Member Spotlight: Melissa Fors
Meet Melissa Fors!
Vice President of Marketing @ Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. Member since 2013.
Why did you decide to join AMA MN? To have a resource to learn about what’s new in marketing for myself and my team. It was important to me to have a forum that offered connections to peers also working in the marketing field. My organization has embraced data-driven marketing and that is something I learned from other organizations’ marketers!
Why is being a member of AMA MN important to you? First and foremost I want to support marketers in Minnesota. I want to see our talent grow and be recognized. I love that we have such a vibrant community. What’s also important to me is to learn from others. I regularly read the blog and attend events. I appreciate that there is typically a recap of events if I can’t make it. I regularly share events and articles with my team – it’s a great resource for marketers in Minnesota. Another benefit of being a member of AMA MN are the resources you also get from the AMA nationally. I love their publications and I’ve even spoken at their non-profit conference in the past.
What’s one of your favorite AMA MN events and why? I have enjoyed the marketing leadership panels to learn from my peers what’s working for them at their organizations and in their careers. People may not realize you can get best-in-the-nation quality of speakers at a local event in the Twin Cities!
What’s the one thing you wish others knew about AMA MN? What makes it unique? I think we all know Minnesota is home to some amazing and diverse companies – AMA MN is no different. We have members that represent all sorts of organizations and I really enjoy learning from them and their industries. I may work in healthcare but most marketing trends cut across industry verticals. I’m still amazed at the diversity of members and all of the talent!
What is some of the best advice you’ve received in your career? From a marketing perspective, quite a few years ago I worked for a marketing leader that encouraged me to focus on the analytical side of marketing vs the creative. That’s really where marketing has gone – today marketing is so data driven – its a blend of the art AND the science! It was great advice back then and still is today! From a general career standpoint, its to advocate for myself since no one else is going to do that for me. Being a lifelong learner and taking advantage of all the AMA has to offer is part of self advocacy!
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I am an avid reader and since I have a long commute I listen to lots of audio books. I love historical fiction but also read a lot of leadership and branding books. One I’m recommending right now is “The Ride of a Lifetime” by Disney CEO Robert Iger. It’s a fascinating book about his career and is filled with leadership lessons. Another one I’ve gifted to women quite a bit is “How Remarkable Women Lead”. I also study Japanese as a hobby and travel and play golf with my husband.
Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn!
