4A's Foundation Announces Appointment of Five New Board Members

NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The 4A's Foundation announces the appointment of five members to its Board of Directors. Joining the board are Walter Geer III, Vann Graves, Ashley McGowen, Sara Porritt and Renee Jennings.

"The 4A's Foundation has always been committed to driving diversity, equity and inclusion across the advertising and marketing industry. The appointment of these five incredible leaders will further strengthen our team as we continue to advocate for change and advance our mission of building an industry that is truly as diverse as the populations we serve. We are thrilled to welcome Walter, Vann, Renee, Sara and Ashley to our Board,"  said Simon Fenwick, EVP Talent, Equity & Inclusion.

Walter Geer is Executive Creative Director, Experience Design at VMLY&R where he is responsible for creating innovative design solutions within the health practice, and synergizing brand and customer experiences for clients including Dell Technologies, Campbell Snacks, Pfizer and New Balance. Savoy Magazine recently added Geer to their list of 2020 Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America. Prior to VMLY&R, Geer was SVP, Group Creative Director at TBWA\WorldHealth, where he ran Digital, Innovation and creative production.

Vann Graves currently serves as executive director of the Brandcenter at Virginia Commonwealth University. He brings 25+ years of creative, business, and executive leadership experience, having worked with some of the world's leading global brands, such as Shell, American Airlines, Cigna, Lockheed Martin, Coca-Cola, MasterCard, the U.S. Army, AT&T, GE, M&Ms, Snickers and Visa. Prior to joining the Brandcenter, Graves served as Chief Creative Officer at J. Walter Thompson Atlanta; EVP, Global Executive Creative Director at McCann New York; VP, Creative Director at BBDO New York; and CoFounder at FL+G, a full-service branding agency in Denver, Co.

Ashley McGowan is the Global Lead for Business Equality at Facebook. She is responsible for stewarding business actions that will lead to a more diverse and inclusive industry. McGowan is a marketer with passion for creating a more equitable environment. She is known for excellence in forging community with the goal of accelerating business actions that drive toward impact, and has done so across several creative agencies, Microsoft, Under Armour and now to her current global remit at Facebook. McGowan's impact has been acclaimed globally including three ADCOLOR recognitions, as well as a 2019 ambassador appointment to the Cannes Diversity Collective.

Sara Baiyu Porritt is a Senior Director of Integrated Media Planning and US Diversity and Inclusion Lead at OMD. She has more than a decade of experience working with CPG and telecommunication giants, utilizing empathy as the language of data in crafting impactful media and investment strategies. She is dedicated to capturing and sharing stories of those who have also traversed the road not taken, and is the host and creator of Hear Us Roar⁠—a podcast featuring inspired conversations with fearless Asian women about how ideas and passions can ignite transformative journeys.

Renee Jennings is the Chief Financial Officer at Joan Creative. She is responsible for all financial matters regarding clients, general accounting and Joan Holdings compliance, including working in tandem with the founders in overseeing Joan Creative. Prior to her arrival at Joan, she was at Ogilvy & Mather, where she has served as chief financial officer, North America for nearly seven and a half years.

In addition to these five members, the 4A's Foundation board of directors consists of Jeff Monahan, Ruston Spurlock, Ashok Sinha, Chris Loll, Deidre Smalls-Landau, Denise Wong, Douglas Davis, Emily Sander, Jennifer Risi, Luis Miguel Messianu, Lukeisha Paul, Paula Massood, Ronald Lewis, Renetta McCann, Sadie Thoma, Saneel Radia and Marla Kaplowitz.

About The 4A's Foundation
The 4A's foundation exists to advocate for and connect diverse talent to the marketing industry. We celebrate a community that fosters a culture of curiosity, creativity and craft to fuel a more equitable future. By investing in and developing them, we believe that possibilities are endless.

Established in 1997, the 4A's foundation is committed to identifying, developing, empowering and ensuring the most diverse talent enters and succeeds in the marketing industry. We achieve this through programs aimed at discovering and cultivating talent through scholarships, high school initiatives and the Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP) fellowship and Alumni communities.

We have provided over $3.5 million dollars to deserving students studying advertising, marketing, media, creative arts and public relations. The MAIP Alumni with over 3,500 professionals is the largest diverse community in the industry. Our High School initiatives have prepared more than 1,000 diverse high school students for careers in Marketing.

Media Contact:
Natalie Kawam
862-222-2239
[email protected]

SOURCE The American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's)