Program Strategy

MADE Internship Program

While at the ANA I led strategy for MADE, a national program which rethinks how the marketing and advertising industry assesses and recruits talent.

Moving beyond school-specific recruiting, this program recognizes that great talent is everywhere and cultivates a diverse talent network across universities, disciplines and geographies. Landing your dream job should not be about who you know, but who you are.

I approach talent acquisition as a marketer would, understanding the needs, wants and motivators of both the hiring managers and candidates. My ability to cultivate a strong brand and establish a robust talent community have been central to the MADE Program’s success.

Exceeding my 2021 stretch goal, I more than doubled the number of candidates hired through the program, which attracts thousands of diverse candidates every year. I’ve vetted and selected hundreds of high-caliber candidates with a focus on diversity for the world’s top brands, ad agencies, media companies, and consulting firms including: IBM, Bain & Company, Mastercard, The New York Times, McCann Worldgroup, NBCUniversal, L'Oréal, Publicis Groupe, Johnson & Johnson, TikTok, ViacomCBS, VaynerMedia, Dentsu, FCB Global, Horizon Media, DDB Worldwide and Visa.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

As a thought-leader of recruitment, I’ve presented to Chief Marketing Officers and Talent Acquisition leaders about our DE&I strategies and introduced MADE as a tool to recruit diverse talent.

Instead of GPA or school ranking, we focus on traits and characteristics that will likely lead to future industry leadership positions, such as critical thinking skills, enthusiasm and passion. In fact, we recruit from hundreds of schools nationwide and all majors, so that every student from every background & level of knowledge has an opportunity to join the industry.

The best part of my job is helping elevate diverse talent into the industry. In 2021, over 60% of MADE applicants came from diverse backgrounds and over 70% of MADE interns hired were diverse. Through our unique and rigorous recruiting process, diverse talent naturally rises to the top of the candidate pool. My ultimate goal is to diversify the pipeline of talent into organizations and provide an equitable & consistent point of entry for students interested in the industry.

MADE Online

In 2020, the early-talent recruiting landscape was upended by the COVID-19 global pandemic. Students with internships lost them, students without internships lost all chances of getting one. The industry lost its connection to the talent pipeline.

In the span of a few weeks, I responded to the challenges facing the MADE Program, students, and the industry by developing MADE Online, a talent network and virtual community. This new initiative enables MADE to engage with and support over 1,200 students annually while continuing to build the brand, scale the program and strengthen our talent pipeline.

Key components of the program include:

• A web series featuring industry leaders including the Chief Research Officer at Wunderman Thompson & the Chief Marketing Officer at Fandom

• Virtual case competitions in partnership with IBM & Clorox enabling students to access real data and solve challenges faced by todays’ brands

• A mentor match program establishing valuable connections between hundreds of students and marketing executives

• An online, on-demand marketing course resulting in certification

• Portfolio and website reviews with creative recruiters