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The Ad Council Appoints 21 New Members to its Board of Directors

NEW YORK, NY, April 29, 2022 — The Ad Council, America’s leader in using the power of communications to drive social change, elected 21 new members to its Board of Directors during its spring meeting held yesterday with both virtual and in-person elements. The non-profit organization’s Board is chaired by Linda Yaccarino, Chairman, Global Advertising and Partnerships, NBCUniversal. Vice Chairs include Jacki Kelley, CEO, Americas, dentsu, and Diego Scotti, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Verizon.

Throughout the organization's 80-year history, the Ad Council has been at the forefront of driving the communications industry’s social impact efforts. Its Board of Directors is comprised of an esteemed group of senior marketing and media executives whose talent, insights and financial support ensure that the Ad Council’s social good campaigns are effective and impactful. Most recently, the Ad Council’s Board of Directors led the industry’s response to COVID-19 and the launch of the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative’s COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative, the most significant public education effort in U.S. history.

New members of the Ad Council Board of Directors include:

  • Jonathan Adashek, Chief Communications Officer and Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications, IBM
  • Michele Barlow, Brand Strategy, Creative, Content and Media Executive, Bank of America
  • Vanessa A. Broadhurst, Executive Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs, Johnson & Johnson
  • Alex Collmer, Chief Executive Officer, Vidmob
  • Tina Davis, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Citi
  • Rachel Ferdinando, Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, PepsiCo Frito Lay North America
  • Jim Habig, Vice President, Marketing, LinkedIn
  • Gail Heimann, Chief Executive Officer, Weber Shandwick
  • Lisa Ryan Howard, Global Head of Advertising and Marketing Solutions, The New York Times
  • Kellyn Kenny, Chief Marketing and Growth Officer, AT&T Communications
  • Sarah Kramer, Chief Executive Officer, Spark Foundry
  • Tammy Levine, Head of Brand Management & Sponsorships, Wells Fargo
  • Doug Martin, Chief Brand and Disruptive Growth Officer, General Mills
  • Stacy Martinet, Vice President, Marketing & Communications, Adobe
  • Ryan Mayward, Vice President, Ad Sales, Instacart
  • Richard Parkinson, Chief Brand Officer, Prudential Financial
  • Mary Ann Reilly, Senior Vice President, Head of North America Marketing, Visa
  • Karin Timpone, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, Major League Baseball
  • Kerry Tucker, Chief Marketing and Franchise Officer, pocket.watch
  • Bill Watkins, Chief Revenue Officer, Pinterest
  • William White, Chief Marketing Officer, Walmart

“Our Board is an invaluable driving force behind the Ad Council’s capacity to create positive change on our country’s most pressing issues,” said Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of the Ad Council. “We are excited to welcome these new leaders and work together to leverage their innovation, expertise and resources as we continue to mobilize our industry around purpose-driven work."

The Ad Council also added a new member to its Leadership Council, Chris Kelly, CEO of Upwave. The Leadership Council consists of executives across media, tech, marketing and advertising who identify ways their companies can activate campaigns and share key learnings, insights, and capabilities in support the Ad Council’s work and the country’s most critical social issues.

A complete list of the Ad Council Board of Directors and Leadership Council is available on the organization’s website.

THE AD COUNCIL

The Ad Council has a long history of creating life-saving public service communications in times of national crisis, starting in the organization's earliest days during World War II to September 11th and natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy and, most recently, leading the industry’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its deep relationships with media outlets, the creative community, issue experts and government leaders make the organization uniquely poised to quickly distribute life-saving impactful information to millions of Americans.

The Ad Council is where creativity and causes converge. The non-profit organization brings together the most creative minds in advertising, media, technology and marketing to address many of the nation's most important causes. The Ad Council has created many of the most iconic campaigns in advertising history. Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk. Smokey Bear. Love Has No Labels.

The Ad Council's innovative social good campaigns raise awareness, inspire action and save lives. To learn more, visit AdCouncil.org, follow the Ad Council's communities on Facebook and Twitter, and view the creative on YouTube.


Ad Council Media Contacts

AD COUNCIL PRESS CONTACT:
Nina Trach: ntrach@AdCouncil.org