Have you ever met a connector, a giver, a person who seems to be at the center of conversation all the time? That person is Aaron Strout, and I’m thrilled (and humbled) to have him on Dialogue’s Advisory Board.

The next time you are in Austin, NYC, Boston or beyond, try tracking him down at an event and taking the time to meet him.  Undoubtedly, he’ll have a circle of friends and business colleagues around him, and he’ll be holding court and guiding the conversation on the latest and greatest social media platform or technology. Then he might invite you for a beer, or some BBQ, or some animated discussion about the Red Sox (full disclosure, I am a Yankees fan, but Aaron and I have agreed-sort of- not to let that tarnish our relationship)  :-).

Want to learn a bit more about Aaron, and what makes him tick?

Read below!

Aaron Strout: VP Marketing.  Powered Austin, TX

Aaron recently joined Austin, TX based, Powered as the VP of marketing. As the CMO at Powered, Aaron focuses not only on day to day marketing activities but also provides a social voice for the company. In this role, Aaron continues with his speaking, blogging, podcasting and social networking activities with an eye toward creating awareness and lead generation for the company.

Prior to joining Powered, Aaron was the Vice President of Social Media at Mzinga, a Burlington, MA-based provider of online communities and social networks for businesses. In his role, Aaron focused on tapping into the power of social media for business. In addition to his knowledge of the interactive and new media landscape, Aaron has more than 15 years of online marketing and advertising experience, with a strong background in integrated and online marketing.

Before joining Mzinga, Aaron worked at Fidelity Investments in their retail division, with a focus on online and acquisition marketing. Aaron’s work at Fidelity revolved around Web strategy & marketing, as well as the development of interactive and print campaigns, including direct mail, e-mail, banner & print ads, and event marketing.

Aaron is also a founding member and former president of (BIMA) and a member and former board member of the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX). Aaron was also recently elected an interim board member for the prestigious Social Media Club. He is part of a team responsible for creating standards around social media and community

Hometown: Melrose, MA used to be my hometown. I know call the place affectionately known as the ATX or Austin, TX home. Yes it’s hot but it’s not rainy.

Favorite Book/Recommended Reading: I could be snarky and tell you to look at my Facebook bookshelf but I won’t be. I love two types of books… action thrillers like Mystic River and fun business-oriented books like Freakonomics and Blink. I read other stuff too but those are my favorites. Oh yeah, I’m also a big fan of Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon. I’ve collectively read that book to my three kids no fewer than 2,347 times.

How I Relax
Grilling, swimming with the kids, watching good flix with my wife, hanging by the lake up at my parents cabin in ME and sitting with the earphones on at a local cafe listening to the Red Sox or something on iTunes.

Rule to Live By/Words of Wisdom…
It may sound corny but I’m a huge fan of Karma in the “Pay It Forward” sense of the word. I believe in helping people out proactively whenever possible because it can only help you in the long run. This means mentoring people, taking the time to comment on their blogs, overtipping at restaurants, always taking the time to stop at kids’ lemonade stands and helping friends and friends of friends look for jobs.