diff --git a/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/marketing/widgets/MarketingWidgets.java b/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/marketing/widgets/MarketingWidgets.java
index f53bb5b..0c20d6c 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/marketing/widgets/MarketingWidgets.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/marketing/widgets/MarketingWidgets.java
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ package com.kingsrook.qbits.marketing.widgets;
 
 import java.io.Serializable;
 import java.time.Instant;
-import java.time.ZoneOffset;
 import java.time.format.DateTimeFormatter;
 import java.time.temporal.ChronoUnit;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
@@ -95,7 +94,7 @@ public final class MarketingWidgets
    public static final String CAMPAIGN_RESULTS = "marketing_campaign_results";
    public static final String CONTENT_PROPOSAL = "marketing_content_proposal";
 
-   private static final DateTimeFormatter WHEN_FORMAT = DateTimeFormatter.ofPattern("MMM d, yyyy h:mm a 'UTC'", Locale.US).withZone(ZoneOffset.UTC);
+   private static final DateTimeFormatter WHEN_FORMAT = DateTimeFormatter.ofPattern("MMM d, yyyy h:mm a z", Locale.US);
 
    public static final List<String> HOME_WIDGETS = List.of(NEEDS_ATTENTION, CAMPAIGNS, AGENT_ACTIVITY, CONFIGURATION);
 
@@ -203,12 +202,14 @@ public final class MarketingWidgets
 
 
    /*******************************************************************************
-    ** A date-time for people: "Oct 14, 2026 4:53 PM UTC" (empty when null).
+    ** A date-time for people, in the user's time zone (the session's, else the
+    ** instance's), as the record screens show it: "Oct 14, 2026 11:53 AM CDT"
+    ** (empty when null).
     *******************************************************************************/
    static String when(Object value)
    {
       Instant instant = ValueUtils.getValueAsInstant(value);
-      return (instant == null ? "" : WHEN_FORMAT.format(instant));
+      return (instant == null ? "" : WHEN_FORMAT.withZone(ValueUtils.getSessionOrInstanceZoneId()).format(instant));
    }
 
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/marketing/EndToEndFlowTest.java b/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/marketing/EndToEndFlowTest.java
index a085586..a36355b 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/marketing/EndToEndFlowTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/marketing/EndToEndFlowTest.java
@@ -256,10 +256,11 @@ class EndToEndFlowTest extends BaseMarketingTest
       com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.actions.widgets.RenderWidgetInput proposalInput = new com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.actions.widgets.RenderWidgetInput()
          .withWidgetMetaData(com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.context.QContext.getQInstance().getWidget(com.kingsrook.qbits.marketing.widgets.MarketingWidgets.CONTENT_PROPOSAL));
       proposalInput.setQueryParams(new java.util.HashMap<>(java.util.Map.of("id", String.valueOf(contentId))));
-      String proposal = ((com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.dashboard.widgets.RawHTML) new com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.actions.dashboard.RenderWidgetAction()
+      com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.context.QContext.getQSession().setValue(com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.session.QSession.VALUE_KEY_USER_TIMEZONE, "America/Chicago");
+      String proposal =((com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.dashboard.widgets.RawHTML) new com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.actions.dashboard.RenderWidgetAction()
          .execute(proposalInput).getWidgetData()).getHtml();
       assertThat(proposal).as("a used-up approval is not shown as not approved").contains("used by an execution").doesNotContain("Not approved")
-         .containsPattern("[A-Z][a-z]{2} [0-9]{1,2}, [0-9]{4} [0-9]{1,2}:[0-9]{2} [AP]M UTC");
+         .containsPattern("[A-Z][a-z]{2} [0-9]{1,2}, [0-9]{4} [0-9]{1,2}:[0-9]{2} [AP]M C[DS]T");
 
       ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
       // 7. recorded outcomes: the provider acceptance (test data) and //