Alethea O’Dell, CPSM
Since 2009
Active
SMPS San Francisco Bay Area member
AEC marketing professional
Alethea brings over 20 years of strategic marketing leadership across both AEC and technology sectors, specializing in brand development, demand generation, and organizational culture transformation. As a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer, she partners with companies to build trusted B2B brands that drive measurable business growth through data-driven strategies combined with compelling storytelling.
Her expertise spans comprehensive marketing leadership including demand generation, product marketing, brand strategy, content development, lifecycle marketing, marketing operations, marketing technology, account-based marketing, and performance marketing. Alethea has demonstrated success in B2B and SaaS environments, having served as Chief Marketing Officer for Northland Controls, a security technology and PMCM company, where she led worldwide marketing and sales operations for nine years.
Previously, Alethea spent over a decade as Director of Marketing and Business Development at Degenkolb Engineers, a nationally recognized structural engineering firm, where she served on the executive leadership team directing comprehensive marketing strategies. She has also built her own consultancy, Brazen Brands, developing client-focused brand and pursuit strategies for major AEC firms including Skanska USA, HOK, and Skyline Construction.
Her unique approach emphasizes building trust as marketing’s most valuable currency, fostering high-performing teams through empathy and clear communication, and creating campaigns that feel like conversations rather than advertisements.
Alethea represents the pinnacle of professional achievement in AEC marketing through her FSMPS designation and exceptional track record of transformational leadership. As a Fellow of SMPS—an honor held by fewer than 2% of members nationwide—she has contributed significantly to advancing the professional services marketing profession for over two decades.
Her leadership legacy at SMPS San Francisco Bay Area includes serving as Chapter President during 2011-2012, where she transformed the chapter’s trajectory with bold, member-focused initiatives. Under her “Big, Bold, Bad A$$” leadership theme, Alethea increased sponsorship revenue by 50%, reversed declining membership trends, restored the chapter to the largest in the nation, and grew membership by 11%. She tripled participation in social media channels, implemented video conferencing for remote program access, and oversaw development of 65 educational programs offering 75 CEUs annually. Her exceptional leadership earned her the 2012 SMPS National Chapter President of the Year award.
In 2017, Alethea received the William B. Hankinson Lifetime Achievement Award from SMPS San Francisco Bay Area—the chapter’s most prestigious honor recognizing accumulated excellence in marketing and sustained contributions to SMPS throughout her career. This distinction places her among the most respected leaders in AEC marketing history.
Beyond SMPS, Alethea demonstrates thought leadership through speaking engagements at industry conferences, publishing insights on marketing strategy and leadership, and mentoring the next generation of AEC marketers. Her approach to leadership emphasizes service, empathy, and building cultures where creativity and results flourish together. Alethea has received over 30 marketing communication and leadership awards throughout her career, including multiple recognitions from Degenkolb Engineers for exceptional contributions.
She continues contributing to the profession through her personal website and blog, sharing insights on brand equity, financial metrics for marketers, leadership authenticity, and strategic marketing that drives business growth.
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