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Certifications

Five credentials earned alongside my marketing degree at JMU: AI for marketing, a state insurance license, research ethics, ad storytelling and Excel.

Credentials
Five, four earned in 2026
License
New York Life, Accident & Health
Issued by
UVA, NY DFS, CITI, LinkedIn, Harvard
  1. University of Virginia School of Continuing and Professional Studies certificate: Kevin Backer has successfully completed the Applied Business Science course with a concentration in AI for Marketing, August 27, 2026, delivered with Ziplines Education.
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    University of VirginiaSchool of Continuing and Professional Studies, with Ziplines EducationAugust 27, 2026

    AI for Marketing

    A seven-week Applied Business Science course with a concentration in AI for Marketing, taken over the summer alongside my Aflac internship: using AI tools inside real marketing work, graded on hands-on playbooks.

    • Cleaned and de-identified a Meta Ads export, then used ChatGPT to turn it into an insight card: what happened, why, and what to do next.
    • Combined it with Google Ads, GA4 and customer-review findings, audited every claim, and cut what the data didn’t support.
    • Delivered a one-slide executive summary and a 30-day plan, with cost per first subscription as the main KPI and repeat-order rate as a guardrail.
    • Also built an AI-assisted competitive analysis and a customer journey map for the same meal-kit brand.
    • ChatGPT
    • Gemini
    • Make
    • Meta Ads
    • Google Ads
    • GA4
    • KPI design
  2. New York State Department of Financial Services Certificate of Licensing Status for Kevin Edward Backer: Life/Accident and Health Agent, lines 2 Accident and Health and 5 Travel Accident, in good standing, expiring June 21, 2027. Dated September 30, 2026. Address and date of birth hidden.
    Open the full certificate · address and date of birth hidden

    New York StateDepartment of Financial ServicesLicensed May 2026 · expires June 21, 2027

    Life, Accident & Health License

    Licensed by New York State as a Life/Accident & Health agent, for accident and health and travel accident insurance.

    • Earned at the start of my summer as a benefits advisor intern at Aflac on Long Island.
    • In good standing, per the state’s Certificate of Licensing Status dated September 30, 2026.
    • Verifiable by name through the New York DFS license lookup.
    • Insurance
    • Employee benefits
    • Client meetings
  3. CITI Program certificate: Kevin Backer has completed Human Research, Social/Behavioral Research Course, Basic Course, under requirements set by James Madison University. Completed March 15, 2026; expires March 15, 2029.
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    CITI ProgramRequired by James Madison UniversityMarch 15, 2026

    Human Research: Social & Behavioral

    Training in running research with people ethically: consent, privacy and protecting the people you survey or interview.

    • The Social/Behavioral Research basic course, completed under JMU’s requirements for student researchers.
    • The groundwork for consumer research done right, from survey design to how respondents’ data is handled.
    • Valid through March 2029. Verify on citiprogram.org.
    • Research ethics
    • Informed consent
    • Survey research
  4. LinkedIn Learning certificate of completion: Storytelling for Advertising Campaigns, completed by Kevin Backer on February 26, 2026. Top skills covered: storytelling and advertising campaigns.
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    LinkedIn LearningCourse certificateFebruary 26, 2026

    Storytelling for Advertising Campaigns

    How to build an ad campaign around a story people remember, from the hook to the call to action.

    • Skills covered: storytelling and advertising campaigns.
    • Taken the same semester my agency wrote the 30-second spot for Protect Their Future, a campaign that pairs emotion with proof.
    • Storytelling
    • Advertising campaigns
  5. A spreadsheet of the Polar Flame projected income statement, 2026 to 2030: revenue from $2,252,663 to $3,087,489 and net income from a $128,895 loss to $219,205.
    Placeholder: the Polar Flame income statement in Excel. Certificate image to come.

    HarvardExcel certification

    Excel Spreadsheets

    Certified in building and analyzing spreadsheets in Excel.

    • The tool behind the chapter budget I manage as treasurer of Alpha Epsilon Pi, about $50,000 a semester.
    • Used for the five-year income statement and ratio analysis in Polar Flame.
    • Excel
    • Budgets
    • Financial models