Meet SMPS Connecticut's 2022/2023 Board of Directors
Posted by Marta Dabrowski on Aug. 24, 2022 / SMPS CT / Subscribe 0
Meet SMPS Connecticut's incoming 2022/2023 board of directors and learn more about their journey with SMPS !
- JULIA DEFRANCES | 2022/2023 President | Senior Marketing Coordinator, BL Companies
- DANA LEE | 2022/2023 President-Elect | Senior Proposal and Content Management Specialist, Tighe & Bond
- MARTA DABROWSKI, CPSM | 2022/2023 Immediate Past President | Marketing Manager, WSP USA Inc.
- CAITLIN PORTER | 2022/2023 Director | Marketing Coordinator, WSP USA Inc.
- HANNAH SULLIVAN | 2022/2023 Director | Marketing Coordinator, Standard Builders, Inc.
- MARIE PROTOMASTRO PATEL | 2022/2023 Director | Director of Marketing, Redniss & Mead | Founder, Girl On The Ball Solutions LLC
- CYNTHIA COLÓN (she/her/hers) | 2022/2023 Director | Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator, Centerbrook Architects and Planners
- KATELYN BIRGE | 2022/2023 Secretary | Manager of Business Development and Administration, Sustainable Engineering Solutions, LLC
- CHRIS ABEL | 2022/2023 Treasurer | Membership Director, Associated Builders and Contractors of CT
JULIA DEFRANCES | 2022/2023 President | Senior Marketing Coordinator, BL Companies
Julia DeFrances has worked in the A/E/C industry for almost ten years, and has been a member of SMPS since 2013 – both as a student and as a professional member. Throughout her time in SMPS, she has served as Committee Chair, Treasurer, President-Elect, and now President. In 2021 she received the Trailblazer Professional Achievement Award from SMPS Connecticut. As a Senior Marketing Coordinator at BL Companies, Julia is able to combine a love of creating with a passion for writing by developing communications collateral, proposals, articles, award submissions, and more.
" It’s no surprise that I first heard about SMPS through my mother, Cathy Vittorio. As a two-time past president herself, she has always encouraged me to get involved with SMPS."
"SMPS CT has so many amazing, talented, and dynamic volunteers and members; I am beyond humbled and excited to be able to work with them on our Chapter Initiatives this year!"
"I’ve gotten so much out of SMPS, it’s hard to list them all – career and professional development, education and experience, an expansive network, life-long friends – I could go on and on about how much SMPS has given me. It’s truly an organization that gives back ten-fold what you put into it, and I can’t imagine where I’d be if I hadn’t become a member!"
DANA LEE | 2022/2023 President-Elect | Senior Proposal and Content Management Specialist, Tighe & Bond
Dana Lee is a Senior Proposal & Content Management Specialist with Tighe & Bond where she works closely with technical staff in the preparation of proposals and qualifications, in addition to marketing and communications content development. Dana first started in the A/E/C industry in 2001 with a firm in New Haven, CT. After having the opportunity to work with various firms around the country, she is happy to be back home where she first got started. When she’s not working, she can be found spending time with her family, including her two dogs, Olive and Rocky, as well as reading, writing, and gardening.
" I got involved with SMPS CT when I first started in the industry in 2001 with a small firm in Southern Connecticut. My boss at the time was and remains an integral part of SMPS Connecticut and she encouraged me to join. Since then, I’ve moved around the country and have been involved with other chapters, but there is nothing like being back with SMPS Connecticut. "
"Build your network – it’s a small community and the connections you make will last a lifetime. Things often come full circle in this industry!"
"Meeting new members, connecting with the old, and the chance to work with my peers to plan some amazing events. I’m loving getting back to in-person events again!"
"Lifelong friends, mentors, invaluable knowledge, and connections that have lasted my entire career."
"Learning all I can! I learn something new every single time I get together with fellow SMPS members. Being a part of the mentorship committee has really opened my eyes to the fact that we all have so much to learn from each other – no matter where we are in our careers."
MARTA DABROWSKI, CPSM | 2022/2023 Immediate Past President | Marketing Manager, WSP USA Inc.
Marta Dabrowski, CPSM has more than 10 years of experience in the A/E/C industry. She is a marketing manager and specializes in coordinating teams to create winning proposals for major pursuits. She is the immediate past president of SMPS Connecticut and has been an active member since 2014. Marta has previously served as the Communications Committee chair as well as Director. In 2017, she was the recipient of the SMPS CT Grace Waldvogel Member of the Year award for her contributions to the chapter. She has also served as the co-chair of the Communications Committee for the SMPS Northeast Regional Conference.
"I joined SMPS Connecticut in 2014. Being new to the A/E/C industry, it was a great opportunity to gain knowledge to advance my career as well as to network and develop connections. My first event was the 2014 annual strategic planning retreat and I joined a committee that same day - the rest is history! "
"Volunteering with SMPS Connecticut has been instrumental to my growth as a marketer. Serving as president, being on the board of directors, as well as chairing the communication committee has helped me develop my professional and leaderships skills."
"As the immediate past president, I’m excited to apply all the lessons learned from the past year and to support the incoming board. Our chapter has a remarkable group of volunteers that continue to amaze me with their dedication, creativity and skills. I can’t wait to see what we’ll accomplish next program year!"
CAITLIN PORTER | 2022/2023 Director | Marketing Coordinator, WSP USA Inc.
Caitlin Porter, CPSM has worked in the A/E/C industry for eight years, coordinating the successful completion of hundreds of architecture and engineering proposals for private and public sector clients. She is a communicator first and foremost, and she thrives on the challenge of navigating the occasionally tricky situations that arise when technical and marketing team members come together to reach a common goal. As a marketing specialist, Caitlin uses her organizational and interpersonal skills in tandem every day to make the best use of her team members’ time, energy, and expertise. When she isn’t working on proposals, Caitlin is an active member of SMPS CT’s Education and Communications Committees, and she looks forward to joining the board as a director and co-chairing the Communications Committee in the upcoming program year.
"I’m always looking for opportunities for continuing education, and every year comes with a whole new lineup of programs that aren’t just industry-specific, but are also easily accessible and attended by lots of my favorite people too!"
"In addition to helping me become a more effective marketing professional, SMPS has provided me with so many opportunities to grow as a leader and be part of a community of like-minded peers. I wouldn’t trade my time spent serving on the communications and education committees for anything."
"I can’t imagine my career in A/E/C marketing without SMPS. It’s been the perfect complement to the skills I’m developing at work every day, and I look forward to many more years of education, relationship building, and fun!"
HANNAH SULLIVAN | 2022/2023 Director | Marketing Coordinator, Standard Builders, Inc.
"I got involved in SMPS early on in my career, I had several people in the industry tell me if there was a group to get involved in, this was the one to be in. So I jumped right in, got involved, and am so thankful I did!"
"One of my favorite events, to date, is actually the first SMPS event I went to! I attended the Julie Brown networking presentation. This was a perfect event to start at, she gave so many useful and practical networking tips, that I still use to this day."
"I thoroughly enjoy being a part of planning the events. I look forward each year to being able to help collaborate with so many talented people in the industry, and work together to put on educational events for everyone. We always have a blast doing it!"
"There are so many things I have learned in SMPS, I could not list them all! Simply just working alongside so many talented, hardworking, fellow marketers has taught me so much. I am so thankful for SMPS and the people in it, I have grown so much in my career in the few years of being involved in SMPS!"
"I hope to continue to learn from the SMPS events, and people around me as I am rising in my career, but I also look forward to a future of helping others who are new to the A/E/C industry, and helping them like so many helped me when I first joined the industry."
MARIE PROTOMASTRO PATEL | 2022/2023 Director | Director of Marketing, Redniss & Mead | Founder, Girl On The Ball Solutions LLC
Marie is a marketing specialist with over twenty-five years of professional services marketing experience including eleven years of experience in the A/E/C industry. Marie’s career has been focused on developing her marketing knowledge and networking to build her sphere of influence. Before Marie’s career at Redniss & Mead, she worked as Communications Specialist for IBM and as Marketing Manager for several professional services firms. She currently dedicates her time to both Redniss & Mead and to clients at her own fractional marketing management firm, Girl On The Ball Solutions.
"As soon as I checked out the mailer that was sent to Redniss & Mead, I knew I needed to be a member! I had been working as a team of one in my current role for 5 years and was excited to learn about the existence of a professional society of marketers in AEC – I had finally found ‘my people’!"
"My favorite SMPS events have been the socials which I had been directly involved with planning as a member and then as co-chair of the programs committee. I had gotten involved to expand membership and bring programs to Fairfield County. We had planned a golf social – and then COVID happened - so we pivoted to virtual and got creative – we “Traveled to Hawaii”, we were “Mad Men Marketers” and we hosted fireside chats in front of real fireplaces in the featured guests’ homes! The creativity from the minds of these committee members has been astounding!"
"Now that we are having in person events, I enjoy getting together and getting to personally know the members I’ve met and networking with members I have not met yet."
"Volunteering with SMPS CT has been fun! I appreciate the many events that have been opportunities to meet extraordinary marketers. Because I am a marketing department of one in a firm of AEC professionals, I now have a fabulous network of colleagues. This year I will continue as Co-Chair the programs committee and have been newly elected to the board of directors, both roles help further develop my professional and leadership experience."
"I hope to continue to have fun and build more relationships with this wonderful cohort! I also hope to help bring valuable learning programs to our members and further develop my marketing expertise from the many SMPS educational and mentoring programs."
CYNTHIA COLÓN (she/her/hers) | 2022/2023 Director | Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator, Centerbrook Architects and Planners
As Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator of Centerbrook Architects and Planners, Cynthia is engaged in all things marketing, combining writing expertise, design sensibility, and project coordination to lead publicity efforts. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in professional writing, she joined the A/E/C industry in 2019. Since then, Cynthia has been recognized for expeditious growth as a marketing professional and her notable contributions to SMPS. She has served as Secretary on the Board of Directors, received the 2020 Trail Blazer Award, and is an active member of the Communications Committee and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Taskforce.
"After graduating college, I landed a job at an architecture firm. Almost immediately, the marketing director at the time suggested I join. It became obvious that SMPS was the place for marketing professionals in the A/E/C industry, though, to my surprise, not exclusively. I’ve seen SMPS become a resource for marketing and technical professionals alike, in and out of the A/E/C industry."
"Collaborating! We have an incredible Board of accomplished professionals and a wonderful, dedicated group of volunteers. I look forward to working with these great minds to discover new ways we can promote diversity, equity, and inclusion and continue to extend our reach beyond what we thought was possible. I’m continuously amazed by what we accomplish. "
"Guidance, support, confidence, community. I owe a lot of my growth as a marketing professional to SMPS. Being a member and volunteer has given me countless opportunities to hone my skills, meet and connect with truly remarkable people, and become an integral part of something bigger. "
KATELYN BIRGE | 2022/2023 Secretary | Manager of Business Development and Administration, Sustainable Engineering Solutions, LLC
Katelyn Birge is the Manager of Business Development and Administration at Sustainable Engineering Solutions. She made the leap from the insurance industry to A/E/C in 2017. Katelyn wears many hats, from HR and Payroll to proposal writing and market research. She enjoys exploring Connecticut with her boyfriend and three dogs, and watching social strategy shows like Big Brother and Survivor.
"A colleague recommended SMPS to me. At the time, my role had just expanded to include marketing and business development responsibilities. Being new to the industry and role, I needed a resource to help me learn and grow. SMPS was the perfect fit!"
"Betty Hackney's Adobe workshops are the best! Yes, we're all obsessed with the cute puppy pics, but she also provides incredibly engaging and relevant content. I'm never bored, and I always learn several new things."
"To my biggest surprise, I've gotten some new friends out of SMPS! In an organization made up of competitors in the A/E/C industry, I never thought I'd find so many people I can confide in and can reach out to whenever I need advice, need to vent, or just want to share some exciting news."
"I'm excited about my new journey on the SMPS CT board. I hope to learn more about what's involved in making our chapter great so that I can contribute even more to our growth and outreach."
CHRIS ABEL | 2022/2023 Treasurer | Membership Director, Associated Builders and Contractors of CT
Chris Abel is the Membership Director for the Connecticut Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. (ABC), the Treasurer on the Board of Directors for SMPS Connecticut, and the Co-Host of The Real Estate Roundtable Podcast. Since 2018, Chris has grown ABC membership to a chapter high and has maintained 92% retention, while directing and administering the association’s marketing efforts. Prior to joining ABC, Chris managed territories throughout the northeast in the post-secondary education space where he maintained relationships with over 200 high schools. As an experienced public speaker and broadcasting professional, Chris delivered workshops and presentations to thousands of students with an emphasis on the importance of careers in the construction industry.
"My first introduction to SMPS came from seeing social media posts shared by few members who are also involved with Associated Builders and Contractors, where I am the Membership Director. This opened up more conversation with people like Nichole Peterson and Jessica Parkins."
"Shortly after doing some research and speaking with a some other members, I decided to attend the Win More Work Summit in 2019. WMW was great! There was good energy, plenty of familiar faces, but even more new people to meet and network with. I joined SMPS shortly after."
"I became a member of SMPS to continue networking and learn more while networking. I consider myself more of a non-traditional marketing professional, meaning it is part of my job, but not the main objective. SMPS programs allow me to constantly grow and learn more about marketing while supporting my industry peers."
"I have been able to naturally establish new relationships with so many true professionals in the industry, but more importantly so many of them are just good people."
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