Kymm Martinez

Kymm Martinez is chief marketing officer for the American Cancer Society. As chief marketing officer, Kymm is tasked with creating a unified voice for the brand and leading the development of annual strategic marketing and communications plans. Her responsibilities also include simplifying and amplifying the role storytelling plays in the organization’s work to improve lives for cancer patients and their families. Kymm oversees a team of professionals responsible for key marketing and communication functions: brand management, product marketing, direct and digital marketing, and corporate communications.

With a passion for diversity and inclusion, particularly as it relates to inclusive recruiting in marketing and communications, Kymm is committed to ensuring we view all marketing initiatives through a DEI lens. Kymm values all forms of diversity and wants every perspective at the table while fostering a sense of belonging.

Prior to joining the American Cancer Society, Kymm served as chief marketing & communications officer at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, a position she has held since 2016. Kymm revolutionized the university’s approach to marketing and communications in an industry that was not historically known for marketing. Kymm successfully led the transformation of a decentralized, non-digital function into a modern center of influence with upgraded performance, capacity, and focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Kymm also spent nearly 20 years in marketing with General Mills, including serving as a corporate officer, and lived and worked in Latin America. Promoted to vice president in 2012, she was one of only 40 women officers globally within a company employing more than 30,000 people. Her brand experience includes working with global brands such as Cheerios, Pillsbury, Chex Mix, Yoplait, and Betty Crocker.

As a testament to her many accomplishments, Kymm was named one of the “Top Women in Business” in 2019 by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Kymm has also been featured in Ad Week and the podcasts Higher Ed Marketing Lab, The Blend, and In the Key of D, among other places. Her career path has always focused on improving lives – through nutritious food, high-quality education, and now, improving the lives of cancer patients and their families.

Kymm graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a B.A. in international relations/economics. Kymm holds an MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.