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Alexis M Agosto
Director–MAIP Programs 4A’s Foundation Alexis M. Agosto’s focus at the 4A’s Foundation is in strengthening the MAIP Fellowship and Alumni programs while providing the industry best practices on how to nurture, support, and develop diverse talent. Agosto’s strengths include scholarship creation, financial assistance programs, career tracking and professional development, and providing personal, academic, and professional counseling to students. Previously, Agosto was an academic counselor at Saint Peter’s University in New Jersey for first-generation, low-income college students. She co-founded Young Women’s Empowerment, a group providing collegiate women of color opportunities for sisterhood, discussion of topics affecting women, and development of best practices with regard to mental wellness. She has also been a mental-health counselor for adolescents and young adults.
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Daisy Auger-Dominguez
Founder Auger-Dominguez Ventures Daisy Auger-Dominguez founded and leads Auger-Dominguez Ventures, a workplace culture consultancy whose mission is to make workplaces more equitable, compassionate, and inclusive. A workplace culture-shaper and human-capital strategist, Auger-Dominguez inspires and equips leaders to think inclusively, lead with purpose, embrace courage, and shape the future of work. Prior to her role, she spent two decades leading organizational transformations at Moody’s Investors Service, The Walt Disney Co., and Google. Auger-Dominguez serves on the board of directors of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, and Facing History and Ourselves.
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Neisha Tweed Bell
MAIP 2004 Creative Lead Neisha Tweed Bell works with global brands and advertising agencies. She is a skilled communicator, creative director, and writer who constantly pushes herself and others to excellence. This perspective spills over into her passions for mentorship and diversity and inclusion in the advertising and tech industries. With more than a decade of experience working on integrated campaigns for multicultural and general-market clients, Bell has received several awards for her creativity and community involvement.
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Joyce Chen
Head of Global Production, Creative Experiences, Joyce Chen launched a leadership course at Facebook in 2018 based on the book “The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership.” Now in its second year, the course has more than 100 participants. Previously, Chen was Director of Integrated Production at Heat and Executive Producer at Venables Bell & Partners. Chen has also led global campaigns at various agencies for clients including Google, Audi, Xbox, adidas, and Microsoft. Chen co-directed a documentary short film, “Refugee,” that won eight Best Documentary Short during its festival season and qualified for consideration in the 2017 Academy Awards. She has trained with Conscious Leadership founders and authors Jim Dethmer and Diana Chapman and is enrolled in their year-long CL Coaching Certification program.
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Jezz Chung
MAIP 2013 Diversity & Engagement Lead Anomaly Jezz Chung worked with Anomaly’s leadership team to create the role of Diversity & Engagement Lead to further innovate the company’s practice of inclusion through partnerships, programs, and initiatives that combine creativity with purpose. In a prior role, she developed creative identity at Anomaly for tech and beauty brands including YouTube, Sonos, Converse, and Sally Hansen. Chung is an alumni of diversity and inclusion programs including 4A’s MAIP, ADCOLOR Futures, and the American Advertising Federation’s Most Promising Multicultural Students program.
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Pele Cortizo-Burgess
Chief Product Officer Initiative Pele Cortizo-Burgess is responsible for ensuring full delivery of Initiative’s promise of “Helping Clients Take the Initiative in Culture” across marque brands including Amazon by fostering and enabling more creativity and stronger cultural ideas, and enriching the storytelling abilities of the teams. A former model and law student, Cortizo-Burgess started his marketing career at Saatchi & Saatchi as an account planner. He has also worked at Chiat\Day, for Playstation; St. Luke’s, for Boots the Chemist and HSBC; Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, for Elizabeth Arden, Goodyear, and the “Got milk?” campaign; Grey New York; Faith Popcorn’s BrainReserve, for Nike; and at media owner ITV Studios, where he served as head of creative strategy on “The X-Factor,” “Downton Abbey,” “The Prisoner,” and the complete redesign of the network iDent globally.
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Carl Desir
Global Executive Director–Diversity & Inclusion R/GA Carl Desir collaborates with R/GA’s Business Resource Groups (BRGs), Talent Team, senior-level management, and anyone driven to find solutions that work for R/GA by coaching to evolve mindsets and change behaviors. As a professional coach, he partners with clients to discover their creative process to find actions that support their purpose. Desir founded The Boom List in 2018 to celebrate and highlight creative thinkers of color across varied industries. Before joining R/GA, Desir spent more than six years at the 4A’s, leading the 4A’s Foundation and the MAIP team as VP–Talent Initiatives. He began his career as a strategist at J. Walter Thompson and Translation. Desir graduated with a degree in economics from Harvard University and continued his education at Miami Ad School’s Boot Camp for Strategic Planning. |
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Netta Dobbins
CEO & Co-Founder Minorities in Media Connect (Mimconnect) Netta Dobbins is an entrepreneur, community builder, and advocate for increasing economic opportunity for black and brown professionals. Her organization, Mimconnect, is the largest online and offline professional community for people of color. Dobbins is the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Bright Ventures, a leadership development practice committed to advancing leaders and companies through coaching, consulting and community. Dobbins has worked as a publicist and strategist for multimillion dollar brands including State Farm, Kaiser Permanente, AT&T, and Reebok. She received a Bachelors of Science in communications from Middle Tennessee State University.
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Reema Elghossain
VP 4A's Foundation Reema Elghossain brings 15 years of experience in education, talent development, diversity, equity, and inclusion to spearhead the 4A's Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to talent, equity, and inclusion strategies in the advertising and marketing industry. She leads prominent diversity pipeline initiatives for the industry including the Multicultural Advertising Internship Program (MAIP); the 4A's Foundation's educational programs, scholarships, and awards; and professional and organizational development opportunities. Passionate about building bridges, Elghossain is a people-first leader and has a proven track record of talent acquisition, cross-functional engagement, and change management. As a seasoned facilitator, she has built curricula, conferences, and training to develop college students and industry professionals. She is also co-chair on the advisory board for Lend a Hand Uganda–USA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in New York City.
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Simon Fenwick
EVP–Talent, Equity + Inclusion 4A’s Simon Fenwick has more than 30 years of global experience crafting and implementing talent and engagement strategies. His focus has been on talent development through learning, designing strategies and driving process improvement. Fenwick has also been an advocate and leader for diversity and inclusion, as well as implementing candidate and employee engagement tools to attract and retain great talent to drive success and growth across numerous businesses. Previously, Fenwick was at Facebook, overseeing creative and brand recruiting and diversity initiatives across its portfolio of apps and products. Fenwick’s roles at agencies include EVP–Talent & Diversity at IPG Mediabrands, where he led programs connecting multicultural youth to the industry, and SVP–Global Talent at Starcom MediaVest Group. He also has served on the 4A’s Diversity Steering Committee. Fenwick works with a number of organizations to further the interests of the LGBTQI community and to create early career opportunities to diverse youth through education assistance, internships, job training, and professional mentoring. Fenwick was born in Kenya and raised in New Zealand and Australia. He has lived in the U.S. for 15 years.
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Samantha Gordon
VP–Social Impact Fenton Samantha Gordon has provided senior communications and crisis management for politicians at the local, state, and federal levels; Fortune 500 executives; national advocacy organizations; and international clients. She served as the New Jersey State Director for President Obama’s Organizing for America campaign; Public Affairs and Communications Director for a national women’s reproductive rights organization; advisor to Gov. Jon Corzine (N.J.) and Mayor Ras Baraka (Newark, N.J.); and Regional Political Director for the Democratic National Committee. Gordon has also led national communications campaigns for brands including Citi, to announce its Healthy Cities initiative and community grantees, as well as international public awareness campaigns for The Washington Post, to secure the release of its bureau chief, wrongfully detained in Iran, and presidential branding campaigns in Liberia. Gordon has appeared on MSNBC, Huffington Post Live, The Daily Show, and numerous Sirius XM programs, and in news outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times.
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Walter Geer III
SVP–Group Creative Director / Digital Experience + Innovation TBWA|WorldHealth Walter Geer III is responsible for creating transformative digital and innovative creative solutions for clients. A 20-year veteran of the digital advertising space, Geer holds six U.S. patents for digital ad formats and has developed ad products and implemented creative strategies for publishers and technology and media companies including Google, Viacom, The New York Times, and MySpace. Geer has built market-first usability labs, applying biometric research to the development of creative executions and minimizing risk by understanding how consumer emotions and demographics influence brand engagement. Prior to joining TBWA\WorldHealth, Geer was VP and Creative Director at Verve, where he managed design and engineering teams responsible for the company’s creative production and innovation. Previously, he was VP–Product Strategy at Pointroll (Gannett).
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Vita M. Harris
EVP–CSO FCB Global Vita M. Harris has spent more than 30 years developing strategies and high-ROI campaigns for clients including the U.S. Census Bureau, Kraft/Mondelez, UnitedHealth Group/AARP, Fidelity, Verizon, American Express, Bank of America, HBO, and AT&T. Previously, she has held roles at Saatchi & Saatchi, Ted Bates, and N.W. Ayer, including local and global CSO positions. Harris serves on The Ad Council’s Campaign Review Committee, and she has judged—and led work recognized by—the Effie Awards and the Advertising Research Foundation David Ogilvy Awards. She has also served as a judge for the ADCOLOR Awards and has been a judge of the annual IPG Inclusion Awards since its inception in 2005. The Missouri School of Journalism awarded Harris the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism in 2018. The 4A’s named her to its 100 People Who Make Advertising Great list in 2017. Black Enterprise named her to its Top Women Executives in Marketing and Advertising lists in 2016 and 2013, and The Network Journal named her to its list of 25 Influential Black Women in Business. She was recognized as an ADCOLOR Award Legend in 2010. She serves on the board of directors of The ANA Educational Foundation and is a veteran of the foundation’s Inside Advertising Speakers Program, focusing on the inclusion of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
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Xavier Jernigan
Head of Cultural Partnerships Spotify Xavier Jernigan, as the cultural editorial voice of Spotify, hosts podcasts, video series, and internal and external events. He is a founding member of The Kennedy Center Hip Hop Culture Council; serves on Burberry’s Cultural Advisory Council, guiding the brand on culture and diversity and inclusion strategy; and an American Express SoundBoard member. Jernigan graduated from New York University as a valedictorian with a Master of Arts in music business and holds an MBA and BS from Florida A&M University, which awarded him the Distinguished Alumni Award. Jernigan is a deacon at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Brooklyn.
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Marla Kaplowitz
President + CEO 4A's Marla Kaplowitz joined the 4A’s in 2017 to help chart the future of the association, defining its mission as empowering members to drive commerce, spark connections, and shape culture through infinite creativity. Kaplowitz brings 30 years of industry experience in marketing and communications. As the CEO of MEC North America, starting in 2011, Kaplowitz led the agency to become a major disruptor in talent management with innovative approaches to attracting, nurturing, and retaining top talent. Fortune cited the agency in its Great Places to Work feature, and Ad Age named it to its Best Places to Work in Advertising and Marketing list in 2015. Previously, Kaplowitz spent 12 years at Mediavest, overseeing Procter & Gamble Communications Planning for North America, and managed a multi-client team. She began her career at DMB&B before moving to Ammirati Puris Lintas. Kaplowitz serves on the Boards of The Ad Council, Advertising Self-Regulatory Council (ASRC), Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA), and Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG). She is a member of the Women’s Forum of New York. Ad Age recognized her as a Woman to Watch in 2012. The John A. Reisenbach Foundation gave Kaplowitz the Distinguished Citizen Award in 2016.
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Cavel Khan
SVP–Client Partnerships, North America Vice Media Group Cavel Khan oversees all sales and account management teams for North America. Previously, he was a Senior Manager on Twitter’s consumer packaged goods vertical, where he led a team to build partnerships and grow revenue and led the CPG Mid-Market sales channel. Prior to Twitter, he held multiple roles over eight years at Microsoft, most recently focused on building advertising partnerships across the company’s display, mobile, and gaming platforms. Khan served as Chair of the Advisory Board of ADCOLOR and serves on the board of the Community Roots Charter schools in Brooklyn. He earned his MBA in marketing at the Zicklin School of Business in New York.
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Kathleen King
VP–Learning and Talent Omnicom Health Group Kathleen King oversees the learning and talent management initiatives at Omnicom Health Group, the world’s largest fully integrated global healthcare communications company, and leads Omnicom Health Group University, which offers OHG employees a curriculum of offerings for management and professional and personal development. Her expertise includes coaching, instructional design and delivery, talent management, succession planning, leadership development, and engagement. King holds a Bachelor’s in managerial economics and a Master’s in industrial/organizational psychology and is an ACC-level certified coach through the International Coach Federation.
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Leggoh LaBeija
Founder Open To All (OTA) Leggoh LaBeija is a New York City–based commentator and community leader within the ballroom scene who has made it his mission to ensure that the ballroom scene receives the visibility and representation it deserves by participating in panel discussions and TV appearances, speaking at colleges, working with and performing for celebrities, and most importantly, booking talent from the ballroom scene. The respect and love he receives from the ballroom community, due to the success of his mission, has earned him his title as a Ballroom Gatekeeper. As the founder of Open to All (OTA), LaBeija is an event producer of OTA Weekly, a mini-ball held every week in Brooklyn.
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Cassandra Lam
CEO and Co-Founder The Cosmos Cassandra Lam leads The Cosmos, which offers access to culturally relevant content and resources to empower Asian women to thrive. As a community builder, wellness entrepreneur, and yoga teacher, Lam is on a mission to end the health and wellness equity gap for communities of color. She is preparing to open Place of Care, the first mental wellness space for people of color, in 2020. A first-generation daughter of Vietnamese refugees, Lam grew up in Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley and graduated from the University of California–Los Angeles with a bachelor’s degree in political science.
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Stephanie LeBlanc
Global Head of Inclusion for Women of Color Stephanie LeBlanc-Godfrey has worked to support the growth and success of women by co-creating women of color summits for Asian, indigenous, and Latina participants, as well as the State of Black Women @Google Summit and Collective, a dedicated space for members’ community, conversation, and connection. LeBlanc-Godfrey began her career in infrastructure engineering in the finance industry before she shifted to digital media, where she spent more than 10 years leading inventory forecasting and yield analysis for major media conglomerates including Forbes Media, FOX News Digital, and NBC News Digital. She worked on the divestiture of NBC digital media properties from Microsoft, bringing NBC’s top digital media sites back under the NBC Universal umbrella. She graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology with a Bachelor's of Engineering in electrical engineering.
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Mara Lecocq
Brand & Community Director Fishbowl Co-Founder Where Are the Boss Ladies Mara Lecocq comes up with creative solutions for organizations to use the Fishbowl app to have transparent conversations. Lecoq also founded Where Are The Boss Ladies, a platform and community of more than 1,000 senior women leaders in advertising. Previously, she was a creative director at AKQA, BETC Paris, and 72andSunny/Sundae, leading digital campaign, product, and integrated work for brands including Starbucks, Nike, and McDonald’s. She also created Secret Code, a customizable children’s book featuring girls as tech heroes, which won a grant from Sophia Amoruso’s Girlboss Foundation. Lecoq is a Cannes Lions “See It, Be It” alum; was named a Next Creative Leader by the 3% Conference and the One Club; was one of Mashable’s Rising Stars in Advertising; and was named the Boss of the Boss Ladies by Forbes. Her work appears in Inc., Fast Company, Forbes, Adweek, and Ad Age. She grew up in the Philippines with a Filipino Muslim father and a French Catholic mother.
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Lisa S. Lee
MAIP 1991 Principal and Founder Lila & Company Lisa S. Lee works with companies and agencies to grow their brands through communications, innovation, and training. Before starting Lila & Company, Lee was a strategist at Redscout, an advertising planner at BBDO, and a brand and innovation manager at Unilever. Over her career, she has worked on brand challenges for companies including PepsiCo, L’Oréal, Johnson & Johnson, and SC Johnson, as well as smaller firms and start-ups. Her book Santa’s Boardroom: A Story of How a Company Built a Beloved Brand teaches marketers, entrepreneurs, and students how to create a compelling brand. Lee attended Tufts University and Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and lives in Portland, Oregon.
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Ron Lewis
MAIP 2005 VP–Creative Director McCann Health NY Ron Lewis joined McCann Erickson after completing his 4A’s MAIP internship in 2005 and soon built his career in healthcare marketing. Lewis has shepherded his team’s creative work through strategy, concept, UX, design, approvals, shooting, building, launching, and optimization, for brands in therapeutic categories including neurology, oncology, men’s and women’s health, cardiovascular, respiratory, diabetes, circulatory, oncology, eye care, and smoking cessation. He has served as a Visiting Instructor at Miami Ad School and at Pratt Institute in Manhattan. A native of Barbados, Lewis completed a masters in communication design and an AOS in digital design and interactive media at Pratt, after graduating with honors with a BS in computer science from the University of The West Indies–Cave Hill Campus.
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Christopher Lynn-Logue
Employer Engagement Manager Mayor's Office of ThriveNYC Christopher Lynn-Logue develops engagement strategies and identifies emerging opportunities to recruit New York City–based employers into the Thrive in Your Workplace program, which helps employers bring mental-health support to the workplace. A social worker, mental health advocate, and youth community developer, Lynn-Logue previously worked at the Department of Youth and Community Development as a program manager for Cornerstone Programs, managing community centers located in New York City Housing Authority public-housing developments. He also worked with the Mayor’s Youth Leadership Council, the Young Men’s Initiative, and other youth-related initiatives. Lynn-Logue earned his Master’s in social work from New York University’s Silver School of Social Work and his Bachelors Degree in sociology from Morehouse College.
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Alexander Medina
Community Engagement Manager Mayor’s Office of ThriveNYC Alexander Medina works with communities across New York City to enhance mental healthcare equity, cultivate strategic relationships with community leaders, and change the way communities view, interact, and speak about mental health. Before joining ThriveNYC, Alexander worked to increase access to healthcare across New York City with the GetCoveredNYC initiative. He has worked in diverse social-service programs supporting the development of organizational capacity and strategic planning to strengthen delivery of services to vulnerable populations. Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Medina graduated from the University of Texas–Austin with a degree in urban studies.
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Elaine "Ela" Mesa
Director–Learning Experience Design, Professional and Organizational Development 4A’s Elaine Mesa leads the 4A’s practice focusing on programs that elevate workplace culture, raise consciousness, and build career pathways. She previously led 4A’s Educational Partnerships, creating innovative strategy behind strengthening high school programs. Mesa has more than 10 years’ experience as a trained facilitator, collaborating with organizations and teams seeking development in areas ranging from process management to diversity learning. Her prior experience in the political field has given her extensive insights into community development and programming. As an actress, she also dedicates time to creative projects that move and educate audiences. Mesa holds an MBA in marketing from Saint Peter’s University and graduated with a B.A. in political science and Latino and Hispanic Caribbean Studies from Rutgers University.
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Ralph Nader
SVP–Talent Acquisition IPG Mediabrands TBD
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Yessenia Morales
Vice President, Global Partner Innovation Kinesso / IPG Yessenia Morales has an extensive rich background in global digital media and partnerships, strategy, negotiations, operations, business development, client/project management, thought leadership, and innovation. In 2019, Morales was appointed Co-Chair of IPG’s Women's Leadership Network, which focuses on the development and empowerment of wo(men) in and out of the organization. With more than 15 years’ experience within the media and marketing industry, she has worked to support the co-development of products, strategies, and technology to drive business outcomes for IPG. Morales has previously held roles at Intralinks, a technology business, to craft methodical, efficient, and effective global marketing campaigns, and at full-service agencies in New Jersey. Morales is a two-time High Impact and three-time Standing Ovation award-winner. She’s also served as a Mentor for She Runs It and is an active member of 212 NYC.
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Gillette Oricci
Founding Mother House of Oricci The Legendary Gillette Oricci, founding mother of The House of Oricci, is an international runway champion who has more than a decade of experience on the ballroom floor. From music festivals to one-on-one private lessons, Oricci has become a world-renowned runway instructor with a unique teaching method that always results in visible progression in technique, stage presence, and confidence. “Teaching is a passion,” Oricci says, “because that’s my source of giving back and empowering those around me and in my community.
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Sophie Pauze
Director of Strategic Partnerships Mayor's Office of ThriveNYC Sophie Pauze develops public-private partnerships in the New York City Mayor’s Office, working on place-based initiatives to increase mental health equity across New York City. Pauze directs Thrive in Your Workplace, a program that helps employers introduce mental health support and foster employee mental health and access to mental health care. Previously, she worked at the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, managing more than 20 partnerships and more than $1 million in funding, working with city agencies and foundations and nonprofits to advance innovation in technology, mental health, and workforce development. Pause has a Master’s in public administration from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service and an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College. She is the Board President of the New York City chapter of Amigos de las Americas.
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Eric Prado
MAIP 1995 President Fireflyhigh Eric Prado started his consultant practice in 2017 with more than 22 years’ experience in agency account management at large global advertising agencies, serving iconic consumer brands, managing high-performing teams, and developing skills including training, coaching, and inspiring his team to perform at optimal levels. A 1995 MAIP alum, he now shares his knowledge to help others strengthen their soft skills and emotional intelligence. Prado says of MAIP, “As a kid from Chicago that attended one of the lowest ranked high schools in the state, whose family had no connections to anyone in advertising and who did not attend a well-renowned ad school, I am forever grateful for the doors that MAIP opened for me.'
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Rudy R. Racine
CEO HireLearners Rudy R. Racine, a Certified Professional Career & Leadership Coach, works closely with career-minded professionals, empowering them to build on their skills while strengthening their connection with team members. Racine is also VP of WeCARE Operations for ResCare Workforce Services, managing a workforce development program designed to help New York City residents overcome barriers to employment and become financially self-sufficient. Racine is dedicated to helping his clients craft their personal definition of success, and he offers consistent support and guidance as they advance toward their goals.
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Saneel Radia
MAIP 1999 EVP–Global Chief Innovation Officer R/GA Saneel Radia has been a pioneer in the advertising and digital transformation industries for nearly two decades and is now leading the disruption of the management consulting industry, working with clients including Walmart, Samsung, Siemens, Campbell’s Soup Company, ESPN, and PepsiCo. Radia has been consistently recognized for breaking new ground, including as an Advertising Age Twentysomething and a Mediaweek Media All-Star, and is an awardee of the American Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Achievement and MAIP’s Paragon Award for lifetime achievement.
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Jason Rosario
Founder & Creative Director The Lives of Men Jason Rosario is a multicultural strategist, creative, and brand builder who is executive producer and host of the Yahoo! News original web series “Dear Men,” which chronicles the evolution of manhood. In 2017, Rosario founded The Lives of Men, a social-impact and creative agency that explores the intersection of modern masculinity and culture through strategy, design, and storytelling. Rosario speaks about masculinity, Latinx culture, diversity, and personal and professional development and has been featured in Netflix, Yahoo!, Spotify, Sirius XM, Huffington Post, Black Enterprise, NowThis, Fox 5 News, Hot97, and ADCOLOR. Black Enterprise named him to its BE Modern Men of Distinction list in 2019. He is a graduate of New York University’s Stern School of Business and has a background in finance.
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Ashok Sinha
VP–Corporate Communications Warner Media Ashok Sinha handles Warner Media’s external relations, including executive communications, corporate marketing, public affairs, sponsorships, and events. He has held leadership positions in corporate communications at media, marketing, and entertainment companies including Publicis Media, NBCUniversal, Viacom, and Product (RED). Sinha is a board member of the India Center Foundation, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the study of the Indian subcontinent, the promotion of its cultural life, and the relationship between India and the U.S. Trained as an actor and director, Sinha worked on Off- and Off-Off Broadway productions with arts organizations like the Lark Playwrights Theatre and Desipina Productions. He holds graduate and undergraduate degrees in theatre from the California Institute of the Arts and the University of Maryland–College Park.
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Trisch Smith
Global Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Edelman Trisch Smith works to drive diversity and foster inclusion to ensure Edelman develops innovative solutions that resonate with its clients’ audiences and achieve business success. Smith has managed communications, stakeholder outreach, and reputation management campaigns for clients including Fortune 500 corporations, non-profits, associations, and colleges. She leads Edelman’s award-winning Multicultural, providing senior counsel to clients to engage and reach diverse audiences. Smith sits on the Board of Directors of Color Comm: Women of Color in Communications and the Board of Advocates of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association. In 2019, Savoy magazine named her one of the 100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America, and she received the inaugural Adweek/ADCOLOR Champions award for diversity and inclusion. |
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Rachael Steimnitz
Senior Manager Mayor's Office of ThriveNYC Rachael Steimnitz, a public health professional, leads content development and implementation for Thrive in your Workplace, helping organizations develop and implement health improvement programs. Previously, she supported initiatives for Health and Hospitals Corporation (H+H) as part of the Accountable Care Organization and Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment Performing Provider Systems (DSRIP PPS) and developed and implemented a program to increase conversations about end-of-life care in primary care across 17 outpatient clinics. She also directed a mental-health peer program in five outpatient mental health clinics for the State Office of Mental Health and developed training programs to help social-service providers serving homeless veterans increase their military cultural competency for Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH). In this capacity, she was the co-chair of the New York City Task Force to End Veteran Homelessness. Steimnitz has a BA from the New School and a Masters in Public Health in sociomedical sciences from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.
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Jessica Torres-Soto
SVP–Head of Diversity & Inclusion–U.S. and H.R. Business Partner IPG Mediabrands Jessica Torres-Soto has spent 20 years in communications as an advocate for sharing best practices in human resources and as a champion for diversity and inclusion at IPG and for the marketing industry. She specializes in talent management, development and building culture, equity, and inclusion. Previous roles included HR positions at Mediabrands Insights, Reprise Media, Cadreon, Orion, and Media First International. Torres-Soto has created and co-founded councils across IPG Mediabrands including Initiative’s Diversity and Inclusion Council and BELONG, both IPG Mediabrands’ Business Resource Groups; and the Culture Club and INCITE, both communities of employees who help build culture across Initiative and IPG Mediabrands. She is involved with and advocates for the 4A’s Diversity Council, the American Advertising Federation, the Manhattan Early College of Advertising (MECA), iAM High School of Innovation in Advertising, She Runs It, ColorComm, GLAAD, and the Boys and Girls Club of America.
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Ronnie Dickerson Stewart
MAIP 2004 Chief Diversity Officer Publicis Groupe Ronnie Dickerson Stewart leads the diversity practice at Publicis Groupe, a global leader in marketing, communication, and digital transformation, driven through the alchemy of data, creativity, media and technology. A certified executive leadership and career development coach, she is the creator of OhHeyCoach, a career navigation and acceleration consultancy, and host of The OhHeyCoach Career Clinic Podcast. Stewart mentors professionals from all backgrounds across the advertising and tech industries and has delivered numerous lectures, trainings, and keynotes on learning, development, and coaching towards career success.
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Sharon Lee Thony
MAIP 2000 Founder & Principal Sharon Lee Thony Consulting Sharon Lee Thony is a marketing executive and digital marketing instructor with almost two decades of experience creating award-winning marketing campaigns for travel, beauty, and luxury lifestyle brands. She has been an account executive at agenices including Saatchi & Saatchi and McCann-Erickson, working with clients including P&G, Unilever, Mastercard, and Johnson & Johnson, and she has worked client-side at Unilever to support several personal care products. Thony led marketing teams in the non-profit sector at the Girl Scouts of the USA and Lumberyard, as well as at luxury hotel brands including COMO Hotels & Resorts, Triumph Hotels, and Le Soleil d'Or. Her consultancy, Sharon Lee Thony Consulting, specializes in partnering with small to mid-sized businesses on innovative performance-marketing and social-media strategies. Thony a Distinguished Faculty member at General Assembly and a top rated Pro Seller on Fiverr. She earned her MBA from The Wharton School and her BA from New York University. Thony was a MAIP intern in 2000.
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Yai Vargas
Founder Latinista Yai Vargas leads The Latinista, a national network for Latinas and women of color invested in professional development and career mobility, offering skill-building, activity-driven hands-on sessions to help sharpen career and business skills. The Latinista has chapters in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Miami. Vargas is a career and diversity strategist who helps organizations develop engaging programming focused on career and leadership development. She has led the Financial Women’s Association Emerging Leaders network of New York, has worked to develop investing workshops for women with Ellevest. She has appeared on Yahoo Finance and in MakersMoney, as well as in Forbes for her work in Latina Equal Pay Day. Vargas works in partnership with organizations including Luminary, WE NYC, and The Financial Gym.
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Tiffany R. Warren
SVP–CDO Omnicom Group Founder and President ADCOLOR Tiffany R. Warren, a talent strategist with more than 20 years’ experience in championing diverse professionals in the creative industries, oversees a team focused on change efforts across Omnicom for the advancement and retention of top-performing talent inclusive of women, people of color, and LGBT professionals in an inclusive work culture. In 2005, Warren founded ADCOLOR, where she is deeply involved in the direction the creative industries are taking around diversity and inclusion. She also serves on the boards of the Ad Council, GLAAD, Brotherhood|Sister Sol, American Advertising Federation, and The Ghetto Film School. Advertising Age named Warrena Woman to Watch. Among her numerous honors, the AAF has awarded her its District 2 Role Model Diversity Achievement Award, the Jack Avrett Volunteer Award Recipient, the Barton G. Cummings Gold Medal for Distinguished Service, and the Pioneer in Diversity Award and inducted her to its Hall of Achievement. She has won 4A's MAIP Gladiator Award and was named to its list 100 People Who Make Advertising Great. Warren is a graduate of Bentley University.
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