Annemarie Ciepiela Henton

About Annemarie Ciepiela Henton

I turn my team’s anxiety into confidence. Instinctively positive, I raise the energy in the room and excel in roles where I help people get a “sense” of something. The strength that makes me most valuable to companies and teams is that I see patterns and possibilities where others see complexity and obstacles. Creative, strategic and communicative, I’m not afraid to try new things or to jump in and figure out how to make something work. In fact, I thrive on it. An energetic and intuitive business development executive, I specialize in connecting people with each other and with ideas, stories, products and services. As Chief Growth Officer for RS21, I bring RS21’s products and capabilities to federal, state, and local government agencies, private businesses and nonprofits. Our team uses artificial intelligence, data analytics, user experience design, data engineering, and modern software development to address complex challenges and help leaders make better data-driven decisions. I speak nationally on the topics of emotional intelligence in the multigenerational workplace, mentorship and bold optimism - all things that help build and sustain great teams. I consult with C-suite executives about marketing and talent attraction and retention strategies. I have 17 years of experience as a corporate strategy, business development, marketing and communications expert. As Vice President of Business Development at Albuquerque Economic Development, I led the organization\'s business development and marketing strategy, and played a key role on the company\'s executive leadership team. We worked with elected officials, site selectors, corporate real estate professionals, corporate decision-makers and area partners to generate leads and recruit new employers to the Albuquerque metro area. My team was successful in recruiting companies such as Netflix, Facebook, NBCUniversal, Intel and more, investments that represent thousands of new jobs and billions of dollars.I\'m a co-founder of Albuquerque\'s award-winning \"Stop Bagging, Start Bragging\" campaign, a community-wide movement that encourages New Mexicans to play a role in the state\'s talent attraction and retention strategy. As part of this initiative, I co-host a podcast called Start Bragging ABQ that shines a light on interesting people, companies, and initiatives here.

Experience

1. Chief Growth Officer

   Rs21

   Apr 2025 — Present

Education

• University of Arizona - Eller College of Management

  Bachelor's of Business Admininstration, Marketing and International Business, Minor in Spanish Language

  2002 — 2007

Skills

• Event Management
• Public Relations
• Internal Communications
• Media Relations
• Marketing Communications
• Integrated Marketing
• Management
• Strategic Planning
• Public Speaking
• Leadership
• Social Media Marketing
• Marketing Strategy
• Strategic Communications
• Social Media
• Marketing