July 2024

Insights from Steve Pacheco

President & CEO, American Advertising Federation

AAF Starts the New Year with New Volunteer Leadership and New Energy!

May I be the first to wish you a Happy New Year!

 Yes, I know it’s the middle of the Summer…but July 1 was the start of our fiscal year and the time when we bring in new leadership across the AAF National grass roots network that supports our growth and development.

And we have an amazing group of volunteers in place who have each stepped up and committed to a year of growing and developing the AAF in some exciting new and different ways.

When you stop to consider that this collective group of Executives and Advertising practitioners could choose to spend their precious little free time in any number of ways—and that they each chose to invest their time and talents to making the AAF better—you must realize what a treasure it is for us to have this type of leadership in place.

• Council of Governors Chair: Stephanie Price, Senior Manager of Marketing & E-commerce, Historic Hotels of America
• NEEC Chair: Jeff Sheets, Teaching Professor, Brigham Young University
• Ad 2 National Chair: Erika Rodriguez, Account Director, Medium Giant

This National level group joins an already stellar Team of Local and District volunteers that support the AAF in numerous ways throughout the year. Here’s a full list of our complete AAF Leadership.

Earlier this year we spent time revisiting, defining, and prioritizing our overall annual Goals & Objectives for the AAF and our Leadership Team to help guide the year ahead, here’s a recap of our commitments:

1. Provide value for AAF Membership by serving our Members.
2. Demonstrate & Promote AAF’s Positive Impact across the Industry.
3. Recruit, Retain, Recognize, Reward our People.
4. Generate and Steward our Financial Resources.
5. Operational Excellence in how we Manage the AAF.
6. Advocating for Advertising in Policy & Regulations.

You will note that our top priority is to serve our Members and provide greater value for each Member throughout the year.  I am confident that this Team can help us deliver on our #1 commitment for this year.  

Next month we’re meeting at AAF HQ in DC to set up the year ahead, go over our plans and tactics and develop a path forward for the entire AAF membership base all with a focus on these priorities.

With this Team of outstanding leaders in place – and focused on all the right things -- the year ahead looks very promising for your AAF!  There’s never been a better time to be part of “The Unifying Voice for Advertising.”

—Steve