AAF-Louisville Names Executive Committee, Weaver Elected President

AAF-Louisville Names Executive Committee, Weaver Elected President

AAF-Louisville Names Executive Committee, Weaver Elected President

Sep 17, 2017

American Advertising Federation – Louisville Names Executive Committee for 2017-2018
Area’s Oldest Membership Organization for Marketing, Advertising and Communications Professionals Uses Strategic Plan to Guide Future Efforts, Growth

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (September 17, 2017) – The American Advertising Federation (AAF) – Louisville, the area’s oldest membership organization for marketing, advertising, and communications professionals, has announced the 2017 – 2018 club year Executive Committee.

Members of the committee are volunteers who represent Louisville’s $1 billion advertising, marketing and communications industry and were appointed by incoming president, Karen Weaver of Athens Paper. The committee will oversee the execution of AAF-Louisville’s three-year strategic plan, which seeks to offer member-centric educational programs, industry connectivity and professional growth resources for all marketing communications professionals.

AAF-Louisville was named the Division 1 Club of the Year in the American Advertising Federation’s National Club Achievement Competition for the third year in a row. The prestigious award recognizes excellence and high standards among industry professionals and is awarded to the AAF-affiliated advertising club that demonstrates outstanding accomplishments.

“I am excited to lead this organization that has for decades acted as the unifying voice for advertising professionals in the Louisville area,” said Weaver.  “Our Executive Committee and Board of Directors are comprised of talented business professionals focused on providing value to our membership and our industry.”

In addition to Weaver, officers of the AAF-Louisville Executive Committee include First Vice President Chris Nation of Quantum Communications, Treasurer Gary Gerdemann of RunSwitch PR, Chairman of the Board Meredith Wilkins of Red7e, and Immediate Past Chair Dan Dry of PriceWeber.

Members of the Executive Committee include:

Jonathon Bartley, Vidionix, will serve as Vice President, Government and Industry Relations, and will foster connections with valuable industry partners including new businesses, government entities and related non-profits. Bartley will also organize programs for members and educate policy makers, the news media and the general public on legislative issues and the value of advertising.

Kristin Brady, WLKY, will serve as Vice President of Club Achievement. Brady will act as club archivist throughout the year and oversee the development of entries for the annual Club of the Year competition sponsored by the national AAF organization.

Beth Brown, United Mail, and Christine Tarquinio, will serve as Vice Presidents of the organization’s Creative Competition, the American Advertising Awards, which recognizes local creative talent and is the first step in the three-tier national competition offered through the American Advertising Federation.

Kat Gentner, K@alyst Creative, will serve as Vice President, Public Service, and will develop volunteer and service opportunities for AAF-Louisville members. Gentner and her committee will also work with members and staff to provide opportunities for local charities to promote their causes and events through the Public Service Job Shop.

Kelley Kerger, Power, will serve as Vice President of Education and will work to support AAF-Louisville’s scholarship program and student outreach initiatives, educating high school and college students on the many opportunities and benefits of a career in the communications and marketing fields.

Terri Lenahan-Downs, The Louisville Zoo, will serve as the Vice President, Membership. The committee will focus on identifying businesses and individuals for membership recruitment, and researching and developing ways to better engage the AAF-Louisville membership.

Sarah McCool, Red7e, will serve as Vice President, Communications, and will oversee the design and content of the club’s communications including social media and public relations. McCool will also work to create and implement an updated and comprehensive communication strategy for the club.

Ben Ruiz, Adhawks, will serve as Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion, and will work to foster connections with businesses and individuals with diverse backgrounds. Ruiz will promote diversity in the industry, demonstrate to diverse communities the various career opportunities in advertising and bring awareness of multicultural issues to AAF-Louisville members.

Lauren Schulz, Baptist Healthcare, will serve as President, Ad2 Louisville. Lauren is charged with planning and implementing professional development programming and networking opportunities for advertising professionals aged 32 and under.

T.J. White, Courier-Journal Media, will serve as Vice President of Programs and is responsible for identifying topics and speakers for many of AAF-Louisville’s events and programming. White and his committee will feature both local and national speakers in the club’s programs to provide members and non-members alike with the very best educational and professional development opportunities.

Members of the AAF-Louisville’s Board of Directors include:

  •          Nichelle Anthony, Jefferson County Public Schools
  •          Pat Armstrong, Kentucky Derby Museum
  •          Christy Belden, Norton Healthcare
  •          Beth Brown, United Mail
  •          Mistalene Calleroz-White, Spalding University
  •          Krysteen Cissell, Business First
  •          Lisa Columbia, WHAS11
  •          Jim Denny, The Source
  •          Mahala Duff, Wave 3
  •          Stuart Esrock, University of Louisville
  •          Tony Evans, YP Marketing Solutions
  •          Eric Fow, Summit Media
  •          Bob Gaeta, Welch Printing
  •          Kylie Hofmann, Middleton Reutlinger
  •          Brittany Irvin, Scoppechio
  •          Gail Iwaniak, Stuffology
  •          Candace Jaworski, Baldwin Marketing
  •          Melissa McCarty, Mediaura
  •          Jenna Morales, Fieldtrip
  •          Kate Morrison, OOHology
  •          Henrietta Pepper, the pepper group
  •          Doug Prater, United Mail
  •          Nick Stover, Lifetime Financial Growth
  •          Biggs Tabler, Golf Marketing by Biggs
  •          Emily Tucker, 21C Hotels
  •          Chris Washington, McCann Erickson

About AAF-Louisville: American Advertising Federation – Louisville, formerly the Advertising Federation of Louisville (AdFed), represents more than 650 members of Louisville’s $1 billion advertising industry and is a Division I member of the American Advertising Federation. The AAF- Louisville exists to be Greater Louisville’s unified voice of advertising and its mission is to grow and enhance Greater Louisville’s network of all marketing communications professionals; offering member-centric educational programs, industry connectivity and professional growth resources. AAF-Louisville supports local, regional and national advocacy efforts to protect and promote the well-being of Advertising.

Originally incorporated on January 30, 1908, today’s AAF-Louisville is the area’s oldest membership organization for marketing, advertising, and all communications professionals. To learn more, visit www.aaflouisville.org.