AMA Foundation Celebrates Founding Members of the Don Lehmann Leadership Circle
CHICAGO, IL / AGILITYPR.NEWS / July 30, 2026 / AMA Foundation Celebrates Founding Members of the Don Lehmann Leadership Circle
New annual giving society honors Don Lehmann's legacy and invests in the students, faculty, and professionals shaping the future of marketing
Chicago, IL—The American Marketing Association (AMA) Foundation today announced the public launch of the Don Lehmann Leadership Circle, a new annual giving society recognizing donors who make generous annual contributions in support of the Foundation's work. The Circle was formally introduced at the AMA Summer Academic Conference in Denver, July 24-26, 2026, where its inaugural members were publicly recognized.
The Leadership Circle honors Don Lehmann, whose more than 200 articles and books, founding role with Marketing Letters, and decades of service on the AMA Board of Directors and AMA Foundation Board of Advisors set a standard of generosity, mentorship, and community the Circle is designed to carry forward.
“We are honored to recognize Don Lehmann in this meaningful way. Don was a pioneering scholar, a marketing visionary, an accomplished economist, and an influential coach who believed in mentoring the community he was a part of. The Foundation is pleased to convene members of the AMA community in his honor to continue his work and nurture the next generation of marketing leaders,” said Bennie F. Johnson, CEO of the AMA.
Members who pledge $1,000-$5,000 annually are recognized on the AMA website, in the AMA Annual Report, and at the AMA Summer Academic Conference each year, and are invited to two annual gatherings featuring impact updates from the AMA CEO and AMA Foundation Chair. Contributions support the Foundation's people-focused strategy, including the Inspiring Next Gen Fund, the Innovators in Marketing Education and Breakthrough Marketing Research Funds, and the Marketing Excellence in Action Fund.
Supporters interested in joining the Don Lehmann Leadership Circle can find information on AMA.org.
The AMA Foundation is especially grateful to its Inaugural Members, whose early commitment gave the Leadership Circle its foundation before it launched publicly, and whose names now stand as the first of what will be a lasting community of leaders.
Inaugural Members of the Leadership Circle:
- Hami Vo Arrington
- Peter Barber
- Jennifer Bell
- Leonard Berry
- James Bettman
- Neeraj Bharadwaj
- Mike Brady
- Melissa G. Bublitz
- Dr. William Cron
- Andrea and Doug Dixon
- Barbara Eberlein and Jerry Wind
- O.C. & Linda Ferrell
- Gary L Frazier
- Mary Gilly
- Dhruv Grewal
- Michael Haenlein
- Kelly Hewett
- Kera and Bennie F. Johnson
- Kevin and Punam Keller
- John Kennedy
- Myoung Kim
- Ajay K. Kohli
- Praveen K. Kopalle
- V Kumar (VK)
- Bob Leone
- Debbie MacInnis
- Stephen Brent May
- Christine Moorman
- Alex Nikdel
- Amy L. Ostrom
- Anita Pansari
- A. "Parsu" Parasuraman
- Atul Parvatiyar
- Bill Pearce
- Connie Pechmann
- Rebeca Perren
- Kay Peters
- Linda L. Price
- William Qualls
- Brooke Reavey
- Aric Rindfleisch
- Maura Scott and Martin Mende
- Jagdish and Madhu Sheth
- Shrihari Sridhar and Akshaya Sreenivasan
- David Stewart
- Robin Tooms
- Eric Van Steenburg and Julie Walters
- Matthew Weingarden & Chris Hofstetter
- Tiffany Barnett White
- Kim Whitler
- Karen Winterich
- Valarie Zeithaml
- Anonymous
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About Us
About the American Marketing Association (AMA)
As the leading global professional marketing association, the AMA is the essential community for marketers. From students and practitioners to executives and academics, we aim to elevate the profession, deepen knowledge, and make a lasting impact. The AMA is home to five premier scholarly journals including: Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, Journal of International Marketing, and Journal of Interactive Marketing. Our industry-leading training events and conferences define future forward practices, while our professional development and PCM® professional certification advance knowledge. With almost 70 chapters and a presence on 350 college campuses across North America, the AMA fosters a vibrant community of marketers.
The association's philanthropic arm, the AMA’s Foundation, is inspiring a more diverse industry and ensuring marketing research impacts public good. The AMA Foundation strengthens and elevates the marketing profession by advancing knowledge, building a global community of marketing leaders, and supporting marketing initiatives that drive innovation and societal impact.
AMA views marketing as the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. You can learn more about AMA’s learning programs and certifications, conferences and events, and scholarly journals at AMA.org.
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Amy Gwiazdowski
VP, Communications
agwiazdowski@ama.community130 E. Randolph St., 22nd Floor, Chicago, 60601
Phone: 312-542-9076
https://www.ama.org/