Welcome Our New Marketing And Communications Manager To Our FORGE Family!
We are excited to welcome Erika Mitnik, our Marketing and Communications Manager to the FORGE team!
The Marketing and Communications Manager will support and grow the outreach of programs and activities of Arizona FORGE. Get to know Erika below!
Marketing and Communications Manager
The Marketing and Communications Manager is a new role for promoting effective communication between campus and the community in order to strengthen and grow the mission of FORGE. The manager plans, develops, implements, and directs effective and strategic communications, advertising, public relations, and external relations programs for FORGE. The manager also leads our FORGE Ambassadors program. Learn how you can engage with this student outreach program.
We are looking for a large, diverse network of students passionate about innovation and entrepreneurial thinking to represent FORGE across UA campus. Ambassadors are supported by our staff and receive valuable professional development, use of our facilities, entrepreneurial knowledge, and opportunities for one on one meetings with FORGE mentors. FORGE Ambassadors will also receive a FORGE shirt, a non-academic badge to document their experience and more.
FORGE Ambassadors cultivate entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial thinking at the University of Arizona by sharing personal entrepreneurial knowledge and experiences and generating visibility of FORGE through meeting with students, presenting to student groups and organizations, staffing tabling events, posting on social media, and representing FORGE at other outreach events as needed.
We are accepting applications for new Ambassadors through August 26th. Learn more and apply below.
Erika Mitnik
Marketing and Communications Manager
"I'm excited to support the FORGE team with impact-driven outreach and marketing initiatives. There are so many amazing programs and opportunities at FORGE and I'm looking forward to telling those stories."
Erika joins FORGE with more than 20 years of marketing experience. Erika began her career analyzing advertising spend and brand impact for Fortune 500 companies at VMS/VoiceTrak and Communicus Research.
After extensive work with National advertisers, she shifted to growing Arizona-based companies as the Southern Arizona Director for Local First Arizona, a nonprofit for Arizona's community and economic development. As Director she worked with thousands of Arizona business owners to bring trade shows to Tucson, promote business support services and manage outreach and events. Erika served on the City of Tucson Commission for Food Security and Heritage and was one of the founders of the Arizona Living Economy Forum, a conference dedicated to building and sustaining new economic business models.
Erika has been a consultant for many local businesses and nonprofits, including the Desert Angels and Historic Fourth Avenue Coalition. She is a longtime Arizona resident with a degree in Media Studies from the University of Arizona. She is deeply invested in community development and helped manage grant-funded infrastructure projects with the Iron Horse Neighborhood council. She also serves on the board of the nonprofit Tucson City of Gastronomy where she is an inaugural member.
Join us for Curiosity Club, Tucson's grown-up show and tell, where we'll meet and learn from those doing amazing things in our community. Events are free to attend every fourth Thursday at FORGE at Roy Place in downtown Tucson.
This is the treehouse club from your childhood, where it's okay if you don't know what you want to be when you grow up.
Solving important problems and bringing our dreams to life begins with inspiration. That spark comes when we least expect it. If you're craving a way forward, a new path, or a new perspective, join us at FORGE at Roy Place for Curiosity Club, Tucson's grown-up show and tell. We'll learn from people right here in our community doing weird, wonderful, and important things: Where their inspiration comes from, the bumps they've hit along the way, and how they keep the spark ignited.
On August 25th we are joined by Peggy Johnson, Executive Director of the Loft Cinema. The Loft Cinema is a mission-driven, membership-supported, local nonprofit arts organization dedicated to creating community by celebrating the art and diversity of film. Register below to join us. We look forward to seeing you there.
We have so many great events and programs to share with you and look forward to seeing you soon!