Rene Stranghoner, director of practice growth at Weaver and Tidwell, LLP in Fort Worth, Texas, has been named the 2008 Marketer of the Year. Stranghoner was first nominated by her peers and was later selected by a panel of judges, themselves leaders in professional services marketing, for the top honor.

"My personal mission as a marketer is to help the firm understand, embrace, and live a marketing culture," said Stranghoner. "This requires long-term vision, perseverance, and patience. It also happens in incremental steps."

Stranghoner has 10 years of experience in marketing and business development, most of which is in the professional services arena. She joined Weaver and Tidwell in 2003 and is responsible for managing business development efforts, lead generation programs, marketing communications, marketing and business development strategy, and service line management. Prior to joining Weaver and Tidwell, René worked as a corporate strategic communications manager at a national architecture and engineering firm and also served as an international marketing manager at a global engineering firm.

"I measure my personal success by the level of trust, enthusiasm, and commitment the firm shows for marketing. Considering we have grown from a marketing department of two professionals to a department of seven in only five years, and our budget has grown from $600,000 to $1.6 million, I feel I am on track to meet my personal mission," Stranghoner said.

Stranghoner received her award at the 19th Annual AAM Summit in San Diego, CA on June 5, 2008. The award is sponsored by CPA Practice Management Forum, the only independent newsletter focusing on exclusively on successful marketing strategies within CPA firms.

About the Association for Accounting Marketing
The Association for Accounting Marketing is the only association in the country formed specifically to address the growing marketing needs of public accounting firms. The members are comprised of marketing professionals, CPAs and consultants, vendors, educators and students who seek to expand the business of public accounting. Since 1989, AAM has provided members with the information, resources and market intelligence needed to excel and grow in their careers.