4A’s Foundation Adds Eight New Board Members

Puts Greater Emphasis on Inclusion, Community and Opportunity with New Mission and Approach

 

NEW YORK, NY — The 4A’s Foundation announced today that it will add seven new members to its board: Jennifer Risi, Worldwide Chief Communications Officer, Ogilvy; Jed Meyer, Director of Brand Measurement, Google; Ashok Sinha, Vice President, Corporate Communications, WarnerMedia; Chris Loll, COO, Media & Sponsorship, Live Nation; Lukeisha Paul, Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, GroupM U.S.; Rosa Nunez, SVP Head of Diversity & Inclusion North America at BCW; Deidre Smalls-Landau, Global Chief Cross-Cultural Officer, UM Worldwide and EVP, Managing Director at Identity and Dr. Paula Massood, Professor, Film Studies, Department of Film at Brooklyn College, The City University of New York, and President Elect, Society for Cinema and Media Studies.

The new board members expressed their excitement in continuing the significant progress that the 4A’s Foundation has already made to help emerging professionals of all backgrounds. With differing specialities, the new voices will help advocate for talented young professionals across the industry.

The 4A’s Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit established in 1997, has delivered more than $2 million in scholarships to diverse youth looking at careers in advertising. In mid-2018, the 4A’s Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP) and its High School initiatives, in partnership with Manhattan Early College for Advertising (MECA) and the High School for Innovation in Advertising and Media (IAM), were adopted by the Foundation. This allows for a greater emphasis on inclusion, community, and opportunity as well as a continued focus on developing a more robust program for more than 3000 MAIP alumni.

With the inclusion of these critical industry leading initiatives and the changing face of marketing, the 4A’s Foundation is undergoing a shift in priorities. Along with a new mission, the 4A’s Foundation will grow around four pillars—creativity, development, exposure and community—and will undergo a rebranding. Investing in new social and web based assets will visually bring all the programs together under one umbrella to better serve the community’s needs. The new board members reflect the changing market landscape and shift in priorities in the overall mission.

“I could not be more excited to announce this shift and the appointment of these incredible new members to the 4A’s Foundation Board,” said Simon Fenwick, EVP, Talent Engagement + Inclusion, 4A’s. “As the 4A’s Foundation grows to meet the needs of both the talent and the market we support, it is important that we have a more inclusive board represented by thought leaders across numerous related industries. That’s why I am excited to include new partners across media, technology and education, which will help us to develop better outcomes for those we seek to serve and support.”

Stepping down from the board are Eileen Benwitt from Horizon Media and Joe Erwin from Erwin Creates, the latter of who was formerly the board’s Chairman. The 4A’s Foundation has not yet appointed co-chairs, and that selection is currently underway.

 

About 4A’s Foundation

The 4A’s Foundation was created to galvanize the industry around improving the level of diversity within advertising and media agencies. For almost 22 years, the Foundation has been providing financial support to multicultural individuals studying advertising, media, and/or the creative arts, as well as resources to programs and initiatives in New York City that cover education, employment, outreach, engagement, and retention in the industry. Simultaneously, it engages colleges, universities and recognized portfolio schools, which help identify high potential students willing and able to make a difference in our community.