Meet the Board

President

Hayden Brooks is a travel enthusiast, pop culture guru and fashion junkie! By day, Hayden is the Division Director of The Creative Group and works with hiring managers to place specialized creative, digital and marketing talent throughout the Triangle and the Triad. When she’s not working, volunteering with the AMA or in the community, you can find her exploring the Triangle nightlife and looking for her next travel adventure. You can reach Hayden at hayden.brooks@baconstaging.com.

Immediate Past President

Hank is an author, speaker, podcast host and Sr. Manager of Client Success at iContact, a j2 Global company (Efax, PCMag, Mashable, IGN, Ziff Davis, Campaigner, and more). With a passion for all things digital and social, combined with more than 20 years of experience in sales and marketing, he has been dubbed the Digital Marketing Infotainer because he makes marketing fun and successful. You can reach Hank by emailing him at hank.hoffmeier@baconstaging.com.

President Elect & Vice President, Membership

Experienced B2B and B2C marketing and communications professional skilled in multiple disciplines. Strong background in healthcare, technology, tourism, edutech, market research, supply chain, public health, and non-profit sectors. Former VP and CMO of two startups. Director of Marketing for several companies and non-profits. Owned and operated a market research company (qualitative and quantitative). Former broadcast journalist and PR professional. Master’s degree from Northwestern University. President, vice-president and board member of a number of non-profit organizations. Have been VP of Membership and Board Member for the Chapter.

Chief Strategy Officer

Through building her career in PR, digital marketing and analytics, Misty focuses on end-to-end strategy based on extensive analysis, psychology, interpersonal communication and an insatiable desire to learn. Though marketing will always be her passion, she sees the industry aligning itself with the tech and data world more and more every day. As a result, she works alongside Data Scientists at PRA Health Sciences during the day, while fulfilling her creative passions through her freelance and philanthropic work at night. You can reach Misty by emailing her at Misty.Wilson@baconstaging.com.

Chief Financial Officer

Eric Megert lives in Southeast Raleigh by way of West Virginia.  He went to West Virginia Wesleyan College where he attained a BS in  Marketing, a minor in Economics, and his MBA.  Currently, he works at AppDynamics where he manages their global partner program.  In his free time, he loves to spend time with his wife Kelly and daughter Avery.  He also loves a chat over a cigar.  Eric is looking forward to serving as the CFO for the AMA – Triangle for the upcoming year.

Vice President, Community Relations

Jennifer Best brings nearly two decades of leadership experience in digital and demand marketing to her role as the Vice President of Marketing for AAE Speakers Bureau. Joining the AAE team in March 2020, Best was part of the organization’s coordinated and successful effort to shift product offerings to support virtual events in response to the pandemic.

Prior to joining the AAE team, Best managed high-performing digital marketing teams in both the healthcare tech and cybersecurity industries. Best began her career as an SBA-award-winning entrepreneur for her digital marketing agency, Lewis Web Creations, where she helped hundreds of small, home-based, and non-profit businesses with online marketing and web design services. She received her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Delaware.

Vice President of Communications

Brian is a speaker, syndicated blogger, podcaster, and a sought-after guest expert featured in Entrepreneur and Inc., magazines, With over 850 episodes, his show  “The Bacon Podcast”,  is ranked as one of the Top 100 Marketing Podcasts on iTunes, and was also recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of their top 35 business podcasts.

Vice President, Partnerships

Chuck Hester is a nationally renowned executive LinkedIn trainer and speaker who helps clients get the most out of LinkedIn. He works with organizations to help them build Corporate Social Responsibility programs and build brand equity with the communities they serve. Chuck is also Co-Founder of the Pay it Forward Tuesdays Initiative, and the virtual marketing agency, A Purpose Partnership. To reach Chuck, email him at chuck.hester@baconstaging.com.

Vice President of Programming

Kelly is an innovative brand marketing leader with over 10 years of experience in content marketing, go-to-market strategy, public relations and event marketing and execution. She is currently Senior Director of Corporate Marketing at Adwerx, an adtech startup that delivers automated advertising solutions to real estate and mortgage professionals.

When she’s not working or volunteering, she is spending time with her husband and two kids enjoying the many family-friendly activities across the Triangle.

Vice President of Employment Services

Known for her contagious enthusiasm, Sarah Finnerty loves live theatre and music, traveling, and laughing with friends. She is Client Director at Kelaca, a local talent acquisition and advisory firm working nationally. She grew up in Houston, studied theatre at Austin College, and has lived in 13 cities in 9 states.

Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Value Proposition: Results-oriented executive consultant helping organizations increase revenue, reduce expenses, and improve efficiencies. Accomplished with experience in operations management, P&L oversight, multi-service product lines, and inbound and outbound marketing strategies involving both emerging to small and mid-size business organizations. Demonstrated success in cash flow acceleration, streamlining workflows, and process redesign. A decisive leader with proven success in new market identification, lead generation, and strategic positioning for multi-million-dollar organizations and small businesses. Excels in demanding environments while remaining pragmatic and focused.

General Counsel

By day, John-Paul is a lawyer with Schick Law PC, which focuses on business law and commercial real estate. He reads and drafts a lot of contracts and helps clients buy, sell, lease and operate businesses and commercial properties. John-Paul is also a life coach with Schick Life & Leadership Coaching. He partners with people who are committed to creating their destiny. By night, John-Paul lives in Durham with his wife, Stacy, and their two sons, Xander and Sebastian. His degree in philosophy is from Davidson College, his law degree is from UNC-Chapel Hill, and his formal coach training was through Accomplishment Coaching. Born and raised in Venezuela, John-Paul is fluent in Spanish. And he is an avid rock fan, with an emphasis on 1980’s metal. You can reach John-Paul by emailing him at john-paul.schick@amatriangle.org.

Chief Operations Officer