Washington, D.C. (October 10, 2023) — Government Marketing University – an innovative learning platform that applies a collaborative, community-based approach toward knowledge sharing and skills development for the public sector market – announced today the finalists for its 2023 GAINer Awards. This year’s awards will honor the U.S. Public Sector’s top government marketing innovators across seven categories such as lead generation, social media, and brand awareness. Winners will be announced at GMarkU’s annual GAIN Conference on October 17, 2023 at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner, Virginia.  

Gathered through a series of nominations submitted by organizations spanning government marketing, the 2023 finalists were selected for their cutting-edge contributions to the evolution of the fast-paced field. The following individuals exemplified excellence in the categories of brand awareness, events, innovation, lead generation, partner marketing, public relations, and social media:

(Alphabetical by last name)

• Elana Akman, Booz Allen Hamilton
• Stephanie Alexander, Katie Bilek, govmates LLC
• Pierre Bradshaw, oneblinc.com
• Stephanie Brush, MFGS, Inc.
• Aaron Busch, Oklahoma City Police Department
• Ian Centrone, Martin County – Office of Tourism & Marketing
• Sherryl Dorch, Swish Data
• Kara Dudas Bellone, Ignite Digital Federal Services, LLC
• Kevin Edwards, Global Skills X-Change (GSX)
• Katerina Figurski, Arcfield
• Michelle Goldberg, McAllister & Quinn
• James Hanson, Adobe
• Rachael Hendrickson, Informatica
• John Jones, MFGS, Inc.
• Niki Jones, Niki Jones Agency, Inc.
• Cortney Kesselman, MFGS, Inc
• Brian Lake, Riverbed
• Alex Love, RIVA Solutions
• Deb Lovett, LGC, Inc.
• MetroStar Marketing Team, MetroStar
• Cheryl Nicely, Maximus
• Stacy Outlaw, WAEPA
• Anna Patsel-Powell, REI Systems
• Eric Pecinovsky, ClearanceJobs.com
• Ellis Phev, MFGS, Inc.
• Charnee Purdy, Booz Allen Hamilton
• Heather Reilley, Booz Allen Hamilton
• Shelly Scarpelli, Fortinet Federal
• Edyn Segura, Software AG
• Christine Swanson, Google
• Tanium Government Marketing Team, Tanium
• Cristina Vera Bridges, Vera Creative

"Government marketing is a complex field that requires a keen understanding of the intricacies of the public sector as well as a forward-thinking approach that is open to innovating with emerging technologies and new strategies. Each of the finalists has designed campaigns and other initiatives that both capture this momentum and present new possibilities in how to reach critical audiences,” said Lou Anne Brossman, Founder of Government Marketing University. “We look forward to celebrating the accomplishments of the finalists and winners at GAIN 2023 alongside a community of fellow government marketing leaders.”

The winners of the GAINer Awards will receive a free digital advertising campaign for their company or organization (valued at $10,000) and a complimentary dinner for two (valued at $200). They will be announced at the GAIN 2023 conference alongside the 2023 GAINer Lifetime Achievement Award. The seventh annual conference will welcome keynote speaker Paul Roetzer, founder and CEO of Marketing AI Institute, as well as leaders from some of the fastest growing brands in the government marketplace, including Carahsoft, The American Small Business Coalition, Advanced Technology Academic Research Center, Socure, Clarity Innovations, and Marketing B2G LLC for a day of sessions and talks covering topics ranging from AI to budgeting and handling multiple roles.

The GAIN 2023 Conference  – The Voice of Government - Grow, Accelerate, Innovate, Network – will take place on October 17, 2023, at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner, Virginia. For more information, please visit: https://thegainconference.com/.

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About Government Marketing University:

Government Marketing University, part of GovExec’s portfolio, is an innovative learning platform that applies a collaborative, community-based approach toward knowledge sharing and skills development in the field of public sector marketing. Experts from all corners of the U.S. public sector marketplace — marketers, thought leaders, government, media, and sales — are contributing their knowledge to this unique, content-rich platform. Government Marketing University offers training, research, certifications, mentoring, and community resources all in one place.

Media Contact: Liz Stein, lstein@govexec.com