Employee Spotlight: Danielle Jones

Danielle previously interned with big Dallas organizations such as DART, Dallas Mavericks, and the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. She also started with ABI as an intern. Moving quickly, we were happy to announce Danielle Jones was promoted to an account executive role with ABI.

Danielle brings strategic thinking, confidence, and a get-it-done attitude to anything she’s worked. She has an impressive client roster, including City of Richardson, Dallas County, DIA, and now for the third year in a row—Women's Leadership Summit Dallas.

This month, we’re celebrating Danielle earning a master’s degree from SMU.

She recently completed SMU’s MBA Direct program, which is designed for recent graduates and early career professionals. It’s a 30-month program, which she started around the same time that she began at ABI. As a result, she’s been busy! We wanted to know how she managed school and work—also, what she gained from the experience.

1. Can you tell me a bit about your master’s program?

I came in fresh off graduating with my bachelor's degree from Dillard University. I'll be honest, I was worried about how I was going to balance working full time at an advertising agency while going to school part time. The part time schedule meant attending class two days a week from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. online. When I started taking my marketing electives toward the end of the program, classes shifted to on campus two times a week from 6:30 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. But everyone at ABI supported me, and my school did as well, and that made all the difference.

2. What part of the master’s program was most rewarding for you?

I've built friendships that I truly believe will last a lifetime. It might sound cliché, but the most rewarding part has been the connections I've made with my classmates. What makes it so special is that we all come from different industries and hold different job titles, yet we came together to learn, grow, and support each other through this program. Learning alongside them has given me some of my best memories. That kind of bond is just invaluable. We have all grown so much.

3. How has ABI given you "real-world experience" to support your Masters education?

ABI and SMU have taught me everything I know about marketing. There's a big difference between reading a case study about how to conduct a focus group and putting one together yourself. ABI gave me the hands-on experience and that practical foundation made my MBA coursework click in a completely different way. And it worked both ways. The concepts and frameworks I learned in school gave me a new perspective that I was able to bring directly into my work.

4. What have you learned that you're most excited to apply to ABI?

Strategy. ABI is deeply committed to making strategic decisions for their clients, everything we do has intentionality and strategy behind it. My MBA program sharpened my strategic thinking in a formal way. I'm excited to bring that framework back to ABI and contribute to that culture of purposeful, strategic work at an even higher level.

5. Finally, any shoutouts?

I would be remiss if I didn't give a huge shoutout to my family. They kept me sane through all of it. There were moments where I was stressed and overwhelmed. They were right there to remind me why I started. I truly could not have done this without them.