20 Under 40: Andrea Etzel

Photo by Nathan Ham

Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography, Savannah College of Art of Design

Age: 32

3 Words Creative Observant Trustworthy

Role Model My mom inspires me every day through her strength and courage. Her kindness and generosity has taught me by example the type of woman I hope I am and the mother I hope to be someday.

Best Advice Received “The more you do, the more you can do”

Superpower Strong intuition, the ability to read people and situations. I won’t say it’s 100%, but I’m still surprised how often it’s right.

Accomplishments Most Proud Of

Personal: Taking leap of faith and quitting my full-time job (a professional career of six years), moving to the east coast to attend college full-time. The outcome: being the first in my family to graduate from a four-year university.

Career: Since high school I wanted to work in the world of publishing, now I’m the chief editor of a regional magazine that won Magazine of the Year in 2014.

At this point in your life, what do you know for sure? Be happy. No matter where you are in life you can always change your course, just follow your heart.

“Andrea has an incredible work ethic. She is apt at handling challenging situations with diplomacy and confidentiality in order to create positive outcome. Andrea is an outstanding team player, is up for the challenge with a “can-do” attitude and does not shy away from tackling new projects. Her dedication is tremendous and speaks volumes.” - Joanne Morrell, Impact! Marketing Group, Inc.

“Andrea has been employed by our agency, she has become an integral member of the team. She is organized, enthusiastic, creative, self-motivated and an overall team player.” - Linda Craghead, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism