Featuring Tiffany Milbrandt, Sales Manager, Duracard, and ICMA Board Member

For Tiffany Milbrandt, sales manager at Duracard and a member of the ICMA Board of Directors, building a career in the card ecosystem has meant continuing to learn while staying true to herself.

Before her first CardTREX presentation, Tiffany had a question that went beyond the research she planned to share: Could she bring her personality to the stage and still be taken seriously?

She was nervous. Her presentation included memes, funny graphics and a YouTube clip, choices that made the material feel like her but also left her wondering how the audience would respond. The experience became a defining moment in her career.

“Expertise and professionalism don’t require you to lose your personality,” she says.

That realization continues to shape how she approaches her work in the global card ecosystem. For Tiffany, professional confidence means facing a challenge without feeling compelled to become someone else.

An Industry That Keeps Her Curious

The variety of the card ecosystem first drew Tiffany in and continues to hold her interest. Manufacturing intersects with technology, while design and customer experience depend on understanding both products and people.

“It’s an industry that never stands still, which means there is always something new to learn,” she says.

That appetite for learning informs her advice to professionals entering the field. She encourages them to look beyond the responsibilities listed in their job descriptions and understand how their work fits into the broader business.

Ask how a product is made. Explore why a process works a certain way. Find out what the customer hopes to accomplish and what happens after your part of the job is complete. Those questions, she believes, help people become more effective in any role.

Trust Is the Accomplishment That Matters

When asked what makes her proudest, Tiffany points to the relationships she has built.

Sales results and business wins matter, but she places particular value on becoming someone customers, colleagues and industry friends trust to call when they need help or an honest answer.

“If I can make a positive impact on the people and businesses that I work with along the way, that is something I’d be incredibly proud of,” she says.

Her advice to the next generation reflects that priority: Take care of people: “Technology, products and processes will continue to change, but being someone people can count on never goes out of style.”

Connecting Physical and Digital Experiences

One opportunity especially interests Tiffany: the relationship between tangible cards and the digital customer journey.

A loyalty, membership or gift card can remain in a wallet, sit on a countertop or pass from one person to another. In her view, that physical presence gives a brand opportunities to remain visible beyond a transaction.

“The card becomes more than just a way to complete a transaction, it becomes part of the customer experience and a physical reminder of the brand,” she says.

She sees potential in making physical products smarter and integrating them more creatively with digital experiences. Rather than treating the two as competitors, she considers how they can work together to strengthen a customer’s connection with a brand.

A Lesson That Started Early

Tiffany has learned from customers and coworkers, including people who challenged her assumptions and pushed her beyond her comfort zone. One important influence, however, dates to her preteen years.

Her friend Loretta showed her that a successful corporate career could coexist with active involvement in family and community life. That example helped broaden her understanding of what professional success could look like.

Loretta also left her with a lesson she still carries: Never be afraid to ask the question.

“Curiosity will open far more doors and conversations than pretending you already knew the answer,” Tiffany says.

Grounded in the Garden

Away from work, Tiffany finds her reset in gardening. Plants are a fixture in her workspace, ideally accompanied by a cup of coffee. She describes herself as a gardener and an “unapologetic dirt nerd.”

Music helps energize her for a demanding day, with an eclectic playlist that can vary widely with her mood. After a busy week, though, time in the garden offers a different kind of satisfaction: “There’s something especially satisfying about working on something where nobody needs an email follow-up!”

It is a fitting outlet for someone who values learning and brings her personality to her work: a place to stay curious, get her hands dirty and enjoy watching something grow.