“I had actually attended college with the goal of teaching high school English and took an advertising class,” Hower said.
“I will remember it until my last breath, which was a 201 class advertising in the American age that really talked about marketing and the psychology behind marketing and how it captures the cultural norm or the zeitgeist at the time to make products appeal to different people and just really kind of the mental piece of marketing that I’d never really considered.
“That class completely transformed my perspective on marketing and then actually changed my entire career trajectory to the point of where I am today.”
Today, as chief marketing officer at Plexus Worldwide, Hower spearheads global marketing initiatives to drive brand strategy, consumer engagement and product innovation.
She said that over the span of her marketing career, she has learned that she doesn’t need to be the sole expert but rather prefers building diverse teams and embracing a culture of innovation in marketing. She highlighted how people with different backgrounds and levels of experience can bring valuable and creative perspectives to problem-solving.
Balancing her professional and personal life, Hower said her true “superpower” is being a mom and that fulfillment at work enables her to be her best self at home with her children.
“For me, motherhood was so reaffirming and being a working mother is so valuable to me,” she said. “I get to live in this world during the day where I feel so fulfilled, and I feel like I am pouring into, and then I get to go in the evenings and pour into my family.
“It’s made me a more empathetic leader…A lot of that came to me in motherhood but has just really allowed me to bring a lot of that more empathetic, supportive, but definitive and just really clear on where we’re going decision-making into my team.”
Hower’s grandfather was the chief of a local fire department in the Midwest for over 30 years. To carry on that legacy, she is the Board Chair Elect for the Arizona Burn Foundation, something she’s been actively involved with for the past 12 years.
“The impact that it’s been able to bring to individual families and the healing journeys that they’ve been on is just really powerful to see,” she said. “And it keeps me very, very engaged, so it’s something I’m really, really proud of to be able to give back to.”
