The Adobe Champions Program celebrates the experts, innovators, and community leaders helping shape the future of Adobe solutions. MERGE's own shares an insider's look at her dynamic journey as part of the 2026-2027 class.
Heather Rochette | Technologist, MarTech Platforms
October 9, 2026
When the email landed in my inbox, my immediate reaction wasn't triumph; it was deep skepticism. I literally triple-checked the sender address to make sure it wasn't an elaborate (and deeply personal) phishing test from our TechOps department. When I confirmed it was legitimate, I just sat there staring at my screen and let it sink in. Out of a massive pool of global applicants across 26 countries, I had actually been chosen to join this prestigious class of 200 Adobe practitioners worldwide.
Why was I so shocked? Well, unlike last year’s application, I wasn’t so confident in my self-promotion.
When I applied for the Champion program last year, I was methodical, deliberate, and spent hours polishing every single sentence to absolute perfection. When I didn't make the cut, I was genuinely bummed out.
Fast forward to this year’s submission deadline. I logged into the portal on the day it was due to do a final review, only to discover that when my trusty laptop ran an automatic upgrade the night before, it erased my entire draft.
After a brief moment of staring into the void—because, let’s be honest, this application is meaty—I contemplated walking away. But I got over myself pretty quickly, grabbed a coffee, and dove in from scratch. With no time left to overthink or draft "perfect" corporate jargon, I just free-flowed straight from the dome. I typed in my own voice, sharing my real experiences, my genuine missteps, and my raw enthusiasm for the platform.
Filling it out under pressure felt less like an official application and more like a therapeutic journal entry. It actually invigorated me.
In hindsight, losing that draft was the best thing that could have happened. Being a technical wizard is fantastic, but this program looks for something more: a genuine passion for learning, sharing knowledge, and inspiring peers and clients with that same enthusiasm. Dropping the polished facade allowed that passion to actually show through.
If you aren't living and breathing work management software every day, the title might sound a little abstract. The Adobe Champion Program is a year-long cohort made up of a select group of top product experts worldwide. It’s an honor given to practitioners who don't just use the software, but actively teach, mentor, and shape how the industry approaches work management.
It opens up incredible opportunities—from speaking at major industry events like Adobe Summit and leading Community Office Hours, to getting early access to beta features and sitting down directly with Adobe’s product and engineering teams to help shape future roadmaps.
Over the next 12 months, Adobe Champions dedicate roughly 4 to 6 hours each month beyond our day jobs to help elevate the broader community.
Beyond the perks, the real magic lies in the community itself. Being a Champion means stepping into a global brain trust of practitioners who are constantly solving the exact same high-level operational challenges we face every day.
There is an incredible power in a network built on radical collaboration rather than competition. Having direct access to a global peer group means that whenever a unique challenge or complex workflow puzzle pops up, I have a council of the world's best experts to trade ideas with. It’s a space where we uplift each other, share best practices, and continuously sharpen our skills.
At the end of the day, that collective brainpower flows straight into our consulting work at MERGE. Having a seat at the Adobe table means we can bring faster answers, smarter architecture, and cutting-edge insights directly to our clients.
This post kicks off a monthly blog series where I’ll be documenting my year-long journey as a Champion. Every month, I’ll be sharing a behind-the-scenes look at this experience; from the insights I’m learning from my global peers, to new feature opinions, and to (fingers crossed) my adventures at Adobe Summit next spring.
My journey officially kicks off with an in-person Champion Forum at Adobe HQ in San Jose. I’ll be sitting in the same room with fellow Champions whose names I’ve seen on webinars, forums, and articles for years. To me, they are legitimate industry celebrities, and I can't wait to learn alongside them!
Find out more about the Adobe Champion program here.
