UNLV AMA Alumni
Gavin
2023-2024 Vice President of Case
Gavin is an accomplished leader with a strong passion for community involvement and service. Gavin holds a Bachelor's degree in Marketing and is currently a supervisor at Freeman, where he continues to excel professionally. Born and raised in Las Vegas, Gavin is a proud UNLV alumni who is deeply committed to giving back to his community. He regularly volunteers at a local food pantry, working to make a positive impact. Known for his kindness and generosity, Gavin is always eager to help others and contribute to causes that matter. His blend of professional expertise, leadership experience, and community spirit makes him a true asset to both his workplace and his city.
Candido
2022-2023 UNLV AMA President
UNLV AMA stands out as the highlight of my college experience, representing the shift from textbooks to real-world application. Our team’s case competition mirrored the collaboration that takes place in workplace projects, honing skills like strategizing analytics, and communication, which are now integral in my corporate role. Beyond skill development, UNLV AMA created a sense of campus community, connecting me with like-minded individuals and revealing the diverse aspirations of my classmates in the marketing filed. This experience significantly expanded my professional network and it gave me high hopes for the future of marketing. Since graduating, I’ve embraced the role of a process manager in a credit card company, where I get to contribute to our brand strategy. Continuing to evolve, I take online courses to stay up to date on marketing trends and am currently contemplating pursuing a master’s degree in the near future.
Zybrell
2021-2022 UNLV AMA President
UNLV AMA to me means a community to grow and develop as a young professional. My experience at AMA took everything I learned in the classroom and applied it to real life examples and experiences, with likeminded friends. I was able to grow in an environment that nurtures all the tools to be able to start my career on the right foot. Everything I learned I still apply in my career today as a Senior Project Coordinator at United Healthcare.
Meitra
2020-2021 UNLV AMA President
“I was the 2020-2021 UNLV AMA President and participated in the Cotton Incorporated and PODS Case Competitions. Prior to and throughout the pandemic, AMA gave me the opportunity to apply everything i was learning in my marketing classes to real-life scenarios and taught me the importance of using data to make informed decisions. AMA helped me create lasting friendships and memories while helping me build the foundation for my career. To me, AMA means community and engagement. Currently, I am a Merchandising Specialist on the Grocery Team at Sprouts Farmers Market HQ. At my job, I help support the team that determines what products to feature in our weekly and monthly ads and I work with vendors and brands to assist with negotiating funding for those ads and any associated displays. I also help determine what products we carry on our shelves.”
Tré Norman
Former Vice President of Membership
Joining UNLV AMA was one of the best decisions I made while I was in college. I got a chance to present as a member of the 2017 Case Competition team (eBay), and that experience alone was worth it. This Case Competition helped me as a student get a feel for what it would be like working on huge projects in the business world. It seems to me that the preparation is quite similar but the consequences are more significant. Although I didn’t have relevant job experience after college, the third-place finish in the Case Competition was something that set me apart from other applicants. I graduated in Spring 2017, and I am now a Product Marketing Lead for a financial services company. I perform several roles in my current position, including but not limited to, video content creation, content writing, offer setup and management, ad formatting and customization, and Google Ads management.
Francisco R. Rodriguez Fernandez
2015-2017 UNLV AMA President
What does UNLV AMA mean to me and what did I obtain from being a participant in the greatest organization at UNLV (“I’m just a little bias”). The AMA taught me too many skills to list, but among the most important are communication (presentation skills) and collaboration (working/leading diverse group of people). These two skills alone have provided me with an edge in the development and growth of my professional career. I firmly believe UNLV AMA provided me with tools no classroom or any assignment from a professor could have. At this current moment in my career I am working for Las Vegas Fire and Rescue as there Budget Analyst. Being part of UNLV AMA is like being part of a family, is it hard sometimes, is it fun yeah, will you ever regret it NO! So, don’t wait anymore and go JOIN!
Eli Atkins
2015-2016 Vice President of Case
I graduated UNLV in 2015. I was part of the main presentation team for AMA in New Orleans. I think for me AMA offered a good environment for connecting with other motivated people in the marketing sector. We were able to work with a few good mentor professors who guided us in the creation of a fully developed marking plan. Being able to use real life products and act as if our ideas were going to be used was fun and challenging. Aside from the educational component and the networking, spending time with my friends and colleagues during the trip was definitely a highlight. I would recommend AMA for someone who wants a fun compelling extracurricular activity.I’m not running a software company called solo.to. It’s a bio link platform for creators to share their links, music, social media, videos, and more all with one link.
Natalie Schibrowsky
Former President
UNLV AMA was one of the first times I was challenged during my undergraduate career in a meaningful way to be better and learn more. As a science major, I was immediately pulled out of my comfort zone and placed into conversations and discussions that were so out of my field I began to question what I could bring to these conversations and whether I should quit. To my surprise though, I was eagerly taught all of this new business jargon and the theories of marketing that were not too far from the data and approaches we take in science. I began to realize not only how similar our fields were, but the importance of interdisciplinary studies and how they are able to rapidly expand your understanding of different fields. My time in the UNLV AMA was not only some of my most formidable, but was some of the most impactful in developing a strong skill set that I would not have obtained from focusing solely on science. By being in the UNLV AMA I was constantly challenged, required to adapt, and had to think outside of the box. This has translated to being very successful in biochemistry as I have been able to think in unique, analytical ways to achieve results that would not be achieved otherwise. I have been able to learn so many new skills in a safe and welcoming environment from the UNLV AMA, achieve things I never thought possible, ie. presenting to Fortune 500 companies and becoming Marketer of the Year, and how to translate/present difficult topics in more approachable and understandable ways. I can confidently say, that without UNLV AMA I would not be where I am today and will always be eternally grateful for the experiences, connections, and lifelong friends that I garnered because of the UNLV AMA. Since graduating, I have obtained my Masters in Chemical Sciences from the University of Pennsylvania and my Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles both in Biochemistry. I am currently looking for postdoctoral fellow positions and applying for national funding opportunities.
Kevin Saldana
Former Vice President of Advertising
The UNLV AMA has helped me tremendously in my career. It gave me the opportunity to nurture my passion for graphic design and exercise it on a larger stage. This pushed me to put out my best creative work and, with much collaboration, our team won 2nd place in the VitaminWater Case Competition. After UNLV, I joined a nationwide consulting firm in San Francisco, transitioned to Creative Director at a marketing agency, and recently ventured out to start my own design studio. Definitely recommend getting involved and investing time in your professional development!
Danny Baldwin
Former President
Being a part of AMA is more than just marketing – it’s about building lifelong skills and friends.AMA teaches you how to be a better community leader, communicator, and thinker. During my time as a member, I was able to experience once in a lifetime opportunities, including working on amazing case competitions and business simulations.
Sam Venezia
Former Executive Vice President
Joining the UNLV chapter of the AMA was the best decision I made in college. The skills I acquired on the case competition team prepared me for the professional obstacles that I have encountered in my career. And the leadership experience I gained on the board as Vice President was invaluable. As a board member of the AMA I was presented with career defining networking opportunities. Since graduating from UNLV in 2017, I have grown as a marketer and a professional in Las Vegas. Today, I am the Marketing Manager for a global company in the casino gaming industry.
Jorge Lazcano
Former President
From my first meeting, the UNLV AMA has significantly influenced both my personal and professional growth. Through networking opportunities and participating in the annual case competition, I developed and honed my marketing skills. The competition provided a hands-on learning experience and allowed me to develop effective marketing strategies. Serving as co-president during my senior year was a rewarding experience that provided me with the skills that I use today as a Product Manager at Bluberi, a company in the casino gaming industry.
Phylicia Middleton
Former President
I had the pleasure of being a UNLV AMA member and President over 10 years ago. To this day, when any student or mentee asks for my advice on how to best prepare for a career in marketing, I point them to the AMA. My experience leading the chapter and participating in the case competition was the best preparation I had for solving real world marketing problems. I’m currently the Director of Marketing for Galaxy Gaming, Inc.