McCatherine Receives 2012 Betty Riehl Excellence in Service Award

Our own Sara McCatherine, Executive Director for AAF Dayton, was recently honored at ADMERICA with the 2012 Betty Riehl Excellence in Service Award.

For the last 19 years, Sara has dedicated her professional life to the advertising industry. Through her significant contributions to the AAF on the local, district and national level, her considerable energy and gifts have benefited the industry far beyond any single market.

McCatherine’s AAF involvement began in 1990, when she was working for a group of radio stations in Toledo. After a job change led her to Dayton in 1993, she switched her membership from the Toledo club to the Dayton Advertising Club, now known as AAF Dayton. Just as her professional career led her to jobs in media and ad agencies, her “volunteer career” led her to positions on and chairing every major committee in the club. She became an officer in 1997. From 1999 through 2001, Sara served an unprecedented three-year term as club president, one of the most dynamic in Dayton and AAF history.

When she finally ended her term as club president, Sara took her talents the next step up the AAF leadership ladder and was elected governor of AAF’s District 5. During her term as governor, the district had tremendous success with both the NSAC Competition and ADDY Awards.

Given her devotion to both her professional and volunteer careers, it was not surprising that the two would one day merge as AAF Dayton hired Sara as executive director in 2002. In fact, McCatherine’s phenomenal success as a volunteer leader is a significant part of the reason why the club was in strong position to hire her as a full-time executive director. As both a club volunteer and professional, Sara has helped the club win much recognition for it’s work on behalf of the advertising community in Dayton, throughout Ohio, and nationwide.

Congratulations, Sara!

Goodbye AdClub – Hello AAF Cincinnati

Our name and logo are different, but AAF Cincinnati’s commitment to promote and advance the advertising industry remains the same. Our new identity is about thinking nationally and acting locally through a more solid partnership with the national American Advertising Federation. As the advertising industry continues to change and evolve, AAF Cincinnati will be at the forefront in unifying our local, regional and national connections and resources that impact our membership and community. It strengthens our ability to provide Greater Cincinnati with an exchange of creativity, innovative ideas, and career enrichment.

Our members and audiences are expanding. We’re serving a diverse group of members and prospective members from corporate advertising, marketing and communications departments; ad agency suits and creatives alike; media reps from broadcast, print, and interactive companies; even lawyers specializing in intellectual property, advertising and media law; plus members from every size shop, from independent contractors to global corporations and every imaginable supplier to the advertising industry.

Our goals are bigger. AAF is the oldest national advertising trade association (Cincinnati’s AdClub was one of AAF’s founding members in 1905). AAF Cincinnati is now an even stronger player in unifying the voice for advertising behind AAF’s national mission to promote and protect truth in advertising in our billion dollar industry.

Judy Thompson, Executive Director of the local trade group, says, “We’ve been a part of the AAF since its founding. This just strengthens our bond. It also links our ‘grassroots’ club members more transparently with AAF Corporate members and with respected programs such as the AAF Hall of Fame, the National Student Advertising Competition and the ADDYs. Of course, it was a Board decision. And I couldn’t be happier!”

AAF , headquartered in Washington, D.C., is the glue that holds together more than 200 local clubs across the country representing 40,000 advertising professionals and more than 200 AAF college chapters, with 6,500+ student members. Add to that nearly 100 blue chip corporate members – and you begin to see the power of our national affiliation, connecting us all within one amazing, nationally coordinated grassroots network. http://www.aaf.org.

For more information: contact Judy Thompson at 513-984-9990.

The ‘Unifying Voice of Advertising’ just got a little more unified

 

The Advertising Federation of Louisville changes name to AAF-Louisville.

It seems we’ve come full circle at the AdFed over the past century. One of the most important events in our club’s history was in 1909, when we hosted the fifth annual convention of Associated Advertising Federations of America, led by then-president Samuel C. Dobbs of Coca-Cola. In that convention, which was held at the Galt House, Dobbs called for a united stand for Truth in Advertising.

This past Friday at the Galt House, we celebrated the great work that our ad community has created over the past year at the 38th Annual Louie Awards. And once again, we revisited the call to unite our industry with the announcement of our club’s name change to American Advertising Federation – Louisville.

This change comes on the heels of a national effort by the AAF to align each of the local clubs with a more consistent brand image. We’ve always been a part of the AAF, a club of more than 40,000 members. And our goals are exactly the same – to protect and promote the advertising industry at all levels, honor advertising excellence, and to be a resource for education and networking for our membership and the community. We hope that this change will build the connection between our local, regional and national levels of the AAF, and encourage our members to take advantage of the resources and benefits available at a national level, which can be found on http://www.aaf.org.

In addition to the new name, we’re putting the final touches on a mobile app we’ve developed, where members can find information and register for events, check out the job shop, and see what’s new with the club. You’ll start to see the new logo popping up on our social media sites and website in the next few days. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have. Just call the AAF – Louisville office at 502-582-2444.

Wang wins advertising award

MURRAY, KY—Sarah B. Wang, a senior advertising student at Murray State University, has been recognized as a Most Promising Minority Student by the American Advertising Federation (AAF).

Wang, from Milton, Ky., is one of 50 students from across the United States to receive the recognition. They will be honored during an awards program in New York City Feb. 1-3, 2112.

Since 1997, the Most Promising Minority Student program has helped outstanding minority students begin their careers in advertising by putting them in contact with industry leaders.

The students attend a seminar where they meet advertising professionals, learn job search skills and learn more about the advertising industry.

Wang is a Ronald McNair Scholar at Murray State. She has conducted research and presented her findings at research conferences in Arizona and Delaware.

She has gained professional experience through a number of campus activities. She is currently president of Murray State’s chapter of the American Advertising Federation.

She is a member of the psychology honor society, PsyChi, and has led publicity campaigns for a number of programs for Women’s Empowerment and for the MSU Women’s Center.

Wang has been recognized for her outstanding scholarship and leadership. She has been selected to “Who’s Who Among Students at American Colleges and Universities” and two national honor societies Alpha Chi and Omicron Delta Kappa.