SIU AMA representatives claiming recognition at the recent AMA International Collegiate Conference in Chicago included, left to right: Jason Thompson, Jade McCalla, Ian Pearcy, Christie Mitchell, Chase Flowers, Paige Bisping and Josh Thompson. Photo provided
April 02, 2026
SIU's American Marketing Association student chapter takes top worldwide honors
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s American Marketing Association chapter launched its 70th anniversary in grand style by winning several top worldwide honors at the recent AMA International Collegiate Conference in Chicago.
From among more than 200 collegiate AMA chapters worldwide, SIU’s student group earned recognition among the Top 10 Small Chapters. In addition, they won second place in the Marketing Week Competition and earned a “commendable” ranking in the international Case Competition, placing them among the top 40 chapters worldwide. Several SIU students also competed admirably in live contests.
“These achievements highlight the dedication of our students and chapter to teamwork, innovation and real-world marketing application,” said Christie Mitchell, marketing instructor and AMA adviser. “The ongoing efforts of these students and their preparation for this conference are truly impressive.”
Accolades earned
Nearly 1,900 people, including almost 1,500 students, attended the conference representing more than 150 AMA chapters. SIU’s Top 10 Chapter Award was in recognition of the extensive annual report submitted that detailed all the chapter’s projects and activities during the past year.
“Winning the Top 10 Small Chapter recognition is a tremendous honor and a goal we set at the beginning of the year,” said Paige Bisping, the AMA chapter president and a senior marketing major from Peotone, Illinois. “Each student contributed to making this year overall and at the conference such a big success. I’m very proud to lead such an outstanding group.”
Highlights of SIU’s award-winning activities and report include:
- Being chosen as the registered student organization of the year for the College of Business and Analytics from more than 20 groups.
- Seeing all the most recent graduates from AMA placed in careers or graduate school upon graduation.
- Extensive volunteerism activities for worthwhile causes on- and off-campus.
- Setting and reaching the goal of increasing membership and implementing a new online system to track membership involvement.
- Increasing external and social network communication.
- Fostering inclusivity and diversity.
- Hosting numerous professional development workshops, networking events and guest speakers.
- Hosting a successful second annual Marketing Week celebration. Among the special activities that week was a presentation by Allen C. Shelton, an SIU alumnus who is the chief executive officer and co-founder of the Chicago-based digital marketing and visual storytelling firm Narratent Digital Marketing, utilized by such notable companies as BET Meda Group, Dove and Gilette. Networking receptions, a trivia night, Marketing U – which connected students with industry experts and successful entrepreneurs – and other activities were also held.
The Marketing Week celebration in October earned SIU second place among 51 small chapters competing internationally, and their “commendable” ranking placed them among the top 40 chapters globally.
“Marketing Week alone involves months of planning, fundraising, proposal writing and work,” Mitchell said. “The students recruit professionals for the sessions and presentations, do fundraising, and handle budgeting, marketing, event management, committee work and more, long before the week begins. And they are quite busy throughout the week ensuring everything goes smoothly. Their hard work and efforts have continued, led by Paige Bisping, our extraordinary president. They have proven themselves all year long, kicking off our 70th anniversary quite impressively.”
Student competitions and more
Five of the dozen SIU students attending the international conference also competed in live competitions:
- Joshua Thompson, director of social impact and senior business analytics major and Jason Thompson, a senior marketing major, both from Fenton, Missouri, had just 30 minutes after receiving a marketing challenge brief to present a solution in the marketing strategy competition.
- Bisping, along with Jason and Joshua Thompson, Chase Flowers – director of finance and a senior finance major from Mulkeytown, Illinois - and Ian Pearcy – a junior accounting major from Mattoon, Illinois - vied against universities around the world in a simulated marketing department competition focusing on the niche bicycle industry.
- Bisping and Flowers showed their expertise in the perfect pitch competition, presenting a 90-second “pitch” to the panel of judges.
Jade McCalla, teaching assistant and former AMA president from Johnston City, Illinois, also attended the helped students prepare. The conference included guest speakers, networking and other activities as well.
SIU’s AMA provides students with opportunities to build various professional skills, network with industry leaders and obtain personal experience through competitions, projects and networking events. Worldwide, there are more than 30,000 American Marketing Association members involved in the world’s leading professional organization for marketers and marketing students. Business partners who contributed to make it possible for the SIU AMA to attend the conference were Clemens Insurance, Forbes Financial Group, Northwestern Mutual, SIU Alumni Association, the School of Management and Marketing, SIU Credit Union, University Communications and Marketing, Southern Illinois Bank and VisitSI.