2019 AMA Leadership Summit

Kelly Leonard

Kelly Leonard is the Executive Director of Insights and Applied Improvisation at Second City Works, overseeing The Second Science Project with the Center for Decision Research at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. His book, “Yes, And,” was published to critical acclaim by HarperCollins. Kelly has spoken at Aspen Ideas Festival, Microsoft and TEDxBroadway and hosts the podcast “Getting to Yes, And” for WGN and Second City. For over twenty years, he oversaw Second City’s live theatrical divisions working with such talent as Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers, Keegan Michael Key and others.

Twitter: @KLsecondcity

Anita Puri

Anita Puri is executive vice president, group account director at Leo Burnett. Anita is a client business lead for Leo Burnett.

Prior to joining Leo Burnett, Puri most recently served as chief growth officer of Ounce of Prevention Fund, where she was responsible for leading the marketing, innovation and development functions. As chief growth officer, she led brand identity and positioning development for both Ounce and Educare brands, and the resulting creative and integrated campaigns for multiple programs. She also introduced two new products, increased private funding year on year through audience expansion and micro-fundraising strategies, and developed new cause marketing partnerships.

Prior to the Ounce, Puri was senior vice president, marketing at Digitas where she led various B2B and B2C clients, including Miller-Coors and Kraft. She also held leadership roles at PepsiCo. where she led the Quaker Equity and the Consumer Insights & Strategy teams.

Nneka Carrie Ude

A strategist by nature and designer at heart, Nneka Ude is a highly versatile marketer and tech enthusiast who has spent the last 16 years connecting the dots between people, brands, and culture for brands like Stella Artois, Maker’s Mark, CenturyLink, Coca-Cola, and Barefoot Wines. In 2017, she founded Welcome To THE PATH, a media startup and digital community exploring the impact and influence of the African diaspora in the areas of business, entrepreneurship, tech and culture – in the U.S. and around the globe. 

A Chicago native and longtime Bronzeville resident, Nneka holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an MBA in Marketing/International Business from Loyola University Chicago as well as a Digital Marketing Certificate from DePaul University.

Angela Pih

Angela is a growth accelerator, brand whisperer and creative marketer who specializes in fast-paced companies, to bridge business challenges with marketing solutions.  With a focus on premium lifestyle brands ranging from beauty, fashion and luxury, Angela is a global marketer who is sought after to spearhead strategic and creative initiatives that energize brands and drive business results.  Angela is attuned to developing collaborative and multi-disciplinary team successes to forge lasting results.  Having lived on three continents and traveled to over forty countries, Angela believes there are universal truths that connect all of us and that we are more similar than we are different.  Currently the CMO of Halston, Angela has held numerous executive level leadership positions for multi-national companies and has mentored many future executives.

Rachel Miller

Rachel Miller works as a facilitator and designer of corporate workshops and performs live and on camera for Second City Works. With nearly 20 years of facilitation experience, she is also on the faculty of The Second City Training Center and does freelance work for BI Worldwide and August Jackson. Rachel received a Masters of Arts Administration from Indiana University and has worked for Walt Disney Creative Entertainment, Columbia Artists Management and The Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She worked in Amsterdam for 5-1/2 years at comedy theater Boom Chicago where in addition to performing she developed the improvisation and corporate workshop curriculum before returning to Chicago. A few of her favorite performing credits: Second City’s Improv All-Stars, guitar/vocal improv duo Vlad & Rachel, Second City’s National Touring Company, Breathing on Cougarness, BFF:DOA, freestyle-rapping at U2’s “Vertigo” European Tour Party and the 9 words she said on an episode of Chicago Fire. She also holds a Bachelor of Music Performance in Oboe from Indiana University.

Shad Kunkle

Shad Kunkle is an actor, improv comedian and communications professional with more than a decade of experience on stage and screen. He has performed with Chicago’s famed theater The Second City for more than six years, appearing in productions including “South Side of Heaven,” “What the Tour Guide Didn’t Tell You: A Chicago Revue” and “Sex in the Second City: iLove.” He also toured the country with Second City’s Blue Company. With Second City Communications, which works with more than 400 companies each year, he is a top trainer, facilitator, host and performer. Shad honed his craft at Comedy Sportz and IO Chicago, where he currently performs with long-running improv shows Carl and The Passions and the Armando Diaz Experience. He also does voice over and commercial work, appearing in spots for Walmart and Long John Silver’s, among others. Shad loves his wife, Kate, their daughters, Anna and Winifred, and their belligerently disruptive cat, Azul.

Angela Brutsché​

Angela has been involved in AMA for over a decade and served as president of the Austin, Texas Chapter of the AMA in 2011. She holds a Master of Business Administration from Texas State University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and English from St. Edward’s University. With experience in association management and a strong belief in the benefits that great associations like AMA bring to the community, Angela earned her Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation in 2009. 

Stacy Armijo

Stacy Armijo is Chief Experience Officer for Amplify Credit Union and a 15-year volunteer with AMA, currently as Chair-Elect of the Board of Directors. Dedicated professional, avid member of many boards and proud wife & mama, Stacy’s involvement in AMA has built her career and led her to some of her favorite people in the world.

Seth Green

Seth Green is the founding director of the Baumhart Center, an interdisciplinary center at Loyola University Chicago that equips Chicagoland leaders and students with the business tools to accelerate social impact. Green is also an executive lecturer in the Management Department of Loyola’s Quinlan School of Business, where he teaches courses on nonprofit leadership, social entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility.

Green joined Loyola after 15 years of leading institutions at the forefront of fighting poverty and expanding opportunity. Most recently, he served as executive director of Youth & Opportunity United (Y.O.U.), a Chicagoland nonprofit that prepares low-income youth for post-secondary and life success. 

Green currently serves on the Impact Investing Advisory Council of the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, on the Council of Advisors of Loyola Limited and as a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.

Russ Klein

Russell Klein has quarterbacked teams for many of the world’s foremost brand names—holding top marketing and advertising posts at Dr Pepper/7UP Companies, Gatorade, 7-Eleven Corporation, Burger King Corporation, and Arby’s Restaurant Group. As CEO for the American Marketing Association, Russ is charged with the transformation of the AMA to become the essential community for marketers.

Mihali Stavlas

Mihali Stavlas is the founder and CEO of Mellōnaid, an analytical and creative-driven agency in Raleigh, North Carolina. For the past 12 years at Mellōnaid, Stavlas has helped clients capture and recreate their brand’s story, build brand experience and online platforms by encompassing the full spectrum of all its touch points: identity, collateral materials, advertising, marketing, user experience and interactive media. In addition to overseeing Mellōnaid, Stavlas currently serves as President-Elect for AMA’s Professional Chapter Council and has been recognized by the marketing community as the 2015-2016 Triangle AMA Volunteer of the Year and a recent recipient of Triangle Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award in 2017.

Michael Perman

Michael Perman galvanizes teams and whole organizations to think and act differently, while helping them envision a future of prosperity and growth. Michael is the founder of C’EST WHAT? a mindful innovation firm based in San Francisco.

Under his leadership, people become better equipped to make strategic choices regarding where to invest their time, energy and resources for growth. Perman has extensive experience in leading C-Level and Board of Directors-level strategy sessions to establish a future path.

Perman believes innovation is the “ability to perceive alternative realities and the courage to act upon those visions.” His dynamic and creative presentations and workshops illuminate this concept and provides advice on how organizations can take action.

Peter Himmelman

With timeless albums like This Father’s Day and From Strength to Strength, Peter Himmelman won a permanent place in the hearts of countless rock fans. Now, the Grammy and Emmy-nominated musician channels his decades of experience in the creative arts to help companies build trust and resilience across their organization, fostering teams that are stronger, more innovative, and more engaged.

Himmelman is the founder of Big Muse, a creative consultancy whose clients include the Gap, Adobe, McDonald’s and other Fortune 500s. He’s delivered his interactive programs to senior executives and students at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. His critically acclaimed book, Let Me Out, systemizes and simplifies the often arduous challenge of turning an idea into a reality.

In addition to helping corporate teams across the U.S. access and unleash their own creativity, Himmelman continues to write and perform new music. His insights on innovation have been published in Forbes, Time and the Huffington Post.