Susan Amat (BLA ’01, MBA ’04, PhD ’08), a management and marketing lecturer at the School of Business and executive director of The Launch Pad, has been named among South Florida’s best and brightest professionals by the South Florida Business Journal on its 2011 40 Under 40 Awards list. The award winners were honored at a luncheon in Fort Lauderdale on July 28.

According to the Journal, the honorees are “business leaders all under the age of 40 who have achieved impressive career success and contributed to their community.” The finalists were selected from nearly 300 nominees  whose names were submitted to the paper. The selection criteria comprised nominees’ positions within their organizations, responsibilities, career accomplishments and community service.

Prior to her positions at UM, Amat ventured into the music business as a concert promoter at age 15. A serial entrepreneur, she started and ran a successful record label, developing a television show which aired on the E! Network and the first CD-ROM magazine, and was a consultant to media outlets, record labels, and retail stores on marketing and strategy issues. She then moved on to the health care sector, creating products focusing on health monitoring and preventing childhood obesity. In addition to heading up The Launch Pad, Amat teaches courses in strategy, entrepreneurship, and organizational behavior at the School of Business.