In late October, PPAI brought together a hand-picked group of young industry talent for the first ever Emerging Leaders Conference, held in conjunction with the annual Leadership Development Workshop.
Among the attendees of ELC 2023 were this year’s PPAI Rising Stars, who were selected from a record field of 170 deserving nominees. While the professional development content for the Rising Stars was distinct from the content for LDW, holding the two events in parallel was more than purposeful, and LDW attendees – mostly regional association executive directors and board members – were challenged to tap these young leaders and others like them to help steer the industry toward its brightest future.
This year’s 12 honorees, selected for their accomplishments, leadership and service, join nearly 200 industry Rising Stars named through the program since its beginning in 2010. Many past recipients have gone on to claim C-suite roles in their companies and serve the industry as key volunteers.No doubt, this year’s Rising Stars will continue to make the promotional products industry stronger.
Quinn Bui, 35
Owner/Multi-line Rep
n9ner Marketing
Riverside, California
Emily Codner, 40
Director, Affiliate Services
iPROMOTEu
Millbury, Massachusetts
Mykayla Goodwin, 33
Vice President of Strategy
OrderMyGear
Dallas
Katie Grimes, 31
Account Executive
Red Promotions
Temecula,California
Maddie Hardy, 30
Senior Account Manager
Whitestone Branding
San Diego
Simi Kasakwe-Welsch, 29
Public Relations Specialist
American Solutions for Business
Starbuck, Minnesota
Alex Paschal, 27
President
Warwick Publishing
St. Charles, Illinois
Kathryn Peach, 28
Senior Account Manager
Promotional Source
Toronto
Nadav Raviv, 40
Senior National Account Executive
GBS
Nashville, Tennessee
Tori Thomas, 32
Director of Marketing
BELLA+CANVAS
Costa Mesa, California
Katie Whitehead, 39
Director of Marketing
HALO
Sterling, Illinois
Chelsea Williams, 32
Owner & CEO
Spark Branded Solutions
Nashville, Tennessee