Jacki Kelley, EVP and chief client officer and chief business officer at Interpublic Group, has been named American Advertising Federation (AAF) Board chair for the 2025-26 fiscal year. She most recently served as vice chair. Kelley succeeds outgoing Chair Jack Bamberger, with a goal to help AAF attract the talent through Ad Clubs around the country that can help shape the future of the advertising industry.
Joining Kelley as vice chair is Carmen Graf, global VP, marketing, advertising, media and events at Indeed.
Steve Pacheco, president and CEO of AAF, “I want to thank our outgoing chair, Jack Bamberger, for his leadership this past year, and for setting the stage for the celebratory year ahead which includes the 75th Anniversary of the Advertising Hall of Fame. And I want to welcome Jacki and Carmen to their new roles. We couldn’t ask for two more accomplished or unifying individuals to help guide us forward.”
Both appointments go into effect on July 1. The appointments were among the developments at AAF’s ADMERICA National Conference earlier this month. The four-day event was held at the Westin Hotel in Pittsburgh, and attended by more than 500 representatives from advertising agencies, marketers, media and tech companies, suppliers and colleges and universities from around the country.
Additional ADMERICA National Conference highlights included:
–The National Student Advertising Competition, which provides more than 2,000 college students with real-world experience creating a strategic advertising/marketing/media campaign for a real-world corporate client. This year’s corporate client was AT&T. The winning team was from Texas State University. Students from the University of Minnesota were the runner up. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill finished third. Commented Dawn Reeves, EVP member services and programs at AAF, “What we’ve received from these collegiate teams and the process is unbelievable. These students are going to impact great change in the advertising industry.”
–The Mosaic 10 Awards recognize creative excellence among campaigns that best reflect the heartbeat of today’s audiences. It is recognition voted on by the general public. This year, a campaign created by Gut Miami and Google Creative Lab for Google Pixel–-“Javier in Frame”–was voted #1. “Traditions Shared” from Panda Express + The Many was voted #2.
–The Barton A. Cummings Gold Medal Award was established by the AAF Board of Directors to recognize distinguished individuals for their service to advertising through volunteer work with the AAF. It is AAF’s highest volunteer service award. This year marked the 30th year that the award has been given. Scott Hamula, professor and chair of strategic communications at Ithaca College, was named this year’s winner. Hamula was recognized for his unwavering support for AAF’s educational programs as well as his long-term commitment to volunteer service, dating back to his days as an Eagle Scout. Noted Ann C. Iverson, committee chair, Barton A. Cummings Gold Medal Award, “Scott’s motto is ‘Get things done and make a difference.’ He’s been a long-term advocate for AAF volunteer service. Volunteerism is in his blood. His many years of service at the AAF local, regional and national levels made him uniquely qualified and deserving of this award.” She added, “Bart would be most proud of this year’s Gold Medal recipient.”
The next ADMERICA conference is scheduled for May 28-31, 2026 in Austin, Texas.
