Chamille Weddington

Biography

 Chamille Weddington

Educator, Marketing Strategist, Social Entrepreneur

As a marketing strategist, Chamille Weddington is founder of Out the Box Promotions, a consulting agency which specializes in promotion conceptualization, management and execution.  With over 20 years of experience in marketing for entertainment and consumer promotions, Chamille was previously an account and project manager for local and worldwide advertising agencies where she managed corporate accounts.  Some clients included Discover Card, State Farm Insurance, McDonald’s, Oldsmobile, ShoreBank and Ralston Purina.  Chamille’s career has also afforded her the opportunity to exercise her talents in integrated marketing, merchandising, event management, non-profit management, artist management and promotions, grant and proposal writing, contract negotiation and talent booking.

Chamille is an alumna of Columbia College’s undergraduate and graduate programs, and has since then contributed her talents to the college by serving as an educator since 2002. In her years of service to the college she has taught Intro to Marketing Arts, Experiential Marketing, Decision Making: Special Events, Writing for Managers, and Leadership.  She currently teaches Entrepreneurship, Entertainment Marketing and Digital Business Development in the college’s Business & Entrepreneurship Department, in on-ground and online formats.  In her service to the institution she has served as a Senator-at-Large of the Faculty Senate for the School for the Fine & Performing Arts,  facilitator for Dempsey Travis scholars, on the Academic Affairs Committee, Student Care & Advising Committee, department Curriculum Committee as coordinator, and the  Online Taskforce, which worked to develop e-learning initiatives for students and training for faculty.  

In her commitment to teaching, Chamille has worked formerly as a substitute instructor with the Chicago Public Schools, and has had the opportunity to teach hundreds of students across various educational levels and socioeconomic backgrounds, having taught general studies to children as well as business concepts to adult learners.  Chamille’s forte is experiential instruction, as she uses the city as her classroom.   She partners with a number of unique and important cultural, artistic and entertainment businesses to create authentic learning experiences for her students.  Through her instruction, students are challenged to discover and understand differing philosophies and methodology via projects and trips that are in the field.  These learning experiences serve to broaden student perspectives and encourage the inner genius. Chamille has fortified her teaching and professional practice via memberships with the Association of Experiential Educators, the International E-Learning Association and African-American Business Network Association. She was also a nominee for the Columbia College Excellence in Teaching Award.

As a social entrepreneur, Chamille founded Lifevine Works, a non-profit organization that teaches teens the arts and sciences through dynamic job and service learning programs.  Since its inception, LifeVine has employed teens from the Chicagoland area and provided important skills development in interpersonal communication and leadership through its Camp DeeJay sound engineering program, and Djembe Percussion Corps program, an African dance and drumming program.  She is owner of Schweet LLC, a company that produces artisan cheesecake (www.schweetfoods.com), and has a scholarship that provides assistance with the purchase of college course fees and books.

In her spare time she is a docent for the DuSable Museum of African American History and the Glessner Museum.  She is a board member for EEE (Empowerment Through Education & Exposure - www.eeeyouth.org)

Degrees

B.A., Columbia College Chicago 1992
M.A., Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management Columbia College Chicago 2008