October 4 – Topeka Country Club
Networking Social: 5:30 pm, Dinner & Program: 6:00 pm
Program: Finding Your Barbarian
by Sam Meers, Executive Vice President, Barkley

Sam leads the Healthcare and Financial Services Practice Areas at Barkley. In his 40-year marketing career, he has worked with multiple insurance and financial services organizations, including 27 Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans. His experience not only includes member acquisition and retention, but also encompasses member engagement, experiential design, and working to help insurance and financial services organizations transform their business to remain relevant in an ever-changing business ecosystem.

His career has taken him from Indianapolis, to Kansas City, to Minneapolis, and then back to KC. Along the way he worked for New York holding companies, one of the top creative shops in the world and ran his own marketing firm for 25 years, specializing in the healthcare and financial services categories. As EVP Barkley, he leverages the talent of one of the top employee-owned idea companies in the nation.

Sam believes success in life is about giving back. In the Kansas City community, he’s been honored as an Urban Hero by the Downtown Council for the work he’s done in the urban core. He serves on the Board of Governors of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, is a Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentorship Program Fellow, and a board member of KCUR Public Media. His commitment to healthcare runs deep as he and his family support annual nursing scholarships at Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City.