Meet the Team
ANISHA PATEL, President
Year: Senior
Major: Business Administration, Psychology
More about Anisha: Anisha became interested in marketing through her passion for graphic design. She believed it to be a creative and powerful tool to convey information to consumers as well as build a company's brand image. Anisha co-founded AMA in March 2019 to help students who are interested in marketing connect with each other and allow them access to the vast resources of the national American Marketing Association. In her free time, Anisha enjoys hiking, binge watching TV shows and listening to music!
LAUREN RUFFELL, Vice President
Year: Junior
Major: Business Administration
More about Lauren: Upon graduation, Lauren is primarily interested in working in marketing within the Film/Entertainment Industry or Sports Entertainment Industry, and is involved in other USC organizations pertaining to those fields. Lauren was immediately drawn to AMA because of the organization's connections to working professionals in the marketing field, and is looking forward to collaborating with those professionals to facilitate effective networking and learning opportunities throughout the coming year!
ISHANI DESAI, VP of Finance
Year: Junior
Major: Econ-Mathematics
Minor: Applied Analytics
More about Ishani: Ishani has a vast amount of experience in data analytics through previous internships. Aside from work experience she is also a part of multiple research labs. Ishani hopes to either pursue marketing, economics consulting, or investment banking to explore her interests in consumer, financial markets. In her free time, she loves to volunteer, read, sketch and paint, go on walks with her family and friends, listen to music, cook/bake and play volleyball.
FLORA DAN, VP of Marketing
Year: Senior
Major: Art History
Minor: Marketing
More about Flora: This is Flora's second year as the VP of Marketing at AMA and she is thrilled to work with the team to further promote AMA's events and strengthen the image of the organization. She is excited about the convergence of visual arts and marketing. She intends to work in the field of art marketing upon her graduation. In her free time, she enjoys baking, dancing, hiking and exploring new restaurants in LA!
KATE LEPARULO, VP of Professional Development
Year: Junior
Major: Business Administration
Minor: Cinematic Arts, Music Industry
More about Kate: Kate found her passion for marketing at fourteen when she founded a music-themed silicone bracelet business. She put this business on hold when she started college but she did not start her college career at USC. Instead she spent her freshman year studying in Rome, Italy. Kate is very passionate about music, movies, and television and looks forward to being a part of AMA.
ROHAN NISHTALA, VP of Consulting
Year: Sophomore
Major: Industrial and Systems Engineering
Minor: Business Finance
More about Rohan: Rohan has always thrived in creative, dynamic situations, so marketing and consulting were natural fits for him. Some of hid experiences include marketing for a start-up technology company as well as fundraising on USC's behalf. This semester, he is am looking forward to leading the consulting team as the VP of Consulting. When he is not consulting or marketing, some of his hobbies include surfing, hiking and watching sports.
MEHAK ARYA, VP of Case Competitions
Year: Senior
Major: Communications
Minor: Marketing
More about Mehak: Mehak has experience in advertising, digital marketing and graphic design. Mehak loves being in AMA as it gives her real world experience with client relations and problem solving along with creative freedom. She has worked with the Annenberg Media Centre and started her own club called She's The First. On a normal day, you'll find her struggling without caffeine, overly relying on her to-do lists.
STEVEN GONG, Director of Public Relations
Year: Junior
Major: Public Relations
Minor: Consumer Behavior, Computer Programming, Applied Analytics
More about Steven: Steven's drawn to the field of marketing for its opportunities to creatively engage audiences and meet consumers where they're at. He always appreciates good branding when he sees it. Steven is currently a Web Production Editor at USC Annenberg Media and hopes to launch his career in the technology industry. In his free time, he enjoys spending time outdoors, thrifting and watching/ creating movies.
NIRALI SHAH, Director of Digital Media
Year: Senior
Major: Cognitive Science
Minor: Applied Analytics, Consumer Behavior
More about Nirali: Nirali is an ardent proponent of the concept that the function of academia is to enhance your capability to cope with the real world while simultaneously strengthening knowledge. She believes that AMA allows for the development of both. She admires the confluence of creativity, consumer insights and data analytics in the marketing world. She hopes to work in the marketing sector. Her ideal day would include scuba diving, music and sleeping.
DAYON LEE, Director of Public Relations
Year: Sophomore
Major: Business in Cinematic Arts
More about Dayon: She joined AMA because she wanted to start networking with like-minded peers and build skills through the rich resources offered by AMA. She is interested in marketing because she believes in the power of spreading messages and connecting people with effective strategies. She wishes to connect her love for marketing and storytelling by working in the entertainment industry in the future, particularly with films. Outside of school, Dayon enjoys making illustrations and learning graphic design.
EMILY PANG, Director of Corporate Sponsors
Year: Junior
Major: Business Administration
More about Emily: Emily likes marketing because it is a more creative job function in which she can express her ideas. She's debating between an applied analytics or international relations minor. She hopes to work in the fashion industry in the future. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, running, baking, online shopping, and exploring new places.
ANNE GAO, Director of AMA Relations
Year: Junior
Major: Applied and Computational Math
Minor: Business
More about Anne: Anne joined AMA to join a community of students with similar interests and gain access to professional opportunities and career insights. Through her marketing strategy internship, she learned more about marketing and how essential it is to the longevity and success of a business. As the Directer of AMA relations, she hopes to act as a bridge between USC's AMA chapter and nationals. In her free time, she likes to bake (especially banana bread), paint, and catch up on some shows.
SANDY FANG, Director of Professional Events
Year: Junior
Major: Business Administration
Minor: Applied Analytics
More about Sandy: Sandy is a part of the marketing team at California China Summit in charge of market research, promotion & distribution strategy, and user analysis with Excel and SPSS. She attracted 1000+ new users, and increased event participants by 2,500+ in a month. As an intern at Panopath Education and Technology, she led a team of five to launch marketing projects in a newly explored niche market, which brought in 1,500+ potential users and generated 25k revenues.
JOSHUA ZHU, Director of Philanthropy
Year: Junior
Major: Business Administration, Psychology
More about Joshua: Joshua hopes to be a part of a close-knit community to expand his network and learn more about marketing and business. Fun Facts: 1) He started cooking when he was 7 years old. 2) He played badminton for 9 years 3) He can nap anywhere and anytime, even if it's a very uncomfortable spot.