Education: University of Nebraska at Omaha

Favorite meal: “Mom’s Thanksgiving dinner. The year I tried to make it myself, I undercooked the dark meat.”

Hobbies: Yoga. Traveling. Reading. Cooking.

Favorite Movie: Jerry McGuire.

Tell us about your most obscure job: “I sold kites when I was growing up. Single, two- and four-line kites. I think I might even still be able to fly one after crashing it once or ten times.”

What did you want to be as a kid? “A chef."

Song you are embarrassed to say you know the words to: “Most of the time I’m lucky to know the name of a song or for that matter, who sings it.”

What’s your biggest achievement? “Working in my field after graduating college and enjoying it.”

What’s your soap opera name (middle name + street you live on)? “Marie Greenwood – very glamorous.”

What’s your favorite drink? “Vodka tonic, extra lime."

What got you into the business in the first place? “When I first graduated college in Omaha, I got into outbound phone sales because that’s mostly what ‘marketing’ means there. At least when you are first out of school. Then I realized it wasn’t for me and moved to Kansas City, where the opportunity to work in marketing was much greater. My first job was as a project coordinator in a marketing research department at local agency.”

What attracted you to Kuhn & Wittenborn? “The team environment. I’ve only been here a short time but I already realize that this was the best choice I could have made. The people couldn’t be better to work with.”

What was a big influence in your career? “The first agency I worked at. It was a tough first couple of years, but it was totally worth it.”

What was your most embarrassing moment in the business? “I was making some phone calls to figure out if two companies of the same name and doing the same type of business were related to each other. But since I was doing competitive research, I couldn’t tell them why I was calling. I made up a story that I was a student doing a project and the guy asked me what school I attended. As it turned out, the guy went to the school I mentioned and ultimately I had to fess up. He told me the two companies were in a lawsuit against each other. Then he took all my information in case they needed to call me for a deposition. I was pretty freaked out, but they never called.”

What was your finest moment, the thing you’re most proud of? "Marrying my husband."

What makes a good brand? “A great brand is recognizable and respected. Unfortunately, for a lot of brands these are both subjective, but I believe that if the brand is respected among its peers and recognized among its audience, then it is doing something right.”

What driving career goals do you still have? “I’ve been lucky that I’ve worked on lots of different clients and in different areas of marketing, including research and business development. I am always open to new paths and as long as I continue to be open-minded about my future, I don’t know if I can ever say that all of my career goals have been accomplished.”

What talent do you wish you had? “While it’s not a talent, I wish I had the drive to run long distances and stick with it. I’ve tried and I just don’t think it’s for me.”

If you had to live on desert island, what would you miss most? “Shade. Or sunblock.”

What is your favorite sports team? “The Nebraska Cornhuskers. Go Big Red!”

What’s your point of view about politics? “Don’t talk about it.”

What’s your favorite TV show? “I love The Office and Project Runway."

Favorite websites: “AdAge.com, dailypuppy.com, recipezaar.com, airfarewatchdog.com, kayak.com.”

How about your favorite blog? “My sister-in-law’s. It’s about her life and thoughts in general. I really enjoy her enthusiasm, and her outlook on how to be yourself and appreciate people and things around you.”

What would you do if you won $1 million dollars? “I’d put it in a trust fund for children I don’t have yet.”

What is your favorite vacation spot? “Before we were married, my husband and I went to Japan to visit friends. It was my first time out of North America and I still remember how excited I felt when I got that first stamp on my passport.”

Your little-known talent or ability: “I can do a headstand.”