Amber Worthen
CEO
Email Maven
Amber Worthen is the founder and CEO of Email Maven, where she helps associations create effective, data-driven email communications. With roots in governance and marketing at the American Physical Therapy Association, she brings deep association experience and a passion for collaborative, member-focused campaigns. As a member of AWTC’s Marketing Committee, she values the supportive community of women in tech and actively embraces emerging tools—especially AI—to enhance email strategy. Learn more about HERStory!
Cecilia Sepp [Host]
Hello and welcome to AWTC Association Women in Technology Champions presents First Story, where we profile members of AWTC and their experience. I'm your host, Cecilia Sepp. I'm a member of AWTC, and I also serve on the AWTC Marketing Committee.
In this profile, we are featuring Amber Worthen, who is also a member of the AWTC Marketing Committee. So welcome to HerStory, Amber. Would you like to say hello and introduce yourself?
Amber Worthen [Guest]
Yeah, thanks for having me. I am Amber Worthen. I'm the founder and CEO of Email Maven. We are an agency dedicated to helping associations get their email work done. I've been a member of AWTC for two years and recently joined the Marketing Committee, and I'm loving it.
Cecilia Sepp [Host]
Well, Amber, can you tell us how you got started working with associations?
Amber Worthen [Guest]
I was fresh out of college working on Capitol Hill. My goal was to be a PR person for a politician. After doing that for free for a year, I decided it wasn’t fun and made a shift. I began looking at associations and corporations with large communications teams I could grow into.
I landed at the American Physical Therapy Association as an assistant to the director over the board of directors. My first four years at APTA were in governance—assisting the board, running their volunteer program, assisting the House of Delegates—and I loved it. Eventually, a communications role opened up, and I moved into marketing, which is what I truly enjoy.
Cecilia Sepp [Host]
That's a great journey. Tell us about a time you felt really good about your work.
Amber Worthen [Guest]
Anytime I see great results—I love championing people and great work. One highlight was when I returned to APTA as CEO of Email Maven. We launched a strong campaign for student members to show them we understood and saw them.
It was a full collaboration: pulling data, understanding members, being honest about their needs, and executing it well. The campaign was successful, members loved it, and it felt good knowing we delivered exactly what they needed.
Cecilia Sepp [Host]
That must have been so fun—almost like going home.
Amber Worthen [Guest]
Yeah, I loved it. I had a great time.
Cecilia Sepp [Host]
What advice helped you in your journey as a woman in tech?
Amber Worthen [Guest]
It hasn’t been one piece of advice—it’s been the countless women in tech who have encouraged me. Women who told me I belonged, that I knew what I was doing, who reassured me when I had “dumb questions.”
Their encouragement has been the most important part of my success.
Cecilia Sepp [Host]
So where do you think technology will lead associations in the future?
Amber Worthen [Guest]
So many possibilities. In email tech, it means better integrations, platforms, dashboards, and data storytelling. I'm excited about platforms that will serve up data more intelligently—identifying at-risk members, recommending campaign paths, and giving staff time-saving insights.
Dashboards and data storytelling are time-consuming; tech improvements will make that easier. AI is also here to stay. It can save time and make us look awesome. One feature we love is uploading an email design and asking AI for feedback. It's improving, and it will elevate association email quality.
I also hope integrations across systems become smoother—bringing all the worlds together.
Cecilia Sepp [Host]
Excellent examples. And since you mentioned AI—what’s your favorite AI tool?
Amber Worthen [Guest]
We use ChatGPT the most because it’s easy and common. We also use Claude and Canva for simple design tasks.
Cecilia Sepp [Host]
Interesting! I'm a Google Gemini fan myself.
So what do you like best about AWTC?
Amber Worthen [Guest]
The women—of course. When you walk into a room of women ready to support each other, it stands above everything else. At the last AWTC happy hour, someone came up and asked, “Who can I introduce you to? Who do you need to know?”
This community freely shares knowledge, networks generously, and supports you without hesitation. AWTC’s culture is unmatched.
Cecilia Sepp [Host]
Yes! And the recognition they give women is outstanding.
So why should someone join AWTC?
Amber Worthen [Guest]
To build a strong network of people cheering you on. Success comes from community, personally and professionally. AWTC is filled with talented women doing amazing things, and they genuinely want you to succeed. It’s absolutely worth your time.
Cecilia Sepp [Host]
Thank you, Amber. And thank you for joining us for this edition of Her Story.
If you’d like to learn more about AWTC, join, attend events, or explore the Recognition Program, visit awtc.tech. I'm your host, Cecilia Sepp, and we'll see you next time.