The ADVERTISING Club of New York Announces $100,000 Fellowship Program at Inaugural Women's Master Class Conference

NEW YORK, May 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The ADVERTISING Club of New York, the industry's leading professional organization representing the vision and mission of the global advertising, marketing, media and tech communities, presented their first-ever i'mPART Women's Master Class Conference on Monday. The conference was carefully curated to help women "See Beyond Where You Are" and to enhance their skillsets and knowledge on both the business and professional sides of their careers. In an effort to incite action among mid-career executives and women of color, the AD Club initiated the Master Class as a unique way of providing real life skills, executive coaching and hands-on learning from professionals and academics who have successfully helped women rise in the ranks to the C-Suite. 

During the program, The AD Club announced the winners of their i'mPART Fellowship Program, a $100,000 commitment that aims to bring professional, diverse women to major industry events that they would not have access to otherwise. This Fellowship Program is a year-long experience for those who submitted winning applications judged by our Foundation Board; over 100 women applied or were nominated for the Fellowship to be a part of this unique, AD Club-curated experience that gives the winners, who range from having only three to nine years of experience in the industry, access to unparalleled training opportunities.

Mentors and sponsors are senior executive women who have agreed to work personally with the candidates. The AD Club hopes this Fellowship Program will produce measureable results in introducing a new generation of executive women and women of color to these industries. 

The winners included: 

• Ifeolu Babatunde, Agency Partnership Manager, LinkedIn
• Andea Campbell, Analytics and Insight, Partner, Director of Strategic Planning Research, MEC Global
• Shaquana Ford, Investment Manager, AOL
• Keisha Stephen-Gittens, Associate, Global Brand Communications, MRM//McCann
• Mariam Guessous, Art Director, Digitas LBI
• Amber Jackson, Senior Account Manager, 360i
• Angela Mayfield, Associate Director, Strategy, Zenith
• Kim Nguyen, Associate Creative Director & Writer, BBDO New York
• Alvana Nicaj, VP, Payer Strategy, Entree Health
• Alicia Ray, Manager - Product Marketing, AT&T AdWorks

"Our inaugural Women's Master Class was wildly successful because the content was curated to inspire and provide 'hands on tools' to put immediately into practice," said Gina Grillo, President and CEO of The ADVERTISING Club of NY. "The day was filled with so much positive energy. For me, it reinforced what the Club is trying to do to impact the issue of the power of diversity and inclusion. The Fellowship winners were so excited about the opportunity to help build their careers and create a sense of community amongst them."

Another spectacular output of the day was the commitment from Babson College's Professor PJ Guinan to follow this group of young women and publish the results of their experience in 2017. "The Master Class and The Fellowship Project are meant to empirically prove that hands on skills building and sponsorship makes a difference," said Chairman Emeritus Laurel Rossi, President of Havas Life & Wellness. "The entire day was dedicated to action, including opening remarks from Verizon President and tech leader Tami Erwin, who called for the need for sponsorship of capable women from both men and women. We ended the day with a powerful reminder from Dyllan McGee, CEO of Makers, that women have been responsible for many innovations in many industries, including STEM and the government, yet their contributions are completely absent from our memory and the history books."

i'mPART, which stands for the Club's movement to Promote, Attract, Retain and Train diverse talent, was launched in 2012 and is an ongoing initiative supported by MEDIACTION, the AD Club's largest fundraiser, which has raised nearly $2 million to date.

About The ADVERTISING Club of New York

The ADVERTISING Club is the premier organization for all advertising and marketing professionals in New York. Founded in 1896, the AD Club offers its members a forum to exchange ideas, make connections and honor excellence. The Club's Foundation provides students numerous educational outreach programs that give back to build a stronger and more diverse advertising and marketing community. The Club is the facilitating sponsor of the International ANDY Awards, which acknowledge outstanding creative achievement around the world in the field of advertising. www.theadvertisingclub.org.

SOURCE The ADVERTISING Club of New York

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