Learning, resilience, and networking have been recurring themes throughout Angela Connelly’s successful career. KC IABC’s 2022 Arthur Lowell Communicator of the Year Award, Angela credits her mentors and IABC for helping to connect and guide her with multiple opportunities for growth and advancement.
The Arthur E. Lowell Award is the highest honor given by KC IABC recognizing business communicators in Kansas City who have exhibited ethical excellence, outstanding professional achievement and vigorous community involvement. Angela exemplifies these attributes.
“I could not have planned how my career unfolded. I took advantage of opportunities and learned lessons along the way. I also learned about the power of networking and was fortunate to have people take a chance on me as a young person.”
Today, Angela is a senior manager of customer loyalty at T-Mobile and chair of the Bloch School of Business Marketing Advisory Council (MAC) at the University of Missouri Kansas City. For KC IABC, she has served in almost every board role including president, sponsorships, social media and professional development chairs.
After graduating from the University of Missouri with a degree in English and journalism, Angela launched her career at the American Red Cross. She worked her way up from administrative assistant, to creating newsletters, and supporting public relations and marketing efforts.
While at the Red Cross, her boss and mentor, Kathleen Cuddy, former IABC board member, introduced Angela to the organization. “She encouraged me to get involved in learning and professional networking beyond the job. That has served me well throughout the years.” Angela said.
After seven years with the Red Cross, she enjoyed time at Health Midwest as Director of Public Relations for Independence Regional Health Center and Medical Center of Independence until the health system merged with HCA. The experience taught her to once again look for more to do beyond her existing scope to grow.
Her next opportunity was overseeing marketing and communications for a leading Catholic health organization, Sisters of Charities of Leavenworth Health System. While there, Angela obtained her MBA through the executive master’s program at UMKC. Her mentor from Health Midwest encouraged her to get an MBA to understand the financial and business aspects of a company and broaden her horizons beyond marketing. This would help her earn her seat at the leadership table.
After experiencing another acquisition when the health system sold, Angela’s next “stretch role” was chief marketing and communications officer for the PDK Foundation. She learned about this opportunity during a KC IABC meeting and was encouraged to apply by another mentor. “I would not have imagined myself in a role like this, but all I had learned to this point put me in a perfect position.” she said.
The next few years brought more change and transition as Angela pivoted to marketing consulting roles for various companies including Thruline Marketing and Pioneer (Financial) Services for military, which closed its doors just 11 months after she joined the team.
“Adaptability and resilience are key skills you must have these days. As you grow along your career path and learn where you get fulfillment, along with that comes a lot of job and role transitions,” Angela said.
After prevailing through the T-Mobile acquisition of Sprint, Angela now spends most of her time creating marketing programs and strategies to cultivate customer loyalty.
“I’m a storyteller at heart. I’m able to find the through line in every role I’ve been in. There’s always a story to tell, and it’s about the people, not the product,” she said.
“This probably won’t be my last role, but I still have a lot of work to do at T-Mobile. I’m always learning and stretching to develop new skills,” she said. “The world of marketing is always evolving, and it’s important to keep up. Websites and social media didn’t exist when I started my career, now they’re cornerstones. I first learned how to manage social media by volunteering for KC IABC.
“One of the things I’m most proud of is my volunteer work helping students and young professionals. So many people have supported me through my journey and gave me opportunities early in my career. Now it's my turn – I want to give back and do that for young people. I’m really proud to have helped establish the student Marketing Leadership Association at UMKC, “ Angela said. “I gain much more than I give, and often learn more than I teach when I support people. I encourage others to do the same.”