Behan Team Member Honored for Marketing and Advocacy

Congratulations to our colleague Brooke Manrique, who led a team that has just earned national and state awards for a high-profile marketing and advocacy campaign.

Brooke created the “Be The Change For Kids Campaign” during her time with the New York State School Boards Association. The campaign has been honored with the Thomas A. Shannon Award for Advocacy from the National School Boards Association and the 2012 Empire State Society of Association Executives Excellence in Marketing Award.

“Be The Change For Kids” spotlighted the risks to public education caused by the combination of declining revenue; soaring payroll, pension and benefits costs; and redundant services. It called for action by parents, educators and taxpayers to control spending and search for innovative means to improve efficiency and results.

“These awards reflect the outstanding work of many people, especially your efforts in planning and executing the project,” NYSSBA’s Deputy Executive Director, Rita M. Lashway, wrote to Brooke.

This is the creative, strategic leadership and results that set Brooke apart from many capable people in our profession, and why we are thrilled, on behalf of our clients and those who will be, to have Brooke on our team.

Brooke joined our firm as a Senior Project Manager in August. She served as Asia Pacific Marketing Manager for Intelsat, a Washington, D.C.-based global provider of satellite services, and as Director of Marketing for the national Association for Financial Professionals in Bethesda, Md., before joining the state School Boards Association in Albany. There, as Deputy Director of Marketing, she spearheaded all marketing efforts for the 5,000-member organization, including promotion, marketing research and analysis, and brand management.

Brooke earned an MBA in Marketing and International Business from the University of Maryland. She is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., with a degree in International Relations and Russian Area Studies.

— Mark Behan