While with Saint Luke’s Hospital of KC -Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in March of 2003, Vince was co-lead for
Cat 2 - Planning and Cat 3 -Voice of Customer. Vince teaches undergraduate, MBA, MHA marketing & health classes 15% of
his time (since 1988) at Avila and/or Webster University and consults the remainder.
Specifically, Vince facilitates strategic planning, creates proven business/marketing plan tactics & measures, facilitates/creates
IRS-aligned Community Health Needs Assessments, conducts both qualitative & quantitative development research, and
coaches new CEOs to lead.
Vince is a farm kid from Bondurant, Iowa, married, and resides in Olathe, KS. Vince graduated from Central College Pella, IA
with a BA (1978) in Business Management and has his MBA (1988) from the University of Northern Iowa. During off time, Vince
enjoys Chiefs Football, Royals Baseball, Saturday morning pick-up basketball at age 70+, walking, and boogie golf.
Olivia is responsible for project fulfillment and management, marketing, market research, and business development at VVV
Consultants, LLC. She provides project management support for Community Health Needs Assessments, Provider Manpower
Assessments, and Strategic Planning. Olivia previously served as a Social Media Coordinator. In this role, she managed the
organization's social media accounts, developed, and executed comprehensive social media strategies, composed, and
designed the monthly newsletter, and supported concert day preparations and event planning
Olivia is from Olathe, Kansas. In her downtime, she enjoys playing pickleball, walking her dogs, golfing, and engaging in various
outdoor activities. She is passionate about fitness, finding joy in both the physical and mental benefits it brings. Olivia graduated
from Emporia State with a BS in Communications and Marketing May 2024.
Jodi has been a marketing professional in the Kansas City area for over 25 years. She has experience in both the agency and client side of the business within various industries. With a passion for communication and cross functional leadership, she has worked at hometown iconic brands like Hallmark, Houlihan's Restaurants Inc. and SHS/Signal Theory. She holds a Communications degree from Wichita State University.
Her community involvement includes serving on the board of EPNKC and volunteering at Relentless Pursuit Outreach Recovery (RPOR) and Joy Meadows. You should also know she is an avid (sometimes maybe TOO avid) sports fan.
Miu Edlin is the founder of Miuze Marketing, a boutique digital agency serving clients across the Kansas City and St. Joseph areas. As a digital specialist with over 5 years of experience, she’s passionate about helping businesses grow through strategic marketing, social media, branding, and web design. Miu holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Business Management, as well as an MBA from Missouri Western State University. She has been an active member of AMAKC for the past two years and currently serves on the board. When she’s not working on client campaigns, Miu is managing her most important team member, her ornery toddler, Leon, who proudly holds the title of Snack Distributor at the agency and takes the role very seriously.
Sam is a seasoned financial professional with a track record of delivering strategic insights and driving value across a range of industries. He currently serves as a Senior Financial Accountant at Epiq Global, a leading legal and compliance services platform that integrates people, processes, and technology, where he plays a key role in financial reporting and analysis for complex global operations.
Before joining Epiq, Sam held roles at Ascend Learning, an education technology company based in Leawood, Kansas. There, he focused on financial reporting and performance metrics, helping leadership make data-driven decisions. Sam began his career at Service Management Group in Kansas City, MO, where he gained hands-on experience across the full accounting cycle—building a strong foundation in both operational and financial accounting.
A licensed CPA in the state of Missouri, Sam holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Accounting and Finance from Kansas State University, along with a Minor in French. Beyond his financial expertise, he is fluent in both French and Spanish—skills that have helped him thrive in increasingly global business environments.
Passionate about community and education, Kaila volunteers as the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Library Telescope Program, promoting scientific literacy and astronomy outreach, and supports local marketing professionals through her involvement with the American Marketing Association’s Kansas City chapter. She lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where she enjoys hiking, kayaking, stargazing, thrill-seeking vacations, and spending time with her son Reece, daughter Ryann, and German Shepherd, Ari.
A marketing communications and Brand strategy expert, Yolanda’s experience ranges from B2B and B2C corporations, advertising agencies and multicultural marketing firms. She has a strong passion for strategy, creative campaign development and team leadership. Her niche specialty area is multicultural marketing and the influence of diversity, equity, and inclusion within organizations. She created Villegas Marketing in 2021 to collaboratively build client solutions that ensure equitable, measurable, and sustainable outcomes.
Yolanda holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration and Marketing from the University of Central Missouri and a Master of Marketing degree from Baker University. During those college years, Yolanda held several leadership positions within AMA and the National Society of Hispanic MBAs. Raising a family took her away from those opportunities but she is now very excited to rejoin the AMA board and contribute ideas and energy into the Kansas City chapter.
Alma Azuara currently works as a Sr. Marketing Manager at T-Mobile focused on B2B. In this role, she's responsible for the comprehensive Base Marketing strategy for Small Business customers, working closely with business sales, business sales operations, marketing operations, digital, and customer care to execute marketing plans and strategic initiatives. Previously, she a Multicultural Marketing Manager at Sprint focused on Hispanic initiatives for both Consumer and Business customers.
Alma is passionate about marketing, education and giving back to the Kansas City community. She serves on the American Marketing Association of Kansas City Board of Directors as the VP of Sponsorship and is also a Past President. She also serves on the Wayside Waifs Board of Directors (Finance Committee) and has been a volunteer of the Junior League of Kansas City, Missouri for several years and served as Marketing Director. When Alma's not working or volunteering, she enjoys being active with spin, barre classes and spending time with her pup, Finn.
Kaila Schmidt is an accomplished leader with extensive experience in telecommunications, having held senior roles at global companies. With expertise spanning B2B Sales, Product Marketing, Account Management, and Human Resources, she is known for driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and delivering exceptional customer experiences. She has spearheaded strategic initiatives, including launching a consumer-generated greeting card collection for Hallmark Cards, the first 4G network in the U.S. for Sprint, and leading IoT product marketing efforts that introduced Pepper the robot and the largest outdoor Wi-Fi network in the country. As Director of Account Management at T-Mobile, Kaila built a national sales organization focused on Fortune 1000 Enterprise customer growth, increasing annual revenue by 9% and surpassing net revenue targets for three consecutive quarters.
Passionate about community and education, Kaila volunteers as the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Library Telescope Program, promoting scientific literacy and astronomy outreach, and supports local marketing professionals through her involvement with the American Marketing Association’s Kansas City chapter. She lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where she enjoys hiking, kayaking, stargazing, thrill-seeking vacations, and spending time with her son Reece, daughter Ryann, and German Shepherd, Ari.