Alumni Spotlight: Evan Martinez
Associate Marketing Manager at Accenture Federal Services
“Become as involved as possible – not just in your PRSSA chapter but also with national PRSSA activities. Cultivate relationships with people who work at companies that interest you and then leverage those relationships to explore internships, fellowships, and other opportunities to help you get experience. I’ve found that as long as you’re genuine and passionate, people will help. Most people get their start from networking (especially in DC!).”
What was your undergraduate experience like? (What you studied, your involvement in PRSSA, any other extracurricular activities or internships you’d like to talk about)
Like most students at American University (AU), I envisioned working in politics out of college. I majored in Public Communications (now called PR & Strategic Communications), minored in Political Science, and was interested in political communications. During my time in PRSSA, I served as VP of Publicity helping to promote events and get our name known around AU’s campus. I had the chance to attend a PRSSA National Conference in Atlanta, GA as well! I interned at a political action committee, boutique communications firm, and a law firm – giving me communications experience in many different environments.
Where has your career path led you since graduating?
My first “real job” out of college was as a Communications Associate at a trade association that represents the North American steel industry on Capitol Hill. After that, I went to work for a medium-sized public policy firm doing communications strategy for progressive clients. Most of my jobs were political early in my career but there was an untapped interest in learning about other areas of communications. After leaving the public policy firm, I went to work in internal communications for global law firm McDermott Will & Emery. While at McDermott, I attended graduate school at Georgetown University in their Public Relations & Corporate Communications program where I took classes focused on digital strategy, crisis communications, and internal communications. Continuing my studies—while working in internal communications full time—allowed me to explore new interests and carve out a career path in employee/people communications.
What does your current role entail?
Currently, I’m the Associate Manager of People Engagement and Communications at Accenture Federal Services—a wholly-owned subsidiary of Accenture, that serves the U.S. federal government—where I help manage people communications strategy for our nearly 12,500 people. My team manages leadership communication with our workforce and spans across different business areas and client project teams. I’m also involved with our LGBTQ Employee Resource Group.
What’s one thing you love about your current job or working in public relations?
Happy employees make a happy company. People who work in internal communications are culture builders. It’s their job to inspire people to be excited about their work and what the company is accomplishing in important areas, like diversity & inclusion. Working on initiatives and programs that directly influence a culture and keep people informed is really rewarding.
What’s your proudest accomplishment across your career so far?
My proudest career accomplishment is being named “Internal Communications Team of the Year” and winning “Best Branding Campaign of the Year” – all in the same year! My boss and I built the internal communications team from the ground up at McDermott Will & Emery – an international law firm with 20 offices worldwide. During my time at McDermott, we established new processes, refreshed our brand, and revamped our intranet accessed by over 3,000 employees. It was a lot of work that involved a lot of different people, but it paid off in the end!
What’s in the future for you? (long-term career goals or anything else you’d like to talk about)
I see myself staying in the internal communications/people engagement space for a large company. I want to continue developing my passion for culture-building and communicating with diverse internal stakeholders through courses and certifications. Also, I think it’s important to keep an open mind about the future because as John Lennon says, “life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” Make connections and find opportunities that interest you but also challenge you. Our field is wide and there are lots of avenues you can pursue. Don’t be afraid to explore those avenues because that’s how you grow as a professional and become more marketable in the future.
How have your experiences with PRSSA supported you in your professional career?
PRSSA helped me discover my passion for communications and introduced me to some great people (and professional connections). Getting involved in PRSSA allowed me to help plan events with communications/PR professionals, reach out to alumni and professors I’d want to keep in touch with, and learn new skills in different areas of communications. I can say with confidence that PRSSA established the framework for my career by showing me all the areas of communications I could someday pursue.
What advice would you give to current AU PRSSA members to prepare for a career in public relations? (or any advice you find especially helpful)
My advice would be to become as involved as possible – not just in your PRSSA chapter but also with national PRSSA activities. Cultivate relationships with people who work at companies that interest you and then leverage those relationships to explore internships, fellowships, and other opportunities to help you get experience. I’ve found that as long as you’re genuine and passionate, people will help. Most people get their start from networking (especially in DC!).
Fun fact! (share a fun fact about yourself or a hobby you picked up over quarantine, etc.)
Toward the end of quarantine, I decided to get back into tennis. I was looking for an activity that was outdoors away from my computer and that allowed me to get some exercise! I played competitively in high school but stopped playing in college. Before quarantine, I hadn’t played in about five years so when I picked it back up, I started with the basics just to get into a rhythm. Now, I’ve been playing regularly and find it to be a great way to destress!
Evan Martinez is an Associate Marketing Manager at Accenture Federal Services whose 12,500+ people serve the U.S. government. He manages internal publications and company-wide people engagement strategy. Previously, Evan helped establish the internal communications team at global law firm, McDermott, Will & Emery where his team was named “Internal Communications Team of the Year” by Ragan Communications. Evan graduated from American University in 2016 with a B.A. in Communications and got his Master’s at Georgetown University in Public Relations & Corporate Communications. He lives in Arlington, VA with his partner.