WBA x AMA Marketing Panel

Today, the American Marketing Association (AMA) combined with the Women in Business Association (WBA) to welcome a panel of marketing professionals who participated in a Q&A with the clubs! We were joined by Sarah Leonard, Amy M. Taylor, and Sarah Lodder.

About Sarah Leonard

Sarah works as a LAUNCH Analyst at Hilton Hotels. She graduated from the University of Maryland in 2023 with an undergraduate degree in Operations of Management and Business Administration and participated in the +1 program for a Marketing Analytics mastery degree. She worked at a hotel in Barcelona before she transitioned to another position with Enterprise Analytics, as well with Hilton. However, in September 2025, she transferred to her current position as a LAUNCH Analyst with Hilton.

About Amy M. Taylor

Amy works here at the University of Maryland as the director of advertising and digital marketing at the Smith School Advertising Agency. She started her career as a Financial Analyst at Trow Price, but soon discovered that she didn’t love financial planning. She has one child and commented on her husband’s remark that, “having kids didn’t age her, but that degree program sure did”. However, this intensive program paid off, as she now works with the Smith website, advertises through agencies and internationally, and works with Smith School rankings.

About Sarah Lodder

Sarah is a brand manager who works with eCommerce throughout Bazooka Brands. She graduated from the University of Maryland in 2020 with a dual degree in international business and marketing. She wasn’t able to make it to our in-person meeting because she lives in New York City to work for Bazooka Brands, so she joined us virtually. She works with experimental candy products where she develops new branding, flavors, and marketing strategies for popular candies such as Ring Pop, Juicy Drop, and Bazooka Gum.

After introducing themselves, the three professionals participated in an engaging Q&A, led by the executive board of the WBA.

Q: How do you balance creativity with data-driven decisions?

A: “I do it on a daily basis and absolutely love it!” (Taylor)

Taylor responded that she does it all the time, through optimizing campaign landing pages, getting customers to submit inquiries, developing taglines, and product rotation. She mentioned how, currently, the Smith School is getting lots of engagement from people in Utah, which leads her to decide why they are so engaged and how to hone that engagement. Leonard commented that it is important to show what your brand represents and make sure it comes off unanimously across the country. She mentioned her brand’s big campaign around happiness, launching in March, which requires working with teams that work with a combination of creativity and data that pulls the campaign together. Lodder works consistently with her agency team in order to help educate consumers about products being released. She looks at where her brand is from a sales perspective. To “put puzzle pieces together” (Lodder), uses a balance of creativity and analytics in creating campaigns, such as purple Ring Pop flavors that lean into the popularity of the K-pop Demon Hunters movie.

Q: What skills or tools do you recommend students to start working on now?

A: “Use the tools available to you to streamline your job, not to hack your job” (Taylor)

Leonard began the discussion with the importance of having the drive to learn. She explained how corporate atmospheres are team-driven, and if you come in willing to learn or try new things, you will find success. Taylor’s input involved the importance of customer relationship management (CRM), especially in the marketing field. She then turned the conversation into a discussion over the efficient use of AI. She finds it important to use AI to spark ideas, shorten mindless work, and promote overall workplace efficiency. However, the use of AI for other purposes will become apparent, and you should stray from using it in that regard. Lodder added that regardless of your field, students should learn how to be efficient in using Excel, as it is important in analyzing, organizing, and justifying data.

Q: How did you secure your first marketing-related internship or job?

A: “HireSmith!” (Leonard)

Leonard opened the discussion by explaining her experience clicking through employers that want Smith students on HireSmith, as it helped her gain a full-time job after graduation. Taylor continued that she was lucky in gaining her position, but to build networks early on and find what sets you apart from other applicants. Lodder gained her first internship in 2019 after applying everywhere she could. She encouraged students to just keep applying, even though it is easy to get discouraged. She also emphasized the number of opportunities offered through the Smith School and how they can be very helpful in gaining experience that allows you to be experienced and seen in the professional world.

Q: What is something you wish you had known before you started your first full-time role?

A: “Fail fast, fail cheap, and get back in the game” (Taylor)

A: “Throw your head in the ring, wherever you are” (Lodder)

Leonard began with her experience with imposter syndrome in her first role. She advises students to be aware that they will be uncomfortable starting their first position, but that it is completely normal. Taylor added that you will fail, especially in marketing and advertising, but it will be okay, and we are all human. Lodder concluded by adding that if you desire to learn about anything within your company, just communicate. If you are curious and willing to put yourself out there, “you might be surprised at what you end up getting” (Lodder).

Q: What advice would you give to students who are struggling to get their first role?

A: “When you’re in college, get to know as many people as you can” (Leonard)

“Just keep hitting the pavement, do not settle” (Taylor)

Beginning the discussion again, Leonard answers that networking with your peers will help you to remain connected in important roles in the future. Taylor added that networking with peers and faculty is crucial, especially for entry-level marketing positions. Although taking opportunities is important, Taylor reminds students that their entry point will shape their career, so choose something you enjoy. In addition, Lodder explains carving a niche for yourself, so you stand out. She advises students to remain vigilant for opportunities while remaining fluid with their growing and developing industry.

Q: What is one piece of advice you would give to women hoping to thrive in business after graduation?

A: “Be confident in yourself and you will go as far as you can imagine” (Leonard)

“While you’re out there, don’t drag other women down” (Taylor)

“Remember to be human”, “Work-life balance is very important” (Lodder)

After sharing these impactful pieces of advice, the floor was opened up to the WBA x AMA members. Leonard shared how her experience with the +1 Masters Program at UMD helped to bridge the gap between the analytic nature of her undergraduate major, OMBA, with the creative aspects of her Marketing graduate major. Taylor shared that, to stay creative in her role, she takes time with design teams and photographers to bounce ideas off each other and gain creative visions. Lastly, Lodder shared her experience with Bazooka Brands’ involvement in marketing using big upcoming movie releases such as Zootopia 2 and Wicked.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer marketing-related questions with us! And thank you to the WBA for collaborating with the AMA to make this happen!

-Helena Malcom