The Retail Bakers of America (RBA) has announced the appointment of Amie Smith, owner of AMIE® Bakery located in Osterville, Massachusetts, as its new RBA board president. 

During her term as president, Smith looks to facilitate the organization’s growth and brand recognition by drawing on over two decades of experience in corporate marketing, branding, writing and teaching.  

“One of the biggest mistakes I made when I started my bakery was not joining the RBA,” says Amie Smith. “At the time, I didn’t fully understand the value of membership. After joining, I discovered the treasure trove of available information and resources. I realized that an RBA membership is something you cannot afford to not do. Being in the RBA means you aren’t alone and you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Whatever challenges you have, whatever highs or lows you experienced, whatever formula you need, whatever piece of equipment you’re considering—someone out there has been in your shoes and can guide you—and our members are eager to help and generous with their time. Our board is working hard to foster these connections and help ensure our member’s businesses continue to thrive by leveraging our vast resources.” 

After working in high-tech marketing and teaching writing at Northeastern University, the 2008 economic downturn handed Smith a surprising mid-life career change. Needing to reinvent herself, she attended pastry school at the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan which ignited a buried passion from childhood. Smith opened AMIE Bakery in 2014, serving a broad range of sweet and savory pastries, cakes, cookies, and pies as well as breakfast and lunch sandwiches. She also launched AMIE Académie as an extension of the business, bringing baking and cooking classes to the community. 

Now authoring her first book she is eager to share her journey that’s equal parts storytelling, lessons learned and tips to success, while reflecting on how to navigate a career change at any life stage.

At its recent annual board meeting in Ann Arbor, now past president Scott Calvert passed the gavel with words of encouragement. 

“This year, our annual meeting welcomed several new board members as well as our new executive director, Marissa Sertich Velie,” says Smith. “We had a valuable training session led by Zingerman’s ZingTrain program and outlined the pillars of our strategic vision, as well as revisited and refined our mission statement. The RBA is poised to continue to its mission to connect, educate, and support the baking community while developing new programs to further increase the value of RBA for our members.”