2012 40 Under Forty: Nina Walsh

SOCIAL MEDIA/DIGITAL MARKETING SPECIALIST, UMass Memorial Medical Center

Company location: Worcester

Residence: Shrewsbury

Favorite movie: “Almost Famous”

Career highlights: My first job after college was with a fashion and entertainment PR agency in Manhattan. After moving to Boston, I began taking on freelance work for various startups and small businesses and eventually left the agency to start my own company, SetTheTrends PR. My goal was to help people see the value of digital marketing and social media. Eventually, I took on a full-time role at EMC as a social media specialist/community manager.

Community involvement: Born and raised in Worcester, I have always felt a strong calling to give back to our community and make a difference. Most recently, I have been involved with the Community Harvest Project, the Rooms to Dream Foundation, Dress for Success- Worcester Chapter, Worcester Public Library, WooFood and the Shrewsbury Road Scholars’ 5K/ Fun Run planning committee.

Biggest success: Where I am right now. I have a wonderful family and a rewarding career. I look forward to going to work each day, to do what I am truly passionate about. I am fortunate to work beside a team of incredibly talented people, whom I am proud to call my colleagues and friends. I am fascinated by the intersection of health care and social media and was recently invited to speak on the topic of “engaging patients in the digital age” at two popular health care social media conferences. I am also particularly proud of the growth and success of our social media program and digital engagement strategy at UMass Memorial Medical Center and being awarded a 2012 NESHCO Gold Lamplighter Award for Social/New Media Campaign.

Biggest challenge: Just when I had achieved some level of the elusive work-life balance that every career-driven mom strives for, I threw myself a curve ball. I decided to pursue a master’s degree, a personal and professional goal I set early in my career. While I consider my ability to successfully juggle a full-time career, a family, a home and extracurricular activities/community involvement a success, adding grad school to the mix was challenging.

Mentor: Gail Alofsin, director of corporate partnerships for Newport Harbor Corporation and an adjunct professor at URI, has been one of those people – and still is. She has helped me to discover more than my passion for marketing and leadership but also my passion for mentoring.

Hidden talent: When I was 10, I took golf lessons. I didn’t pick up a golf club again until my 20s. But I could recall steps for a proper setup, and could even drive the ball straight off the tee.

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