Students Turn to EF

Students Turn to DMAW/EF for Employment Opportunities and Guidance

by Marilyn Liebrenz-Himes

DMAW/EF efforts continue to focus on helping connect students with direct marketing employers in the mid-Atlantic region.

The annual George Washington University Women in Business (GWWIB) Conference held in early April was attended by more than 300 students (women and men). With graduation approaching, employment and professional development were topics of high interest and the conference drew standing-room only attendance. Student questions continued even after the presentation.

As panel members, four members of DMAW/EF’s Board of Directors were on board to put students in touch with future employment and professional improvement opportunities. George Washington University marketing professor, Marilyn Liebrenz-Himes organized the panel titled, “Digital and Social Media.” Speakers and EF Board members on the panel included Liz Murphy, EVP & Partner, Beaconfire RED; Katy Jordan, now Vice President of Account Management, Nonprofit, PMX Agency; and Courtney Lewis, Vice President of Client Services, Chapman, Cubine, Hussey. Brandy Swimeley, Vice President of Integrated Marketing, Defenders of Wildlife, served on the panel also.

The GWU Conference augments such DMAW/EF programs as Mentor-for-a-Day, which provides interested students with the chance to visit a direct marketing organization. Companies and organizations participating in this program have provided selected students with “red carpet” visits to their direct marketing facilities with a focus on providing a broad spectrum of positions and opportunities. Many of these visits have led to internships and subsequent job offers.

The DMAW/EF annual Professor’s Institute continues to be held in early January each year. Crammed with speakers and updates, this two-day seminar provides professors with current marketing developments. As a new benefit introduced this year, professors who attend also are eligible to receive and pass along to students direct marketing job offers published in the DMAW newsletter.

The DMAW/EF Collegiate MAXI program continues to offer students a unique case competition. In order to involve as many students and schools as possible, the current Collegiate MAXI competition has evolved to an oral case competition format. These oral case competitions take place in both the fall and the spring semesters. Representatives of the sponsoring organizations are invited to be part of the judging panels for the competitions, creating yet another connection between students and possible future employers. The 2018 case organizations included The Sierra Club, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and AARP.

Dr. Marilyn Liebrenz-Himes is a professor of global marketing, in the Department of Marketing, School of Business at The George Washington University, in Washington, DC. Her key courses include Marketing Management, Marketing Strategy, International Marketing, and Services Marketing.