HIGHLIGHTS FROM AAF'S ADMERICA NATIONAL CONFERENCE: BRIDGING THE ADVERTISING COMMUNITY

Jacki Kelley of IPG and Carmen Graf at Indeed Named Board Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, for the 2025-26 Fiscal Year

Texas State Takes First Place in the National Student Advertising Competition

Work for Google Pixel from Gut Miami and Google Creative Lab Tops the Mosaic 10 List as the #1 Most Authentic Ad Campaign for Today's Audiences

Scott Hamula of Ithaca College Named Winner of the Barton A. Cummings Gold Medal Award – AAF's Highest Award for Volunteer Service 

PITTSBURGH, June 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Advertising Federation (AAF), the "Unifying Voice for Advertising," hosted its annual ADMERICA National Conference earlier this month. The four-day event was held at the Westin Hotel in Pittsburgh, PA and attended by more than 500 representatives from advertising agencies, marketers, media and tech companies, suppliers and colleges and universities from around the country. The event was designed to help elevate attendees' personal and professional approach to excellence.

Following are highlights from this year's ADMERICA National Conference:

2025-26 AAF BOARD ANNOUNCEMENT

Jacki Kelley, EVP and Chief Client Officer and Chief Business Officer at Interpublic Group, was named AAF Board Chair for the 2025-26 Fiscal Year. She most recently served as Vice Chair. An acknowledged life-long student of the industry, Jacki 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 Jacki as Vice Chair is Carmen Graf, Global Vice President, Marketing, Advertising, Media and Events at Indeed. With experience across all of the various marketing and media disciplines, Carmen's background blends seamlessly with the association's broad spectrum of constituents which include agencies, marketers, media, tech, digital and education.

Said 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 July 1, 2025.

NATIONAL STUDENT ADVERTISING COMPETITION (NSAC)
The National Student Advertising Competition is the premier college advertising competition that 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."

MOSAIC 10 AWARDS
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. Click here to view all of this year's Mosaic 10.

BARTON A CUMMINGS GOLD MEDAL AWARD
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. Scott 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 national conference is scheduled for May 28-31, 2026 in Austin, TX.

"This past year was an amazing backdrop for so many outstanding accomplishments for the AAF. I am so excited to have been able to celebrate the people and their achievements in person at ADMERICA," concluded Steve Pacheco.

ABOUT AAF

The AAF's Board of Directors guides and oversees the Federation's signature events and initiatives, including the Advertising Hall of Fame, Advertising Hall of Achievement, American Advertising Awards, Advertising Day on the Hill, Most Promising Multicultural Students Program, and HBCUs for Advertising  – all serving the Federation's 35,000+ professional members nationwide, 4,000+ students and educators, and more than 60+ corporate members spanning media and tech companies, advertisers and agencies. Established in 1905, the American Advertising Federation (AAF), acts as "The Unifying Voice for Advertising." Visit https://aaf.org/.

SOURCE American Advertising Federation