e will be speaking with Adrianne Smith, Executive Director for The Center for Excellence in Advertising at Howard University.

Background:

The 4A's has partnered with Howard University’s John H. Johnson School of Communications to establish a comprehensive center to address challenges, eliminate barriers and identify opportunities to achieve a more diverse and inclusive advertising industry workforce at middle to senior management levels.

The Center for Excellence in Advertising is charged with the following objectives:

* To provide professional development, leadership training and resources to increase and strengthen the impact of individuals of color in middle and senior level management across all disciplines.

* To provide the advertising industry with research, analysis, strategic and tactical consulting, and policy input to attain diversity goals and objectives.

* To benchmark best practices and solutions to increase the quantity and quality of persons of color in the industry.