Florida Atlantic’s AMA Students Cross Coasts for Growth, Connection, and Inspiration

Traveling with our American Marketing Association’s Co-Presidents, Liv Silamba and Zoey Clarke to the 7th Annual Women in Business Summit (WIB) at California State University, Chico, was a highly rewarding experience for both the students and for me as their advisor.

For the second consecutive year, Florida Atlantic AMA students were invited to the summit and hosted as guests of Chico State’s AMA chapter and Kristin Minetti, co-founder of WIB and Chico State’s business faculty and AMA Advisor.

This year’s summit, held October 19^th on the Chico campus, brought together over 120 attendees, including students, faculty, alumni, and community members for an inspiring event, filled with learning, networking, and celebration of the achievements and the future of women in business.

I had the honor of introducing the event with opening remarks and moderating two of the four breakout sessions covering topics on personal growth, imposter syndrome, AI and digital transformation, relationships, and brand-building.

Chico State alumni Suki Mann, a partner at Sensiba, kicked off the day with a powerful keynote, followed by Ashley Snyder, a Senior Manager at Salesforce, who shared actionable insights for personal branding. Other speakers included Amber Lowry, founder of Syssero; Jamie Keith, VP of Marketing & PR at Sierra Central; Joleen Kleinbach, Area Rental Manager at Enterprise; and Cheryl Delany, Sr. VP of Digital Marketing at Franklin Templeton Investments. Each of these leaders generously shared their journeys, challenges, and advice, leaving all of us inspired and motivated.

Our students learned from these impressive speakers, connected with the Chico State AMA chapter’s board members, and created valuable relationships for their future.

“It was an incredible experience to gather with women of all walks of life to exchange insights and ideas that will cultivate my career growth. Together we are forging paths and breaking barriers empowering each other with our own unique stories.”

~ Zoey Clarke, AMA FAU Co-President

The summit also featured a Career Fair, providing students with access to prospective employers and career advice from companies sponsoring the event, including Cintas, Syssero, Enterprise, CED, and the Chico State College of Business.

As I reflect on this second year of traveling with our students to the WIB Summit, I’m immensely grateful for the opportunities to attend, for AMA Chico State’s warm welcome, and for Kristin’s dedication to supporting women in business and to collaborating with Florida Atlantic as their cross-continental AMA colleagues.

“This collaboration between the two universities and their respective American Marketing Association chapters exemplifies a strong commitment to uplifting and supporting each other's growth and development.”

~ Kristin Minetti, Co-founder, WIB

The WIB summit and the community it has gathered and empowered is strong, growing, and filled with hope for the future. I am honored to play a part in it and have our students participate.

-FAU-