AAM distributes 2025 marketing awards, inducts member to HOF

The Association for Accounting Marketing bestowed several awards at its annual AAM Summit in Phoenix May 13, including the 2025 Marketer of the Year and inducted a new member to its Hall of Fame. 

Kristen Lewis, managing director of marketing at EisnerAmper, received the 2025 Marketer of the Year award, recognizing a marketing professional who has shown outstanding performance in the field. 

Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk, president of BBR Companies, was inducted into the AAM Hall of Fame, honoring marketing professionals with at least fifteen years of professional experience with a minimum of 10 years in the accounting field who are known for their outstanding accomplishments as leaders of the association and in the profession.

Ruszczyk, a member of Accounting Today‘s 2024 Top 100 Most Influential People, was recognized for her work with BBR in influencing best practices in firm differentiation, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and professional development.

Additional individual award recipients included Arlene Labrador, business development director at Cherry Bekaert, honored with the 2025 Business Developer of the Year award; Alex Miller, an AAM member since 2016 and part of its DEI Committee, receiving the AAM Volunteer of the Year award; and Kaelynn Guzman, digital marketing manager at Pannell Kerr Forster of Texas, accepting the Rookie of the Year award.

AAM also handed out 16 more awards during the Summit’s award ceremony.

The categories and winners were:

• Advertising Campaign: GHJ
• Business Development Initiative: Rehmann
• Client Experience: McGuire Sponsel

Content Marketing Campaigns

• Internal Audience: Doeren Mayhew
• External – Talent Recruitment: WilkinGuttenplan
• External – Brand Awareness: James Moore & Co.
• Inclusion Impact Program or Initiative: Baker Tilly

Events

• Budget above $25,000: Baker Tilly
• Budget below $24,999: JLK Rosenberger

Innovation & Strategic Achievement

• Emerging Tech or Tech Advancement: PBMares, LLP
• Marketing Innovation or Breakthrough Marketing: Baker Tilly

Integrated Branding Programs

• Firm revenue above $40M: Rea
• Firm revenue below $40M: Brown Plus
• Video and Multimedia: McGuire Sponsel

Website

• Budget above $60,000: UHY
• Budget below $59,999: McKonly & Asbury

For the category awards, a panel of marketing professionals, including many from the Society of Marketing Professional Services, evaluated 68 submissions to select the winners. They judged entries based on achieving specific goals, strategic execution of projects, and the generation of measurable outcomes.