Adweek teamed up with ADCOLOR and its founder and president, Tiffany R. Warren, to create the 2020 “Champions List,” a list of executives who are leading the charge for diversity and inclusion in different industries.
We’re proud to have teamed up with @ADCOLOR and @DiverStar of @Omnicom to spotlight the Champions, 18 executives carrying the torch for diversity and inclusion—and mentoring others along the way.
Meet a few of them below, and read about all of them here: https://t.co/9SuNbkwWOK
— Adweek (@Adweek) April 6, 2020
Among the incredible leaders on this year’s list includes GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis, who is recognized for moving the needle for LGBTQ acceptance and equality in media and beyond. In their profile of Sarah Kate Ellis, Adweek and ADCOLOR highlight how Ellis continues to expand GLAAD’s culture-changing work, with a renewed focus on measuring how members of the LGBTQ community are portrayed in advertising. As mentioned in the feature, Ellis and GLAAD have worked on research with Procter & Gamble, which will take a deep dive into how American consumers feel about seeing LGBTQ people in ads.
As mentioned, Ellis has been at the helm of GLAAD, as we evolved from a media watchdog to a culture change agent. The profile spotlights recent accomplishments with GLAAD, including working with The Hallmark Channel to reverse its decision to remove an ad featuring a same-sex couple. The feature also looks at Ellis’ priorities with GLAAD in 2020, which includes a focus on the election, as well as adapting the organization to new challenges created by COVID-19.
“I don’t know if I was made for the job or the job was made for me,” Ellis says. “It’s the intersection of what I love to do and what matters to me.”
This year, Adweek and ADCOLOR also profiled a mentee who has learned from each of the 18 Champions. Rich Ferraro, GLAAD’s Chief Communications Officer, spoke about Sarah Kate’s mentorship: “In advocacy and activism, burnout is a real threat to success, and she was able to help me streamline the work. She’s more than a boss. She also prioritizes my growth as a leader. She challenges me to aim high and take risks—for myself and for the community.”
Others included on this year’s Champions List list include Caroline Wanga (Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Target), Monique Nelson (Chair & CEO of UWG), Imani Ellis (Founder of The Creative Collective NYC and CultureCon; Communications Director at Bravo, E!, and Oxygen), Claudia Romo Edelman (Founder and CEO of We Are All Human, Edelman), and more.