Neil Cobb

NeilCobb

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Neil Cobb, APMP Fellow (Class of 2006)

Retired

Bio

Neil Cobb was the executive director of the AT&T Knowledge and Proposal Management Center from 2000 to 2013. He has more than 25 years of experience in commercial proposal development and management. After retiring from AT&T, Neil was a continuing lecturer at the University of North Texas Department of Technical Communication. He continues to work to improve the visibility of our profession in the academy, having worked with UNT to create a certificate in proposal writing for the Technical Communication Masters program. Neil holds six U.S. patents for his content authoring and repurposing methods and systems and is the co-author of "Writing Business Bids and Proposals for Dummies" (John Wiley and Sons, LTD, 2016). He is now fully retired, living with his wife Rebecca in Plano, Texas.

What does being an APMP Fellow mean to you?

Being an APMP Fellow means that I brought value to the profession and the association and that my peers recognized my work as exemplary.

What's your best memory from attending an APMP event?

Implementing, administering, and activating Idea Markets at several conferences, which offered opportunities for proposal professionals to brainstorm ways to solve problems they face every day on the job.

What advice do you have for a proposal professional entering our field?

Use APMP's rich resources of knowledge and people to master our profession. Share what you learn with others. Be a champion for the profession within your business by bringing insight, value, and innovation to your role every day.

Anything else you would like to share?

APMP membership will help make you more successful. The network you'll build, the skills you'll hone, and the evolution you'll undergo will make you a valuable member of any business venture.

I would advise new professionals to take advantage of the resources that APMP offers. Not only do you have access to conferences and seminars through your chapter, but the free webinars and the robust network of professionals are great benefits that can help advance one’s career.

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Valerie Kessie, CP APMP

APMP Certification is an important milestone in the bid and proposal profession. It helped me upgrade my knowledge and be competitive in the industry. You can achieve your dream career with APMP certifications. Thanks to APMP India.

Swapnil Patange

Swapnil Patange, CF APMP

Receiving Practitioner-level certification boosted my confidence and validated my experiences and professional growth in the bid and proposal industry. The badge is something that I see each day, and it motivates and encourages me to keep networking, learning, and elevating others in our combined professional development goals.

Kim Ruff, CP APMP

Certification has enhanced my worth as a bid professional. It has validated the skills and experience I have and is proof of my bid management qualities and capabilities. It has given me a springboard to develop my career and aim for Professional certification.

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Aynsley Davidson, CP APMP

APMP certification is the gold standard for the industry. For me, accreditation is formal recognition of my commitment to the profession, as well as an avenue for improving my performance and bid outcomes by training in APMP principles.

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Ailsa Tuck, CP APMP

Being a part of APMP, I get access to the knowledge and experience of great leaders and mentors from the community. I have learned a great deal from the webinars and conferences I attended on diverse topics from career progression in Proposal Management, trends (such as automation) in PreSales to achieving work-life balance, and handling burn-outs – all real-life experiences.

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Shubhada Kulkarni, CP APMP

With this micro-certification and digital badge, I signal to my bid team and stakeholders that I am familiar with this topic. They can use me as their contact and "sparring partner," independent of RFPs.

Norbert Thiemermann, CPP ES-M APMP

APMP has changed my professional life, elevating it to a standard that I didn’t know existed. Aside from the professional advantages of being certified as an APMP Professional, it’s the community of members who make it so special.

Rita Mascia, CPP APMP

Being an active APMP certified practitioner allowed me to recognize my hidden potential multifold (40u40, BPC Awards, BPC Speaker) and give back to the profession through the APMP community.

Karthik Koutharapu, CP APMP

This topic, Executive Summaries, is way underrated. The Executive Summary is the most eye-catching document, which almost everyone on the customer side reads. Yet, in most bid teams, we don’t dedicate the attention it deserves. I want to learn about something I can immediately put into practice at my workplace, which provides a “quick win” to the team and is a long-term benefit for the company.

Dénes Máthé, CF ES-M APMP