OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Great work does not happen in isolation – and our board members take this truth to heart. The following individuals serve as senior-level chapter leaders, volunteering their time and expertise to keep AMA Philadelphia a strong marketing partner in our region.
Matt Roberts
President
Mr. Roberts is Senior Corporate Marketing Manager for Astrix, Inc., the market leader in dedicated digital transformation, specialized staffing, and professional services for science-based enterprises and government agencies. In this capacity, he helps create and drive messaging, positioning, market analysis, and sales enablement for the corporate brand and its growing array of professional services.
Prior to his current role, he was Principal Consultant at Swiftward, a consultancy providing strategic planning, market penetration, share expansion, customer acquisition and engagement programs for clients in the biomedical and life science research equipment, healthcare, pharmaceutical, nutritional, and personal care products sectors.
His career spans the breadth of the medicine lifecycle, from developing investigator intranets enabling early phase research by academic institutions and commercial clinical research organizations (CROs), to the development, marketing, professional educational programs for clinicians and patients. He brings to each project award-winning experience with emerging, established, and blockbuster brands.
He served as Vice President for National Sales & Marketing for Quip Laboratories, a leader in biosafety and facility hygiene products. He was Senior Consultant at marketing consultancy MJRC, Vice President of Product Development & Marketing for InfoMedTek, a producer of SaaS products for the clinical care sector, and Director of CenturyLink’s National Healthcare Solutions Center that produced HIT solutions for hospitals, clinics, and medical offices nationwide.
Mr. Roberts developed his firsthand insights into clinical patient care in the Marketing departments of a staff model HMO, a community hospital, and a Utilization Review/Medical Case Management firm.
Currently serving his fourth term, he is also a past President of the American Marketing Association’s (AMA) Philadelphia chapter, which previously awarded him the AMA’s Marketer of the Year Award for excellence in both Customer Specific Marketing and Corporate Branding. He has served as a judge for other AMA chapters’ awards, and guest lectures in both Marketing and Market Research at Philadelphia-area universities.
Mr. Roberts is a graduate of The George Washington University and earned a graduate Certificate in Product Marketing Management jointly awarded by Saint Joseph’s University – Erivan K. Haub School of Business and the American Marketing Association’s Philadelphia Chapter.
Jenna Armato
Executive Director
Jenna is a John Maxwell Certified Growth & Success Coach. She joined the John Maxwell Team in 2017 with the mission to facilitate growth in the lives of others. Jenna coaches, individuals, businesses and non-profit organizations in Leadership Development, Growth & Resilience, and Effective Communications. She works with clients virtually and in person to equip them with tools, training and strategies to uncover and identify opportunities for growth and create new results in their lives and their organizations. As a DISC Certified Consultant, Jenna helps people leverage awareness of behavioral styles of themselves and others to strengthen connection, collaboration, and communication in every area of their lives at home, at work and in the community. Prior to becoming a certified John Maxwell Team member, Jenna spent 20 years working in the advertising and marketing industries, developing relationship, content and engagement strategies both online and offline. She combines her passion and expertise in growth facilitation with her extensive marketing background and often provides Thinking Partner sessions for businesses and non-profit organizations. Jenna is a John Maxwell certified Coach, Speaker and Trainer, a DISC certified Consultant, and a Licensed teacher through the Empowered Living Community.
Jenna serves as the Executive Director of the Philadelphia American Marketing Association, she serves on the Board for the TriCounty Community Network, (TCN), and the Board of Trellis for Tomorrow. Jenna also serves as the Leadership TriCounty Director for the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce, a Faculty Member for the Empowered Living Teaching Team, she serves on the Executive Coaching Team for Paul Martinelli, Co-Founder of the John Maxwell Team, and is a charter member of the WomenWillpower organization. Jenna serves on the President’s Advisory Council for the John Maxwell Team Marketing Solutions Group.
Jim Thompson
VP, Collegiate Relations & Engagement
Jim is an Assistant Professor at the Temple University, Fox School of Business in Philadelphia. He teaches Marketing and International Business courses and has led immersion classes to France and Denmark. Jim is also an advisor to the AMA Chapter and responsible for business outreach for the Marketing department. He has hosted Marketing and Consumer Insight events at the school which included senior executive speakers and panel forums. He has also arranged job fairs where students had the opportunity to interact with line managers from Marketing and Consumer Insight firms.
Prior to teaching at Temple, Jim worked in Marketing related companies. From 2000-2010 as the global CEO, for Ipsos ASI, a leading Advertising and Communications Research business. Before that he was an executive at the Marketing Research firm IRI for 14 years, and in Brand Management and Sales Management at Quaker Oats for 10 years.
Jim obtained his BBA at Temple University in Philadelphia.
He can be reached at: jim.thompson@temple.edu
Sharon Aitcheson
VP, Membership
With over 20 years of marketing experience, Sharon Aitcheson is currently working as a Sr. Account Manager at a branding agency located in the Philadelphia area.
Leveraging her extensive expertise in multi-media communications, integrated and direct marketing, Sharon has a record of achievement as a brand management professional that places her among the leaders in her field.
Ms. Aitcheson holds an undergraduate and graduate degree from the Pennsylvania State University. She served on the board of the Philadelphia AMA for five years including two as its President and was an adjunct professor at Cabrini University for two years.
In her down time, Sharon looks forward to traveling and experiencing different cultures and the beaches of the world. Her philosophy: Live life in the hyphen. What happens in between is all that matters. Make the most of the hyphen.
Ms. Aitcheson likes to shape young minds through mentorship. Her advice to young marketers: Be a sponge. Learn as much as you can from everyone you meet. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.