BELINDA VENTERS
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
KU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE-WICHITA
Why did you want to focus on marketing? Initially I wanted the opportunity to tell full stories and not just the highlights news stories required. That’s when I knew newspaper reporting wasn’t for me. I wanted to share the backgrounds of the people and the history of the organizations I worked for. I learned to enjoy the challenges of targeting audiences and finding the right mediums to reach them. Learning how to share the message in a feature story and also a Tweet was challenging and rewarding when they were successful. Marketing encompasses the wearing of multiple hats and that’s what makes it exciting every day.
What are your professional responsibilities? My team and I are responsible for coordinating basically everything one sees and hears publicly and internally about KU School of Medicine-Wichita. We manage print and digital advertising, social media, website, media releases, news conferences, media interviews, etc. We work with our internal departments helping fill their needs, which might include brochures and flyers, promo and exhibit items, newsletters, photography, special events, proofreading, etc. One of our favorite community partnerships is our 25-year connection with Park Elementary. We also are proud of the artists we highlight in our two galleries featuring them on First Fridays. And I can’t fail to mention our relationship with Exploration Place – who can resist sitting on the fart chair?
What has been your greatest professional challenge? I believe tracking and measuring marketing activities is a challenge especially when the goal is awareness. Normal things like widgets sold or dollars raised is easier to track. With a tight budget, one must get creative.
Who was your most important mentor and what was their best advice? I have been lucky enough to have multiple mentors and cheerleaders in my life beginning with my parents who always encouraged me to not set limits, and my husband and sons who support me even when I’m missing time with them. I am grateful for my high school and university journalism, English, marketing and editing faculty who guided me, but also gave me room to explore. Of course, I value the supervisors over the years who have had my back, gave me life advice and encouraged my professional growth. My colleagues in the marketing field – many of them honored in this category – make my team even larger and I appreciate being able to call on them with questions. Best advice? Here are a couple examples. Jump on tasks assigned during a meeting as soon as I leave the meeting. Nothing gets forgotten and it shows that the topic is my priority and that I respect those with whom I was working. Share bad news first when reporting to my supervisor – then it can be addressed, and a solution can be implemented now or a process can be developed to prevent it from happening again.
Best advice for someone who wants to be in marketing? Believe in the mission. Most of my employers over the years have been ones that support children or higher education – two things especially important in my own life. I have been able to share their stories with sincerity, compassion and conviction. However, we all know that sometimes we take a job because we need a job, so take the time to find something in that mission that resonates with you, your family or your community. Make it relevant to you and it will be relevant to others.