5 Questions With ... Stephanie Freeman

Stephanie Freeman’s road to becoming a marketing manager at AAA Northeast started with an art degree.

Stephanie studied Advertising Design at Syracuse University, but had the bad fortune of graduating during a recession. She found her first couple of jobs in retail, working in store management for Banana Republic and Ann Taylor. In 1997, she began working for Brooks Brothers, where she stayed for eight years, rising to the position of director of retail marketing.

Before arriving at AAA Northeast in 2019, Stephanie was serving as the manager of retail development business at Talbots, as a core member of a small team established to build customer engagement initiatives. But she sees all of this experience as the education in product sales, management and customer service that suits her so well in her current position as Branch marketing manager.

Today, Stephanie enjoys indulging that very same visual acumen that led her to pursue visual arts back in college.

Q: What’s one destination on your vacation bucket-list?
Even though I’ve been to Italy, I still have the location on my vacation bucket list. I suppose you can call it “Bucket List 2.0.” Both set of my grandparents are originally from Italy and I would love to take an extended vacation to visit the towns and villages where they were born and raised. Walk the streets, breathe the air, read family tombstones and of course, enjoy the cuisine (with lots of wine and dessert). My father has always said our family “is in our veins” and he’s absolutely right! I want to experience how I became me.

Q: If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing, what would it be?
I suppose this question should be based on how I try and live my life – and that’s perspective! I am a firm believer that when we are challenged, big and small, we need to step back and put the situation into perspective. It helps to calm down any extra emotions and focus on improvement strategies.

Q: If you didn’t have to work, what would you do with your time?
I would dust off my old 35mm camera (you know the one that uses traditional film – anyone remember those?), spend my days traveling the world and snapping pictures of mother nature in her glory and beautiful architecture. I’m a sucker for a well-designed old estate (I actually wanted to be an architect at one point in my life – but we can save that topic for another time). I love showcasing some of my favorite shots in frames around my home. I’ve been known to gift them too.

Q: Do you have a hidden talent? What is it?
Well, see question No. 3. I’ve loved taking photos and capturing that “special moment” since I was in high school, even mastering it in college with a few courses. I quickly became the staff photographer at many parties & weddings (voluntold perhaps). My subjects have changed through the years, although my dog Belle is a consistent fan favorite.

Q: Are you a cat person or a dog person?
I honestly love both – what’s not to love? But I favor dogs. I’ve had several sweet dogs throughout my life, Muffin, Pepper, Midnight, Winnie and Belle. When I lived alone, I adopted Theo the cat and he lived with me for over 10 years. My husband is also a huge lover of dogs and I believe our boys are following in our footsteps!

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