Speakers

Allen Adamson is managing director of the New York office of Landor Associates, and author of the upcoming book, "The Edge: 50 Top Tips from Brands that Lead Including Apple, Zappos, GE, P&G, and even Justin Beiber," available January 2013 from Palgrave Macmillan. His previous books include "BrandSimple: How the Best Brands Keep It Simple and Succeed" and "BrandDigital: Simple Ways Top Brands Succeed in the Digital World."

As managing director of Landor’s New York office, Allen is responsible for operations, overseeing branding efforts for a broad spectrum of corporate and consumer brands in industries ranging from technology to health care to fashion. Under Allen’s leadership, the office partners with a wide array of clients, including Citi, Dell, Diageo, General Mills, Johnson & Johnson, New York Life, Pfizer, and Verizon. Additionally, he provides brand guidance for non-profit organizations including 9/11 Memorial and Museum, Children Oncology Group, Council on Foreign Relations, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).

A noted expert in the area of branding and advertising, Allen is a sought-after industry commentator and writes a bimonthly column for Forbes.com. He has appeared on NBC’s Today’s Show, CNBC’s Squawk Box, and Closing Bell, and on the Fox Business Network. He is frequently quoted in publications such as Advertising Age, the New York Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. He regularly lectures at New York University’s Stern School of Business and the Yale School of Management.

Before joining Landor, Allen gained branding and marketing expertise on both the agency and client sides. During his time as senior vice president, group director, at Ammirati & Puris and DMB&B, his clients included Kraft, Mars, and P&G. He also worked at Unilever, where he was group product manager, responsible for a number of major brands. His career began at Ogilvy & Mather in 1979.

Allen received a BS from S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, and an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Check out Allen's blog at http://blogs.forbes.com/allenadamson/.

Amanda Ponzar is the Director of Communications at United Way Worldwide, the largest privately funded nonprofit in the world. In her role, she is responsible for internal and external communications including CSR, grants, cause marketing, workforce campaigns and strategy for United Way’s Global Corporate Leadership partners which raise more than $1 billion annually. Prior to joining United Way, she worked on product licensing and publicity for other renowned nonprofits including American Red Cross national headquarters and St. Louis Gateway Area American Diabetes Association. An award-winning writer, Amanda holds a master’s degree in media communications and a bachelor’s in English, plus Executive Education in corporate social responsibility from Harvard Business School. She also regularly volunteers for numerous nonprofits including International Justice Mission, Carpenter’s Shelter, United Way and her local church.

Amanda's personal blog can be found at http://www.lipsticking.com/posts-by-amanda-ponzar/.

Amy DeMaria is senior vice president of communications at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a $300m+ national nonprofit seeking a cure for this rare, fatal disease. In this role, she oversees all external and internal communications including the organization's online presence, social media channels, editorial services and media relations.

Amy was hired to rebuild the organization’s communications program, with a particular focus on a new brand identity. She launched a new Foundation logo and an award-winning website that resulted in a 200% increase in web traffic over 5 years. Amy also developed the Foundation's first social media platforms including a robust Facebook community of over 140k people (cystic fibrosis affects only 70k people worldwide). Under Amy's leadership, the Foundation won first place in the 2012 YouTube DoGooder nonprofit video awards—selected from over 1,000 nominations. The award-winning video was featured on the YouTube homepage.

At the CF Foundation, Amy also built an earned media program resulting in a ten-fold increase in stories about the organization’s innovative approach to drug development. Under her leadership, high-profile articles have appeared in dozens of national publications including Forbes, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Yorker.

Previously, Amy held communications leadership positions at Georgetown University Medical Center and Georgetown University, and also worked at Porter Novelli. She has also worked on the Clinton/Gore campaign and in the Clinton Administration at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Amy received a bachelor's degree from Emory University and has studied marketing and management at Georgetown University School of Business.

Andrew Graff rises each morning before the sun, and always has one question on his mind: “What’s next?” As CEO of Allen & Gerritsen (a&g), a 27-year-old advertising agency with an entrepreneurial and innovative spirit, Andrew constantly challenges his employees to deliver business through thoughtful brand strategy, unbridled creativity, high-impact media, and connection technologies. By strategically combining creativity, technology and media with a top-notch corporate culture, Andrew has redefined the traditional agency model.

Under his leadership, a&g has seen unprecedented growth over the past 4 years. In both 2011 and 2012 a&g was ranked #1 by Advertising Age as “Best Place to Work in Marketing & Media” in the United States. In addition, a&g was also ranked as a “Best Place to Work” by both the Boston Business Journal and Boston Globe for two consecutive years. Andrew is currently overseeing the next chapter in a&g’s history, as in August, 2012 the company will move to Boston’s cultural hub for creativity and entrepreneurship, the “Innovation District.”

From an early age, Andrew’s entrepreneurial spirit drew him to advertising and made it his calling. Andrew completely immersed himself in every aspect of the advertising business, starting as an intern and working his way up through various firms. He often jokes that he is “the intern who never went away.” Across his career, Andrew’s clients have included some of the most well recognized brands in the US, including Gillette, Verizon, TJX Companies, Showtime Networks, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, and the Boston Celtics, along with global BtoB companies such as State Street Corporation, IBM, Tyco Electronics, Bank of Iceland, and Waters Corporation.

In addition to his personal triumphs, Andrew remains dedicated to the economic growth of Massachusetts, representing the $1 billion marketing industry as Chairman of the Boston Ad Club. He also serves on the Boards of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As), and the Boston Chamber of Commerce. Andrew's nonprofit causes include the Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester and the Sports Museum. Passionate about fitness, Andrew may be the only CEO in America who moonlights as a spin instructor many mornings before work.

Anthony is a creative technologist who has over 5 years of experience delivering integrated and measurable social media marketing solutions for major brands including Red Bull and United Airlines. Since co-founding Activ8Social in 2009, his agency's work has been featured in USA Today, E!, Fox News, Mashable, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, NBC Sports, and Comcast SportsNet. A serial entrepreneur who has launched multiple businesses during his young career, he brings a diverse digital background to clients, including strategic consulting experience at IBM where he won numerous awards for designing technology programs. Anthony holds a B.B.A. degree from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.

An award-winning advertising professional for over two decades, Benny Lawrence currently serves as Manager, Media/Brand Innovation for Audi, where she leads media strategy and execution for the U.S. organization. As a member of the Audi of America marketing team, she works closely with internal marketing and product colleagues and external agency partners on media strategy, planning and execution, branded entertainment, partnership/sponsorship management and integrated marketing.

Benny served as the Audi of America lead on the 2011 Media Post Creative Media Award for Creative winner, “Untitled Jersey City Project,” a collaboration between FX, MediaCom Entertainment and Audi. Additional key achievements have included overseeing an integrated branded content initiative to optimize Audi’s sponsorship of the U.S. Ski team via the production of NBC prime time documentary “Truth in Motion: The U.S. Ski Team’s Road to Vancouver.” In September 2010, Benny’s media plans were recognized for excellence and innovation by Advertising Age.

Prior to joining Audi, Benny was the Director of Media and Communication for Sara Lee Food and Beverage, where she oversaw innovative digital partnerships with AOL, Dreamworks and Mark Burnett which contributed to the successful launch of the Sara Lee “Joy of Eating” (Flushed Away) and Hillshire Farm “Go Meat” (Shrek 3) campaigns.

Previously, Benny served as Partner, Communications Activation Director at MindShare, where she pioneered branded entertainment as a new communications method on television. While at MindShare, Benny was a key member of the team that won Media Post’s 2004 Creative Media Award for Branded Entertainment/Product Placement/Sponsorship for Sears and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Earlier in her career, Benny worked for Nokia Mobile Phones, Discover Card and DDB Needham Worldwide.

Benny holds a Bachelor of Science with Honors, Advertising, and a Master of Arts, Advertising, from the University of Texas.

What Benny says about what inspires her: "I’ve met many celebrities and CEOs in my career. Last month I met one of the most inspiring men I’ve ever met. His races and wins are legendary. What’s inspiring about Hans-Joachim Stuck is not his career, it’s the person you meet. Kind. Interesting. Fun. Funny. Charismatic. Rarely do you meet someone who the ability to make everyone in the room feel like they are his closest friends immediately. I’m impressed and inspired to live a fuller life because of my brief conversation with Hans-Joachim Stuck. He tells an amazing story in this video. I’m so proud of this video and my team who did such an amazing job!"

Brendan Hurley is the Chief Marketing Officer for Goodwill of Greater Washington where he is responsible for the non-profit agency’s internal and external marketing & communications strategies covering its retail operations, contract services and job training programs. He has been with Goodwill since October 2003.

Prior to Goodwill Industries, Brendan was the Director of Marketing for Clear Channel Radio in Washington, D.C., where he managed the regional corporate brand as well as the marketing departments for two of the company's largest radio stations, WBIG FM and WASH FM. In 2002, Brendan won an Achievement in Radio Award for producing the Expo for the Cure, in support of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The same year he was also a recipient of the Clear Channel - Washington Employee of the Year Award for his successful efforts to integrate and leverage multiple radio station brands and media divisions. Since arriving at Goodwill, Brendan has rebuilt the organization’s brand, generating millions of dollars worth of earned media, and launching the first successful, revenue generating social media campaign in Goodwill history. In 2011, the American Marketing Association designated Brendan the National Nonprofit Marketer of the Year. In 2010, he was recognized as one of the Top 20 Chief Marketing Officers in the greater Washington/Baltimore region by SmartCEO magazine; and in January of 2006, Brendan was profiled in PR Week Magazine as one of four non-profit marketing executives in country successful at “doing more with less. Brendan’s marketing strategies have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, The Huffington Post, PR Week Magazine, Chronicle of Philanthropy, and on CNN, FOX News, NPR and MSNBC, among others. His social media strategies have won three awards from the American Marketing Association and been presented as case studies on multiple marketing websites and at universities around the country.

Brendan is a past president of the Washington, DC chapter of the American Marketing Association, a past Chair of the Greater Washington Board of Trade's Marketing & Communications Executive Network, a member of Leadership Greater Washington’s class of 2011, and the creator and writer of the On the Mark marketing blog.

Brendan earned his MS in Marketing from Johns Hopkins University and a BA in Communications from James Madison University. He resides in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife Atsuko and their son, Jacob.

Cary Lawrence, VP, Business Development, joined SocialCode to guide business and partnership development and work with clients to maximize their social strategy. She previously worked in the Ad Innovations group at Washington Post Digital, where she developed breakthrough solutions for partners, including custom content, brand integration, audience extension and unique executions. Prior to Washington Post Digital, she served as a Program Associate at the Aspen Institute in the Communications and Society Program. Cary also has roots in the agency world. She worked at Mullen, a full-service advertising agency specializing in the financial services and telecommunications industries.

Cary holds a M.A. in Communications, Culture, and Technology from Georgetown University and a B.S. in Business from Wake Forest University.

Colin is Senior Vice President, Digital Content Strategy, for Powell Tate, a division of Weber Shandwick. He has spent over a decade developing effective digital communications campaigns for brands, nonprofits, corporations and government agencies. His focus is on finding ways of creating sustained content strategies that rely on dynamic content and digital storytelling to engage audiences in a crowded communications environment.

Colin has worked on some of the most iconic social and digital campaigns to date including the Pepsi Refresh Project where he oversaw the digital engagement strategy as well as the agencies work with Bank of America around the building of their enterprise level social operation. Colin manages a multidisciplinary team that overseas digital and social work for clients as diverse as the MasterCard Foundation, BAE Systems, VeriSign, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and USAID. He is also the digital lead for the agencies’ Social Impact practice focusing on corporate social responsibility, philanthropy and nonprofit engagements.

In addition to his work at Weber Shandwick, Colin teaches graduate level courses in digital communications strategy at Georgetown University in their Masters of Public Relations and Corporate Communications program.

Dana Allen-Greil is an Account Director and Digital Strategist at Ogilvy Public Relations, where she manages innovative digital communications projects for public health clients such as the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s The Heart Truth® Campaign and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Before joining Ogilvy PR, Dana worked for 8 years at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. As New Media Project Manager, and later as Chief of Digital Outreach and Engagement, Dana developed a number of award-winning projects that reinvigorated the organization, making the museum more transparent and relevant to its online and on-site audiences. Prior to her work at the Smithsonian, she spent 3 years in online communications and publishing at the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit health policy organization. Dana holds a bachelor’s degree in English from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and a master’s degree in Museum Studies from The George Washington University. She served on the Board of Directors for the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums from 2008-2011. Dana is a member of the adjunct faculty at Johns Hopkins University and The George Washington University, where she teaches graduate courses on technology and the arts.

David L. Hunke was named chairman of USA TODAY in April 2012.

Previously, David held the position of president and publisher of USA TODAY from 2009 – 2012. In that role, he oversaw USA TODAY, the nation’s top-selling print newspaper; USATODAY.com, an award-winning news and information Web site; USA TODAY Travel Media Group; and USA TODAY Sports Media Group, which focuses on business and strategy for national sports initiatives across USA TODAY, Gannett Company Inc.’s 82 daily newspaper properties, 23 broadcast television stations, HighSchoolSports.net and BNQT.com. Also reporting to David was the Gannett Detroit Newspaper Partnership L.P operations. He also held the title of publisher of USA WEEKEND.

Prior to that, David was chief executive officer of Detroit Media Partnership, the agency overseeing all business operations of the Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News, the 14 suburban newspapers of the Observer and Eccentric group, as well as a number of Web-based and magazine publishing businesses throughout southeast Michigan. David’s more than 30-year newspaper and publishing career has spanned assignments in Rochester, New York; Cincinnati, Ohio; Miami, Florida; Wichita, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri.

David is a member of the nation’s Ad Council Board of Directors. Previously, he has served as both board chair and campaign chair for United Way’s in Michigan and New York.

David received a B.S. degree in journalism from the University of Kansas, where he sold ads for the school’s newspaper – the University Daily Kansan. He and his wife Janet reside in Arlington, VA.

Donnie Williams currently serves as Chief Digital Officer at Horizon Media and works with clients including GEICO, Capital One, Buddy Media, History, Constellation Wines, Ace Hardware, and A&E. As the head of Horizon Media’s digital service offering, he is responsible for new business development, service line development and implementation, the facilitation of client deliverables, the identification of relevant emerging trends within the marketplace; and shaping result-driven campaigns.

Donnie has been instrumental in the development of additional digital services at Horizon including creative media solutions, social marketing services, game strategy development, performance-based media strategy, and mobile marketing services.

Since joining Horizon, the digital services division has quadrupled in size and has established capabilities in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Prior to Horizon, Donnie worked in Interactive groups at Ignited Minds and Carat.

Donnie received his BA in Communications from the University of Wisconsin in 2000.

Eric Porres, Chief Marketing Officer, provides oversight for marketing operations and heads up Rocket Fuel's research center of excellence for digital consumer insight.

Prior to joining Rocket Fuel, Eric co-founded Underscore Marketing, a full-service digital marketing and strategy agency, and helped expand the company internationally. He also co-founded Pericles Consulting, a "pop-up" strategic political marketing firm that developed and executed digital marketing programs for presidential and senatorial campaigns. He is also the founder of Classelist, a web and mobile platform for parents and schools.

Eric recently served as CMO of ad technology company Lotame Solutions Inc., where he oversaw its global marketing and insights practice areas and led business and product development efforts for its data-management platform.

Eric held management positions at Fortune Magazine, Agency.com, and LiveTechnology. As a partner with Outrageous Media, he co-produced two of the largest Internet webcasts in history – Michael Jackson´s "What More Can I Give" concert in Munich in 1999, and Paul McCartney´s "Run Devil Run" concert in Liverpool in 2000. He started his career as a business analyst with The Walt Disney Company.

As a leading authority in the online-advertising industry, Eric served on the board of 212, New York’s Interactive Advertising Club, and is a frequent panelist, moderator, and contributor to industry conferences and publications such as AdAge, iMedia, and DM2 Events. Eric graduated from Duke University.

Erin McPike is a National Political Reporter for RealClearPolitics. Before joining RealClearPolitics, she covered politics and campaigns for National Journal, NBC News and the magazine Campaigns & Elections. Erin’s work has been cited in numerous publications and she has appeared on MSNBC, NPR, BBC, Fox News, C-SPAN and ABC News.

As Siegel+Gale’s chief creative officer, Howard challenges our design teams across the globe to breathe life into brand strategies. He believes that powerful identities bring humanity to brands and generate belief in their essential promise. “Doing this successfully for organizations that operate globally,” he notes, “requires supreme simplicity.”

A prominent figure in the industry, Howard has led global branding programs that span virtually every business sector, receiving international recognition and numerous awards. He sees an extraordinary future for organizations operating at the nexus of social changes in health, energy, education, technology and communications. His work includes programs for Pfizer, Aramco, AARP, the Free Library of Philadelphia, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, SAP, Tata Consultancy Services, Qatar Telecom, Allstate and Bank of America.

You’ll see Howard frequently quoted by the business press regarding branding and design issues, or speaking at professional conferences on topics that range from brand building’s foray into areas like product development, human resources, community service and customer experience, to how smart phones and touch screens are opening new ways for people to interact with brands.

Earlier in his career, Howard founded a marketing services agency that was acquired by Omnicom in 2001. He also spent time at Interbrand, where he was a group director in their headquarters office.

Howard earned a bachelor of fine arts at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts, where he later served as a guest professor. He completed Omnicom’s Senior Management and Graduate Management Programs at Babson College in 2007. He sits on the Board of Directors of apparel manufacturer Kahn Lucas Lancaster.

Jane Maas is the author of "MAD WOMEN: The Other Side of Life on Madison Avenue in the Sixties and Beyond." The book tells the true story of what it was like for women in advertising in that era of rampant sex, three-martini lunches, and overt sexism.

Jane is one of the most respected names in advertising. She is best known for her direction of the “I Love New York” program, which changed the image of New York City and revitalized its tourism economy.

As a Creative Director at Ogilvy & Mather, Jane worked on advertising for General Foods, Lever Brothers, S.C. Johnson, American Express, and Cunard Lines. At Wells Rich Greene, in addition to the New York campaign, she headed the creative group on Procter & Gamble. In 1989, she became president of the New York office of Earle Palmer Brown.

Jane is co-author of the classic "How to Advertise," which has sold over 150,000 copies and been translated into 17 languages. She is also the author of her best-selling autobiography, "Adventures of An Advertising Woman." Jane has been New York Advertising Woman of the Year, a winner of the Matrix Award from Women in Communications, and a member of the Board of Directors of both the American Association of Advertising Agencies and Advertising Women of New York. She is listed in Who’s Who in America.

Jane attended Bucknell University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in her junior year and graduated summa cum laude. She spent a year at the University of Dijon as a Fulbright Scholar, then received an MA from Cornell. Jane’s involvement in the arts and education has continued throughout her career. She served as a Public Director of the American Institute of Architects, and was made an Honorary Member by the AIA in 1996. She has also been a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Architectural Foundation, Bucknell University, Fordham Universit,y and the William E. Simon Graduate School of Business at the University of Rochester. She has received honorary degrees from St. John’s University and Ramapo College.

Currently, Jane serves as a strategic and creative consultant to a number of international corporations, and travels across the country and around the world conducting seminars on more effective advertising for the Association of National Advertisers.

Jane is also the co-author, with her late husband architect Michael Maas, of "Christmas in Wales: A Homecoming, published by St. Martin’s Press."

Photo credit: Michael Leu

Jay Seideman has been working in the digital advertising space for well over a decade. Jay currently serves as the US Director of the Targeting & Exchange Team at Microsoft Advertising, where he leads both the Microsoft Media Network sales teams and the Microsoft Advertising Exchange partnership efforts. In his previous role as Regional Vice President at Vibrant Media, Jay managed the east coast sales operation and evangelized the contextual space. Prior to joining Vibrant, Jay worked at IDG, a premium trade publisher, to sell branded advertising to leading technology agencies and marketers.

Jeff Rosenblum is a pioneer, a disruptor, an innovator, and a pain in the ass. He is widely regarded as one of the leading innovators in the field of digital marketing and has worked on teams that have helped revolutionize market research, magazine publishing, sports broadcasting, as well as advertising. Jeff’s most current endeavor is a documentary about the state of the advertising industry and the limited ability to change consumers’ perceptions through messaging alone. He has traveled the world to interview industry visionaries, scientists, authors, and CEOs.

As a Founding Partner of Questus, Jeff focuses on developing processes that break down the boundaries that exist between research, strategy and creative. He has brought this multi-disciplinary philosophy to help the Questus team produce industrychanging results for leading brands such as Capital One, General Mills, The NFL, and Suzuki Motorcycles.

Every few years, Jeff likes to take on an insane challenge which has culminated in him getting repeatedly punched in the face in the “Vermont Toughman Competition,” jumping in the frozen Atlantic Ocean in the middle of winter to race money for the Make a Wish Foundation, running an Olympic distance triathlon with no training, hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon where he decided to start an advertising agency despite the fact that he had never even been in one before, and making a documentary despite never actually watching one in its entirety.

Jeff is on the Advisory Board for the New York Chapter of the Make a Wish Foundation and lives in New York City with his wife and two kids. He is currently soliciting ideas for his next insane challenge on Twitter: @jrquestus.

Jordan Berg brings over a decade of advertising experience to Questus. Recognized for his dynamic brand-building innovation and thinking across multi-disciplined teams and marketing channels, Jordan has recently completed projects for world-class brands such as Verizon, Suzuki, Reuters, Capital One, Disney, and ESPN.

Jordan has received many of the industry’s top honors from leading organizations including The Webby’s, Web Marketing Association and Communication Arts. Jordan is a regular contributor to Fox Business, iMedia Connection, and Media Magazine, and speaks at national conferences—including ad:tech and SHOP.ORG.

Jordan makes his home in San Francisco and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Vermont and Masters Studies from the San Francisco Academy of Art.

Kate Michael, aka K Street Kate, is the President and Founder of a local online media company comprised of a magazine K Street Magazine and talk show The District Dish, devoted to lifestyle news about the District of Columbia.

Hip, happening and hyperlocal, Kate formed the company while serving as Miss District of Columbia 2006 and competing in Miss America (2007). When not writing or serving as an event or on-air talent, Kate also works as a professional spokesperson and model having walked the runway for such industry icons as Valentino, Peter Som, Dior, Badgely Mischka, and Oscar de la Renta.

Her media portfolio includes a spread in Elle magazine and features on Inside Edition and BBC World News' "The Real Cities" series as well as work appearing on NBC, DC's NewsChannel 8, Comcast and other local publications.

Lance Wain is one of the principals and the President of Grafik. A 15-year agency veteran, Lance has cultivated and worked on numerous branding and interactive accounts including British Telecom, the Baltimore Ravens, The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, USDA, Prime Outlets, Sylvan Learning, Verizon Wireless, The Prostate Cancer Foundation, and Accenture. At Grafik, Lance has been a visionary since day one. He led all business development efforts for the agency from 2001-2007 and played a key role in turning Grafik into one of the regions top branding shops. In 2008, Lance was named Managing Director for the firm and was overseeing all aspects of business development, account service, and client strategy, and was particularly instrumental in the growth of Grafik's digital department. In 2011, Lance was appointed President of the agency is now responsible for day-to-day operations and strategic growth.

As Vice President of Creative, Lara Richardson oversees all development and execution of TLC's creative marketing. She recently spearheaded TLC’s rebrand, brought to life with its “Red Door” campaign, and has overseen the network’s iconic “TLC Summer” campaigns for the past three years. Additionally, she shapes the bold look and feel of some of TLC’s most popular shows, including Toddlers & Tiaras and Next Great Baker. Her efforts have led to her team being named Marketing Team Of The Year for 2012, as well as securing multiple CINE and Promax awards.

Based in Silver Spring, Lara rejoined TLC in 2009 after serving a year as Creative Director at the History Channel and History International, leading their creative team and developing a strong brand presence through the oversight of all on-air elements. Prior to that, Lara was Supervising Producer at TLC and Discovery Home Channel, where she produced the campaign for LA Ink, which delivered the highest rated series premiere in five years for TLC. In 2005. Lara began shooting, directing, and producing the film, Katrina: A Volunteer Story, as a documentary filmmaker for Discovery Production Group. The film documented her volunteer experience in the days after Hurricane Katrina, and premiered on TLC on August 28, 2006.

Before coming to Discovery, Lara served as Senior Writer-Producer for Oxygen Media and Director of On-Air Group Promotion & Marketing for USA Broadcasting.

Lee Bogner is the new VP, Business Development and Social Strategy at Kred – the open standard in social community influence, analytics, marketing and social CRM – from PeopleBrowsr. Kred, through the smart use of social data analysis, and catalyzing dashboards, helps CMOs, brands and agencies discover, measure and reward “trusted social influencers,” engage advocates, and target interest-based communities.

As a CMIO and a marketing technologist for over fifteen years, Lee has used data analytics, meaningful content and online community, to drive social marketing, eCommerce and advertising goals – at Real Savvy Media [now Disney Family.com/Parenting], buybuyBABY.com [acquired for $120M by Bed Bath & Beyond], InterWorld eCommerce, IBM and The Research Board [CIO think-tank sold to Gartner]. He has applied his craft with clients, and partners including Disney, ESPN, Guess, Kraft, JC Penney, Pepsi, the NFL, Cisco, HP, SAP.

Lee is board advisor to several Silicon Alley and global startups, social media associations and university business schools; he teaches and speaks on the importance of social advertising, commerce and analytics, and is active in Twitter and LinkedIn communities, including #Kredcrew and #UsGuys – where he brings his online business, alumni and personal relationships into meaningful offline engagement.

Lee is inspired by the role of relationships in today’s connected world. “To me, online is driving offline relationships in exciting and interesting ways! I love that we have big data and technology – ad-tech, media-tech, fashion-tech, yes, but the even more interesting is through “social” we can meet, engage and inspire influential and supportive people – that’s the magic of today’s “social advertising!”

Matt K. Lewis lives at the intersection of politics and culture. As a senior contributor for The Daily Caller, his writing combines political analysis, cultural commentary, and original reporting.

Previously, Matt served as a columnist for Politics Daily, and before that as a blogger for Townhall.com. His writing has appeared in GQ, The Guardian, The Daily, and Politico — and he has been quoted or cited by major publications including New York Magazine, the Washington Post and the New York Times.

Matt is also the editor of ‘The Quotable Rogue: The Ideals of Sarah Palin In Her Own Words.’ As a commentator, Matt has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, C-SPAN, ABC’s “Nightline,”and HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” as well as on numerous radio outlets and programs, including NPR, BBC, and The G. Gordon Liddy Show. (Watch Matt’s demo reel).
Matt currently hosts his own podcast, “Matt Lewis & The News” (subscribe on iTunes), and is co-host of The DMZ show on Bloggingheads.TV.

The American Conservative Union named Matt the 2012 Blogger of the Year, “chosen from the approximately 600 bloggers” who covered the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

His work debunking a controversial 2012 news story about Sen. Marco Rubio also resulted in Reuters issuing five corrections.

In 2011, Business Insider named Matt one of the 50 “Pundits You Need To Pay Attention To Between Now And The Election.” Also in 2011, the Young Conservatives Coalition’s selected Matt as a recipient of their second annual “Buckley Award.”

In 2010, Matt helped provide midterm election night analysis for ABC’s “Nightline”. He was a credentialed blogger at the 2008 RNC National Convention in Minneapolis, MN. And in March 2007, Matt was one of two bloggers invited on John McCain’s “Straight Talk Express” campaign bus on a visit to New Hampshire for an interview with the candidate.

Matt grew up in Frederick County, MD, and graduated from Shepherd College (now University) in Shepherdstown, WV.

Michael Gass is an international new business consultant to advertising, digital, media, and PR agencies. Since 2007 he has led in the use of social media and content marketing strategies to make agency new business EASIER.

He is the founder of Fuel Lines, which has been rated among the top 100 marketing blogs in the world, according to Ad Age’s Power 150.

Michael has worked face-to-face with well over 100 agencies in almost all 50 states in the U.S. and with agencies and agency networks from 14 foreign countries.

“... I got the MOST out of your session. Inspirational, frightening, reasoned, brilliant, simple. All in one hour. It’s an odd sensation to feel thoroughly energized yet want to beat yourself silly with a stick at the same time.”
Tracy Wong, CEO/Executive Creative Director, WDCW

“Michael Gass is one of the country’s foremost authorities on using social media. We’ve hired Michael to run his seminar in various cities and his evaluations from the seminar participants have been extremely high.”
Bob Linden, 4A’s Vice President of Training, Education and Development

In his 20 years of experience in the industry, Michael has tried to do many things. He is not nearly as good a writer as he thinks he is. He is not as good at math for the media department, details for the production department, or feasibility for account services. He has some big thoughts, runs in short bursts, and is wildly competitive. He found a home in new business and new business found a place inside him.

In his career, he has lead 144 pitches into the finals. His record is 135 wins and 9 losses. While an impressive record, the following stats are more revealing. In the 144 opportunities, his teams were never the favorite, they have never had the best creative work, nor were they geographically desirable. They have never not had to come from behind to win. Never. His teams have beaten Goliaths, Global Agency of the years, creative boutiques, and almost every shape in between to win an unfair share of over $2.5 billion in new business. Not having a culture of much celebration, the details of the wins are never remembered, but the pains of the losses are never forgotten. He forces the lessons of losses upon himself so he never forgets the distaste for losing. Ask him about Segway if you have time...

As Partner/CMO of Deutsch, Michael’s job is to help the agency position itself within the industry with clients and drive growth - both inside and out. This is something he has done quite a lot of in his career. Before he joined Deutsch, he served as Global CMO of Porter Novelli, CMO of Zimmerman, and CEO of Harris Drury Cohen in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl.

Personally, Michael married to his college sweetheart and their daughters (3) are shared oxygen.

Patrick McLean is Vice President, Digital Marketing at Capital One. He is responsible for Capital One’s digital brand strategy and bringing the brand’s personality to life through social, mobile and web channels. He joined Capital One from Verizon Communications where he led the interactive marketing organization for the consumer and small business segments. Patrick also spent 7 years with Sympatico, Canada’s largest internet service provider where he led their marketing organization. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, he was a pioneer in the digital media industry having launched and served in senior marketing roles for a number of start up/early stage technology and media companies.

As Director of Washington Sales, Peter oversees Twitter’s sales strategy for all public sector business inside the Beltway, including political, issue advocacy, corporate public relations and government initiatives.

Prior to joining Twitter, Peter launched and led the Public Sector sales team at Google, Inc., as well as served as Head of Industry Relations for the company. In this dual role he managed all revenue from campaign and public sector clients and coordinated the company’s relationships with leading advertising associations and industry leaders.

Peter worked on political campaigns and in government for a decade before entering the private sector, including various roles on presidential, gubernatorial, congressional and senatorial campaigns. His last race was as campaign manager for Brad Carson’s Oklahoma US Senate campaign in 2004 - named the best run Democratic Senate race of the cycle by Stu Rothenberg of the Cook Political Report.

During the Clinton Administration, Peter worked in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs as the Director of Congressional Correspondence. In this role, he coordinated all written communications between the White House and the Congress.

In 2008, in recognition of his efforts introducing online advertising to the political world, Peter was selected a “Rising Star” by Campaigns & Elections’ Politics magazine and in 2009 he was named one of the “Ten People Changing the World of Politics & the Internet” by PoliticsOnline.

Peter graduated from Yale University and earned a master's degree with distinction in Comparative Government from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife and three sons.

Richard’s recent profile in The New York Times exudes the keen wisdom and instincts of but a rare few of the most successful advertising executives. His remarks on what it takes to successfully navigate today’s undulating industry and business landscape will be captivating and inspiring. He is currently the Chief Creative Officer of NSG/SWAT.

Of special interest is his wisdom in aligning himself with other strong creative talent, with decades of years between them. The idea that his junior partners learn from his seasoned leadership, and he from their creative energy is a interesting (and largely unspoken) curiosity, for “20-somethings” and boomers alike.

Under Richard's leadership as President & CEO, LEVICK has set new standards in global communications and brand protection for corporations, countries, and major institutions. Richard is one of the communications industry’s most important spokespersons and thought leaders.

A powerful advocate for the strategic initiatives that companies must pursue in today’s perilous environment, he regularly addresses corporate boards as well as industry and government leaders around the world, providing guidance on their most complex communications and reputation management challenges. He is featured in, and authors, countless articles, and is a frequent guest on prime time national and international television programs.

Richard is a much-sought after keynote and graduation speaker and is a columnist for the top business blogs including Forbes and Fast Company.

Richard has co-authored four books including, The Communicators: Leadership in the Age of Crisis; Stop the Presses: The Crisis and Litigation PR Desk Reference; and 365 Marketing Meditations.

On a daily basis, Richard’s prestigious team of professionals spearheads many of the world’s highest-profile campaigns – including Guantanamo Bay; the Catholic Church; the Wall Street crisis; the Gulf oil spill, and some of the most important public affairs matters globally.

Richard sits on a variety of boards including the World Economic Forum’s Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI) and the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, and, through a Joint Business Relationship, he is an integral part of PricewaterhouseCoopers Anti-corruption Center for Excellence. He is the past Director of American University’s School of Public Affairs Leadership Program, and a former professor of crisis communications in the graduate school at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He currently lectures annually at West Point.

Rob Schuham is Founding Partner of Undercurrent where he consults with global, complex corporations on far-reaching digital and social strategy helping to design digital architectures and campaigns for some of the largest brands in the world. His clients include GE, the Richemont Group, American Express, Estee Lauder, PepsiCo, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and others.

Rob also founded and is CEO of Action Marketing, an award-winning experiential agency, concepting and executing what's never been done before for brands such as adidas®, Ford Green Drive, Lincoln, Clif Bar, PepsiCo, Naked Juice, Izze, Progressive Insurance, the NBA and many others.

Rob is also Founding Entrepreneur of COMMON, a unique social venture Launchpad, which encourages entrepreneurs to develop new enterprises that help address social issues and challenges, all under the aegis of a shared, collaborative brand.

Prior to COMMON, Rob co-founded FearLess Revolution, a strategic and creative think-tank and consultancy dedicated to driving transparency and new capitalism among global enterprises.

Rob philanthropically serves as Chief Buzz Advisor to Former Vice President, Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project where he works on strategy, vision and the creation of a movement around the eradication of denial and doubt about climate-change.

Rob professionally “grew up” up at storied ad agencies including Chiat/Day in San Francisco and Ayer in New York and Chicago working on package goods, sports, high-tech and fashion brands. Rob then joined Schwinn Cycling & Fitness to help re-launch and re-position it to the American marketplace. Rob later became a Director at iconic adventure film and television studio, Warren Miller Entertainment where he founded AMG.

Rowena Patrick is a Vice President, Campaign Director at the Ad Council in Washington DC. In this position, she oversees the development, implementation and evaluation of 8 national public service advertising campaigns, including the “Saving Energy Saves You Money” energy efficiency effort with the U.S. Department of Energy, and “Stop the Texts. Stop the Wrecks.” an anti-texting and driving initiative with NHTSA and the State Attorneys General.

Rowena joined the Ad Council in 2008 as a Campaign Director in the New York office. In that role, she led the development of several successful campaigns, including Feeding America’s Hunger Prevention campaign, most recently featuring actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, and “Lead Free Kids,” a joint initiative of the U.S. Environment Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning.

Prior to the Ad Council, Rowena spent seven years in account management at advertising agencies Draftfcb and Ogilvy & Mather in New York, developing campaigns for Motorola, Kodak, the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, and the U.S. 2010 Census.

Rowena holds a M.S. in Strategic Communications from Columbia University, with a concentration in non-profit communications, and a B.S. in Marketing and Information Systems from New York University. A native of Hong Kong and a long-time New Yorker, she currently resides in Washington DC.

Ryan McGarry is a National Client partner at Facebook. Facebook has over 900 million active users, more than half of them using Facebook on a mobile device. In his current role, he is responsible for partnering with top level advertisers and agencies to develop creative solutions for complex marketing objectives. At Facebook, Ryan is responsible for managing relationships within the Government and Nonprofit sector including the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, campaign (RED), NYC, Alzheimer's Association, American National Red Cross, and the U.S. Army. Prior to joining Facebook, Ryan was the National Sales and Marketing Manager for FOCUS Training, responsible for leading a national sales and marketing team and working with Fortune 500 companies to implement corporate training programs. Outside of his professional life, Ryan is an golfer, hockey goalie, and an avid fly fisherman.

Scott Greenberg is the DVP, Eastern Region for thismoment providing digital media solutions to Fortune 500 clients and their agencies. Scott joined the company in April 2011 has established strong relationships with global corporations like Coca-Cola, GE and Bacardi. Scott has worked in Digital Media for over a decade and has successfully launched early stage technology companies in Behavioral Targeting, Enterprise Search and Social Media. One company Pluck, a developer of enterprise social software, was sold to Demand Media for $75M.

Scott holds an MBA from the Wharton School and lives in Fairfield, CT with his wife and 3 children.

Seth Goldman is President and TeaEO of Honest Tea, the company he co-founded out of his home in 1998 with Barry Nalebuff of the Yale School of Management. Today, Honest Tea is the nation’s top selling ready-to-drink organic bottled tea, and is carried in more than 100,000 outlets. In March 2011, Honest Tea was acquired by The Coca-Cola Company, creating a platform for national expansion and helping to further the reach and impact of Honest Tea’s mission.

The company has initiated community-based partnerships with its Fair Trade Certified™ suppliers in India, China, South Africa, and has created marketing partnerships with TerraCycle, National Forest Foundation and Citizen folding bikes. In addition to being named one of The Better World Shopping Guide's "Ten Best Companies on the Planet based on their overall social and environmental record," Honest Tea received Greenopia.com's coveted 4-Leaf Rating as "the greenest beverage company" for the third year in a row and was recently ranked by The Huffington Post as one of the leading "8 Revolutionary Socially Responsible Companies."

In 2008 Seth co-founded Bethesda Green, a local sustainability initiative in Honest Tea's hometown. Bethesda Green has installed dozens of recycling bins in Bethesda, helped create a program for restaurants to convert their grease waste into biodiesel, as well as creating Maryland’s first green business incubator. Seth serves on the boards of Bethesda Green, Happy Baby, The Calvert Foundation, the American Beverage Association, and Repair the World, and sits on the Advisory Board of Net Impact. In 2011, Seth was appointed by Governor Martin O’Malley to the Maryland Economic Development Commission.

Sherri Anne Green serves as the president of the DC Ad Club (dcadclub.com). Since 1918, the DC Ad Club (a.k.a. the Advertising Club of Metropolitan Washington) has served as the premier industry organization for area advertising professionals representing all segments of the industry—clients, agencies, production companies and the media. As a chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AAF), the DC Ad Club promotes integrity and excellence in advertising through professional development seminars, recognizes industry leaders and outstanding work, and serves as the leading networking venue for the industry. Ad 2 DC, a subset of the DC Ad Club membership, represents and provides programming for young professionals (age 32 and under) in the industry.

Under Sherri’s leadership, the DC Ad Club has increased its membership by 20%, held 31 programs and events (in 2011), launched a members-only mentor program, held its 8th annual Advertising Week DC, and received three Club Achievement awards from the American Advertising Federation. Sherri has been actively involved in the DC Ad Club since 1998. She served as the Social Events Chair and the Chairman of Advertising Week DC prior to being elected president.

In her day job, Sherri is the Director, Business Development at LM&O Advertising in Arlington, VA. At LM&O, Sherri’s business development efforts have worked to retain (National Guard), grow (AARP Pharmacy Service, Capital Area Food Bank) and win (U.S. Coast Guard, BullFrog, The Washington Redskins, Military Officers Association of America, Chevy Chase Bank, The Fairmont Hotel, Department of Homeland Security, Events DC) business, helping the agency to achieve $153M in annual billings and become the largest agency in the DC Metro Area.

Stuart Elliott has been the advertising columnist of The New York Times since May 1991, writing the weekday advertising report as well as other news articles and features. He also writes a weekly e-mail newsletter, In Advertising, for NYTimes.com.

Stuart has covered advertising, marketing and media topics for two decades; in addition to The Times, he has written on those subjects for USA Today, Advertising Age, The Detroit Free Press and The Times-Union in Rochester, NY. He has freelanced for many publications, including Campaign, Texas Monthly and Working Woman; speaks around the country; moderates panels, and has appeared on television programs like “Nightline,” “Biography,” “20/20,” “The News with Brian Williams” (MSNBC) and specials on networks including The History Channel, Showtime and VH1.

Stuart received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern university in Evanston, Ill. He lives in Manhattan and his hobbies and interests include politics, popular culture, American history and nostalgia, especially old advertising.

Tammy Gordon is AARP's Director of Social Communications & Strategy. Starting in January 2010, she launched AARP’s social media guidelines, established branded social platforms, trained hundreds of staffers growing the organization's engaged social presence into a nationally recognized leader. Today, she manages a six person team of community managers and bloggers, as well as serving a network of nearly 300 staffers across the country use social media on a regular basis.

Most recently, AARP scored an A+ by the Emerging Media Research Council, was ranked AARP number 9 out of 100 public sector organizations in the George Washington University Digital IQ Index and number 6 in the top 50 Digital Influencers in Social Cause.

Prior to tackling social strategy for the organization, she lead integrated communications strategy for the launch of Create The Good to engage more people of all ages in volunteer and community service, including the first social media website integration for AARP at www.createthegood.org.

Before to joining AARP, Tammy was an account supervisor at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, served as deputy director of communications for Share Our Strength and spent eight years on political campaigns at the state and national level. She has a degree from the Florida State University in Political Science and was born and raised in Tampa, Florida.

Ted Leonsis is a nationally renowned entrepreneur, investor, and business-builder. He sits on the board of directors of several leading companies ranging from American Express to Groupon. Ted is a partner in Revolution Growth, having been involved since its founding, as an investor in and Chairman of Revolution Money and AddThis (formerly Clearspring).

Ted is the founder, chairman, and majority owner of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Washington Capitals (NHL), the Washington Wizards (NBA), the Washington Mystics and the Verizon Center.

Ted retired from active management of AOL in 2006, where during the previous 13 years he was an inspirational leader and held a number of senior positions, including vice chairman and president, and worked closely with Steve Case for a decade to build AOL into the world’s leading internet company with a market value at its peak in excess of $100 billion.

Ted founded SnagFilms, the internet’s leading site for online audiences to find, watch, and share documentary films. Ted also has been a producer of award-winning documentary films such as Kicking It and Nanking, which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and has won a Peabody Award and an Emmy Award. A third documentary produced by Ted, A Fighting Chance, aired on ESPN in fall 2010.

Early in his career, Ted was the founder of several technology-enabled consumer companies, including Redgate Communications, where he is credited with coining the phrase “new media.” Ted has been named Washington’s Businessman of the Year, a Washingtonian of the Year, one of the 20 most influential people in sports, and one of the top 10 entrepreneurs of the year. Ted blogs daily at TedsTake.com.

Teddi Alyce Segal has been responsible for business development and marketing efforts as well as all public relations and social media on behalf of Grafik since October of 2008. The public "face" of the agency, she is often out and about, at different events, meeting new people, making presentations and finding new and different ways to introduce Grafik to the community. She looks to create new and interesting strategic partnerships with vendors, other agencies and service providers. Her service on the board of the American Marketing Association proved to be a tremendously valuable asset to launch her into the center of the marketing and advertising scene in DC in a relatively short period of time. She is now well known around town for her well-attended and well-executed networking events produced during her tenure on the AMADC board.

Currently, she is the Chairman of Advertising Week DC 2012. and a Board member of the DC Ad Club.

Prior to coming to DC, Teddi worked with several agencies in Miami including Zimmerman and HDC, and had a career before the agency business in the fabulous nightlife industry.

Tim Reis leads Google’s mobile and social solutions teams in the Americas. He is a 30 year veteran of media sales serving in roles that have spanned print, television and online.

Prior to his current assignment, Tim held a variety of roles at Google, leading the Mobile Display (formerly Admob) advertising team for the finance, entertainment, auto and travel industry verticals, leading Google’s Consumer Packaged Goods practice in the eastern region and managing one of Google’s financial services advertising teams. He has been with Google for five years.

Tim came to Google from Plum TV where he was Director of Network Sales. Prior to Plum, Tim was President of Forbes Custom Media and Forbes’ Vice President of Sales Development. He was Southeast Manager for Fortune magazine and founder & president of an independent media sales firm.

Tim is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Promotion Marketing Association and co-chair of the PMA’s Digital Center of Excellence.

As Senior Vice President of Marketing for TLC, Tom Carr is responsible for providing brand strategy leadership for the network, including overseeing creative marketing, on-air and off-air campaigns, branded entertainment, partnerships and promotions, and coordinating social media efforts to support TLC programming and talent.

Under his direction, TLC has recently undergone a brand refresh, with a striking “red door” visual, that underscores the network’s commitment to opening doors into lives worth watching. With a focus on TLC’s authentic characters and compelling storytelling, Tom and his team have launched high-impact campaigns to support hit series including Cake Boss, Long Island Medium, Sister Wives, and Toddlers & Tiaras. Larger network brand campaigns include the network’s signature TLC Summer efforts, bringing together the hottest programming brands into one cohesive look.

The network has also branded its Friday night wedding block of programming – home to the hit Say Yes To The Dress franchise – as Brideday, which has become the #1 destination in cable for key female demographics. In 2011, TLC underscored its commitment to all-things-wedding with Tom and his team spearheading a weeklong celebration of the Royal Wedding, including a massive live viewing party in Times Square broadcast in over 30 countries.

Tom and his team have been honored with numerous industry accolades, including Promax/BDA, CINE, CTAM/Mark and Gracie awards. He was named the CableFax Marketer of the Year in 2010, and his team was named the CableFax Marketing Team of the Year in 2012.

A Discovery Communications veteran, Tom previously led strategic branding and marketing efforts for Planet Green, including the network's acclaimed launch in June 2008, which was recognized by The New York Times as the "highest-profile cable debut of the year." Tom also spearheaded ongoing creative partnerships and promotions on-air and online at planetgreen.com and treehugger.com. Prior to Planet Green, he was the Consulting Chief Marketing Officer and a director at Spanx Inc., where he oversaw all functional areas of marketing. He was also the Senior Vice President of Marketing for Turner Broadcasting’s TNT, overseeing the marketing and promotion of the network’s dramatic entertainment programming.

Tom Monahan has been creating and exploring the practice of creative thinking his entire career. He has been a leading consultant to ad agencies, large, mid-sized and small, independent and in-house, for nearly 20 years, focusing on individual creativity in all departments, group ideation, managing for greater creativity and selling creative ideas.

Tom started as a copywriter, won most all major advertising awards and was named one of the top 10 writers in the U.S. by Adweek.

As an agency principal and creative director of ad agency Leonard/Monahan, Tom’s creative department was one of the most award-winning in the world, and helped launch the careers of over 45 of the current generation of creative directors. He’s judged most major ad industry award shows and served as the first out-of-New York board member of the One Club, the largest organization of ad agency creatives in the world.

As a creative thinking coach at Before & After, Tom has trained over 250,000 people on four continents, at some of the most successful companies in the world, among them Target, Virgin Atlantic, Novartis, Southwest and Capital One. He has also helped develop talent at over 100 ad agencies, from giants like BBDO, DDB, Ogilvy and TBWA to mid size, small and in-house agencies. He has conducted professional development workshops at over 60 advertising trade organizations worldwide.

Tom was the advertising editorialist at Communication Arts magazine for over a decade, and has been published in over 30 publications and websites. He is author of “The Do-It-Yourself Lobotomy,” published by Adweek books. In 1990, Tom was the youngest person written up in The Wall Street Journal’s long running Creative Leaders series.

Tom Zara is the Global Practice Leader for Corporate Citizenship in addition to his strategy function at Interbrand New York. Given the growing importance of Corporate Citizenship and its contribution to brand definition and brand value, Tom now leads the development of this new practice area as an extension of his nearly 30 years of experience in branding, communications and change management. Tom has strong CEO relationships with B2C and B2B brands alike, and is an invaluable partner in the transformation of organizations where the brand serves to motivate and inspire change. He is focused on creating and managing brand value through the lens of corporate citizenship. Interbrand seeks to leverage brands as tangible assets that create value, raise the stakes and use the power of brand to influence behavior. He leads IP development on the topic, serves as the head of the Interbrand Foundation, and curates an annual conversation with the most influential corporate citizenship leaders at Interbrand’s corporate citizenship conference at Harvard University. Tom’s expertise is regularly requested for presentations and press, especially on global issues, most recently at the United Nations where he shared Interbrand’s Best Global Green Brands study. Additionally, his work on that study helped partner Deloitte to win an AMCF Management Consulting Award in the Corporate Social Responsibility category. He was a featured presenter at the UN’s Least Developed Countries Summit in Istanbul, Turkey. He is regularly quoted on brand and its role in sustainability, corporate citizenship and CSR, recently for the Wall Street Journal, Advertising Age, BBC, AOL Finance, and many others.