Marketing Department Advisory Board
The Marketing Department Advisory Board offers outside insight to faculty, serve as real-world models for students, and create links between graduates and employers. The Board improves the Marketing Department’s educational environment by providing insight into their respective industries, communicating their expectations for new graduates, making recommendations for our curriculum and much more. Some may also offer internship and career opportunities or serve as mentors to current students.
Board Members
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Kathy Nanowski, CPSM, as Vice President and Director of Marketing and Business Development has played a pivotal role in the transformation of Fuss & O'Neill, a century old engineering firm headquartered in Connecticut. As an owner and Board of Directors member, she revamped marketing and sales practices, fostering consistent, proactive approaches to relationship-based business development. Kathy, a Central Connecticut State University graduate pursuing an MBA in Marketing & Management, instituted data-driven processes and shared her expertise through national publications and speaking engagements, enhancing the firm's brand and securing new business opportunities at all levels.
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Brian Jud is an author, book-marketing consultant, speaker, seminar leader, television host, college instructor, President of Book Marketing Works and a partner in Premium Book Company that sells books to non-bookstore buyers on a non-returnable, commission basis. He is also the Executive Director of the Association of Publishers for Special Sales (APSS), and the creator and administrator of Book Selling University.
Brian is a prolific writer of articles about book publishing and marketing. He is the author of How to Make Real Money Selling Books (Without Worrying About Returns). This is the ultimate do-it-yourself guide to selling your books to non-bookstore buyers in large quantities, with no returns. He also wrote Beyond the Bookstore (a Publishers Weekly® book), a primer on non-bookstore marketing. He is the author of the eight books with Proven Tips for Publishing Success and creator of the series of Book Marketing Wizards.
Brian is an adjunct lecturer of marketing courses at Central Connecticut State University. He is a regular speaker on marketing topics at IBPA’s Publishing University and for publishing groups around the country. Brian has a BS degree in Marketing from the University of Cincinnati and an MBA in Marketing from Xavier University.
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Rebecca Long lives in Portland, CT and is a Central alumni with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and an MBA from the University of Hartford. As the Director of Social Media Marketing at The Hartford, she leads a team of early-career professionals who focus on developing content for a variety of social platforms using both paid and organic methods.
Rebecca’s passion for marketing began in high school where she was a member of DECA, a focus that propelled her into the corporate world at a young age. Rebecca enjoys new challenges and has created a breadth of experiences within marketing, including numerous brand relaunches, value proposition development, sponsorship strategy and cause marketing initiatives.
When Rebecca is not doing the corporate hustle, she is usually driving her teenage sons to various sports or social engagements. And in any remaining spare time, she can be found in her favorite chair, curled up with her dachshund, Parker, reading a good book.
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Jude (Page) Barry, Class of 1997 owns a small insurance agency and works with clients across CT, providing employee benefits and executive level life insurance. She has been in the insurance business for most of her career.
Prior to that, Jude was with the Hartford Business Journal as a Senior Accounts Manager. She attended Central and was Class President; holds a BS in Business with a concentration in Marketing. She was awarded the Young Alumni award for contributions to the community by her University.
Jude resides in East Hampton, CT and has 3 children and an amazing puppy Penny and a clever kitty called Milo. When not working, she enjoys traveling and drinking tea (a lot of it). She is active in her church, and her charities include: American Red Cross (Platelets/Apheresis), Lasagna Love, St. Jude’s (of course), St. Vincent DePaul, Ukraine efforts via her trek through Spain on the Camino de Santiago, Goodworks and more.
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Danielle Chylinski; An older sister, millennial, entrepreneur, Author of Lean Into Delusion, Founder & Creative Director of Chylinski Media, who learned to live intuitively at a young age.
Danielle continues to serve individuals & businesses seeking to better share and understand themselves using social media to enhance their life and career.
Awarded CTNow Best Of Hartford Readers Poll 2019 Best Local Twitter Account @goyardgoats on behalf of the Hartford Yard Goats and Second Runner Up for CTNow Best Of Hartford Readers Poll 2022 Social Media Influencer, Danielle is proud to be born & raised in Connecticut.
Previously, Danielle held the position of Promotions & Marketing Manager for the Hartford Yard Goats, AA Affiliate of the Colorado Rockies and served as Communications Manager at the Alzheimer’s Association Connecticut Chapter in Southington, Connecticut. Danielle received her bachelor’s degree in Communication Public Relations with a minor in Integrated Marketing Communications as an honors graduate of Western New England University.
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Rachel DeConti is a Central alumni, graduating in 2010 with her Bachelor of Science in Marketing. Rachel is a driven business professional with several years of progressive marketing experience in boutique marketing firms and fortune 500 companies. In her career so far, she has worked to plan and execute marketing events, managed multi-million-dollar targeted, integrated campaigns and programs, led the development of strategic positioning and brand efforts, created content strategies and message frameworks, built company brand awareness, and oversaw communications governance processes.
In 2021 she began volunteering for an international non-profit organization, LGMD2D Foundation, as Marketing Director & Patient Advocate when her son was diagnosed with this rare neuromuscular disease (Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy). Rachel continues to volunteer her time for this foundation, serving as the Executive Director and board member.
Rachel lives locally in Connecticut with her husband and two young sons. In her spare time, she loves being with her family, exploring new places, making memories and watching her little ones grow!
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Martin Zygmunt is an undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marketing at Central Connecticut State University, where he also serves as a student tour guide. Martin graduated from Manchester Community College in 2023, where his passion for marketing was ignited. Drawn to Central by its welcoming campus, supportive staff, and vibrant student community, Martin is eager to share his enthusiasm with prospective students.
With a background in HVAC, Martin transitioned from a tech and office assistant role at a family-owned HVAC shop in Glastonbury to a position at an HVAC wholesaler in Hartford. At the wholesaler, he handled counter sales, organized events, and managed client communications. He later pursued an opportunity as an Integrated Program Management Intern at Adam’s and Knight, a marketing agency in Avon. There, Martin contributed to focus group development, researched outreach methods, reviewed and edited client articles, and investigated trends across various industries. He is currently working towards HootSuite certifications and is exploring interests in advertising, public relations, and the integration of AI with marketing. Martin is particularly curious about how these fields intersect with hospitality and tourism.
Fluent in both English and Polish, Martin enjoys exploring his hometown of Wethersfield and taking nature photos, a hobby he has developed recently. When he’s not outdoors, he likes to relax at home with his calico cat, Maya, watching films.
Martin is also actively involved in Central’s Marketing Association, a student-run marketing club, and stays engaged with Connecticut’s rebranding efforts to promote positive community growth.