CHANGE I'VE INSPIRED
My mantra in life is to set your sights high, and pull others up the mountain with you. So I look to be the change I want to see in the industry whenever I can.
The Cannes Mom
60% of young women in advertising don't believe they can have a family and remain in the agency world. In support of women and working parents everywhere, I challenged FCB to send me and my toddler to the Cannes International Festival of Creativity. The video was shared over 20,000 times, and not only did FCB say yes, but they pledged to send a Working Parent Cannes Correspondent to Cannes every year moving forward.
#ParentsCannesToo became a movement and a rallying cry to be your whole self at work. Henry was the youngest delegate ever on record at Cannes, and together, we inspired people to challenge industry norms, and not be afraid to ask for what you need in order to be the best employee possible.
The story was shared by #HaveHerBack, Adweek, Campaign, Modern Copywriter, The Drum, Girlsday, The 3% Conference and Chicago Parent. And almost 5 years later, people still say "Oh you were the Cannes Mom!"
The Pipeline Fund Scholarship
Only 2% of the advertising and design creative departments identify as Black, and BIPOC creatives are also significantly underrepresented in Portfolio Schools.
So I advocated for and developed The Pipeline Fund Scholarship at Chicago Portfolio School. It became the first full-ride portfolio school scholarship for Black creatives, to which agencies and industry individuals could also contribute. In the first year, my fundraising campaign raised $15,000. And thanks to these generous donations from across the country, and Chicago Portfolio School's matching funds, CPS has been able to offer scholarships to four creatives in the last year.
Our first two Pipeline Scholars, designers Jakeel Johnson and Marlon Williams (set to graduate soon, so watch out for their portfolios!)
