ADCOLOR's 2025 NOMINEES & HONOREES

Abi is TikTok’s Lumpia Queen and a standout food content creator.

Named 2023 Foodie Creator of the Year, she won the People’s Voice Award at the 28th Annual Webby Awards in the Social – Food & Drink category.

With over 8 million followers, Abi’s viral recipes and tutorials empower home cooks and provide livelihood opportunities for Filipinos.

She has collaborated internationally with notable chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Chef Nobu, and Rie McLenny.

Abi is also recognized on Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia and Tatler Asia’s Gen.T List of 2024. Her mission is to elevate Filipino cuisine on the global stage.

Jayde I. Powell is a founder, social strategist, and creatorpreneur from Atlanta, GA, with over ten years of experience in social and content strategy. She is known for producing high-quality “edutainment” content and is notably recognized on LinkedIn for her humorous insights on corporate culture and entrepreneurship. Jayde inspires over 49,000 followers with her relatable style and strategic brilliance. Her collaborations with brands like Netflix, Timberland, LinkedIn, and The Coca-Cola Company to highlight her dedication to amplifying diverse voices and creating meaningful, engaging content.

Leo González is a California native based in Los Angeles who can always find his audience laughing at his comedic content. With a background in broadcast production and live television programming, Leo creates sketches, characters, and content that highlights relatable situations while showcasing his talent for impressions, improv, and acting along the way. His amazing skills as a producer, writer, and director have him rising as one of the internet’s most beloved comedy creators with accolades from Rolling Stone, USA Today, and the LA Times.

Jay Kamath is the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of HAYMAKER, an independent creative agency. He’s helped launch the Seattle Kraken, grown a couch potato farm for Pluto TV, and taken foster kids to their first beach for Reef. When HAYMAKER became a certified minority-owned business in 2023, he celebrated by flying in his mom out to cook Indian food for the team.

Kamath was previously a Creative Director at 72andSunny and worked at Wieden+Kennedy. He studied architecture at WashU and design at VCU. Originally from Augusta, GA, he now lives in Los Angeles with his family.

Nidia Serrano is a visionary marketing leader and dynamic storyteller, currently serving as Vice President of B2B Marketing at SiriusXM Media. With nearly two decades of experience, she has transformed the advertising landscape through cultural insight, strategic excellence, and fearless innovation. She founded Fluency, SiriusXM’s cultural marketing practice, and launched La Marea Collective, a vibrant hub for Latino creatives, dedicated to lifting the community like the rising tide. A sought-after speaker and contributor to Adweek, AdAge, and beyond, Nidia brings authenticity to every space she enters—and empowers others to do the same.

Shannae Ingleton-Smith is a creator, strategist, and multi-hyphenate entrepreneur conquering the media space. With a background in sales managing a multimillion-dollar portfolio for one of Canada’s largest media conglomerates, she eventually set her sights on social media and launched Kensington Grey, an influencer management agency in 2019. To date, Ingleton Smith’s agency represents over 100+ of the most powerful voices from underrepresented communities in the industry, who execute numerous successful campaigns with notable clients in the luxury, beauty, fashion, and lifestyle spaces.

Asha Shivaji is redefining innovation in marketing and ad tech. As a first-generation woman of color and former Google executive, she co-founded SeeMe Index in 2023 to create the first AI-powered platform measuring brand inclusivity across advertising, products, and purpose. Previously, she led marketing strategy for Google’s Advanced Brand Acceleration Team and partnered with the UN’s Unstereotype Alliance to dismantle media stereotypes. Asha has worked with brands like Apple, Disney, and Estée Lauder, and is a sought-after speaker at Cannes Lions, Advertising Week, and CEW’s DEIB Forum. She holds an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business.

Cintia Romero is a Product Designer at Pinterest, specializing in Accessibility and Design Systems. As an immigrant and a Latina in tech, she is deeply passionate about creating inclusive, multi-platform experiences that foster belonging. Her background as a color-blind Latina has significantly shaped her career, driving her commitment to user-friendly, accessible products and community giveback initiatives.

Additionally, Cintia holds the CPACC certification from IAAP, and enjoys sharing her knowledge by mentoring other designers and speaking at conferences about design.

Beyond that, she is a dog mom of a senior dog (Sherlock), an art lover and a fitness enthusiast.

Rosakebia, a distinguished poet and Salzburg Global Seminar Fellow, is honored as a Sakharov Fellow by the European Parliament’s Human Rights Action Unit. The only Latin American representative in the 2022 Sakharov Fellowship, he is the second Peruvian to receive this honor and the most awarded living poet under 35 in Peru. A keynote speaker at the 78th UN General Assembly’s Science Summit, he discussed “Safeguarding Ancestral Technologies – The Silver Passport Case Study.” With over a decade of experience, he has represented Peru in STEA*M across 16 countries, driving impactful projects in social innovation and activism.

Schitayetsya.kz is an NGO initiative dedicated to raising awareness about domestic violence in Kazakhstan through data visualization and storytelling. By transforming complex statistics into engaging, impactful visuals, we make the scale of the issue clearer to the public, media, and policymakers. Our “Now You See” campaign turned raw data into shareable content, sparking nationwide discussions. The campaign reached over 5.6 million people, gained media coverage, and influenced public discourse. By leveraging social media virality and influencer engagement, we successfully brought attention to a critical issue often overlooked by officials.

Growing up as a queer kid and trying to get sexual wellness advice is a struggle.

Hispanic queer youth face especially unique challenges: language barriers that get in the way of clear communication; cultural norms, including religious beliefs, that lead to rigid views on gender and who is even “allowed” to talk to them about sex.

Anti-LGBTQ legislation in several states means they’re not getting answers at school either. Open dialogue about sex and intimacy is just not happening for them.

This was the challenge we confronted with It Gets Better, a long-standing org. devoted to empowering queer youth by providing mentorship and online resources.

We needed a different approach here. A way to foster offline connections and help uniquely challenged intersectional queer youth to initiate these meaningful conversations IRL.

Our answer was Perfectly Queer – a gamified conversation guide designed to make these discussions easier to start and less awkward to navigate, including discussion prompts that take intersections of queerness and culture into account AND a bilingual LGBTQ+ glossary to help young queer Hispanics articulate their identities in Spanish.

Together we were able to put an inclusive sex ed resource directly into the hands, hearts, and minds of queer youth.

Molson’s “See My Name” campaign addressed a design flaw in women’s hockey jerseys: players’ names were often hidden by their long hair.

Instead of simply sponsoring the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), Molson took an unprecedented step: purchasing the jersey space above the number and relocating the players’ names to a lower, more visible position. This subtle design shift significantly improved name visibility during play and drew attention to a broader issue: gender equity in sports.

Launched on International Women’s Day, the campaign quickly gained international traction, with support from icons like Billie Jean King. By replacing its own visibility to highlight the athletes, Molson made a bold and visible statement about its values.

More than just a sponsorship, “See My Name” became a cultural moment, positioning Molson as a progressive, inclusive brand and sparking a global conversation about visibility and recognition for women in sport.

To address the stigma around menstruation in sports, which silences athletes and disproportionately discourages menstruators’ participation, Knix introduced “Sport Your Period” by partnering with Megan Rapinoe.

The idea was simple: every time athletes spoke about their period in official competitions, they got paid. No need to mention Sport Your Period or Knix.

To further support this athlete empowerment, a decal was introduced as a visible symbol. The decal bypasses sponsorship rules and is made to be worn by athletes during competitions to show the world that they’re on their period. Many athletes wore it during prime-time competitions, making periods visible on the global stage.

“Sport Your Period” empowers athletes to challenge the norms around periods in sports, sparking conversations and driving a shift towards greater acceptance. The program expanded to schools nationwide, empowering the next generation to stay in sports.

In America, there is an invisible injustice.

Cannabis (marijuana), once illegal, is now a $40 billion industry.

So what happens when something that was once a crime is no longer?

The answer is nothing. People ignore it. People now legally buy it in fancy stores. They enjoy smoking in parks. Or eat gummies of it at dinner talking about the nuances of their highs. But while millions profit and partake legally, more than 40,000 people remain behind bars for cannabis-related offenses. Over 25 million more live with criminal records that prevent them from securing jobs, housing, or a second chance.

The system has moved on—but it hasn’t made things right.

Communities of color bear the brunt of this injustice. Black Americans are five times more likely to be arrested for cannabis than white Americans, fueling an 8-to-1 racial wealth gap and perpetuating cycles of poverty and incarceration.

The Last Prisoner Project (LPP) exists to correct this. Its mission: free those still imprisoned for non-violent cannabis offenses and support those burdened by outdated convictions.

Our goal was simple, but bold: to get one of the only 51 people in America with the power to grant cannabis pardons—the President or a state governor—to sign just one. Even if it affected just one person.

The creative challenge? Pardons are politically unpopular. Even in states where cannabis is legal, “forgiving criminals” is seen as risky. Politicians often avoid the issue entirely, framing it as complex or bureaucratic.

Our strategy was clear: make pardoning cannabis criminals an act of heroism instead of an act of political weakness.

So we made a pen. We named it The Pen to Right History, and printed an unignorable PR narrative right on it—the politician who uses this will be on the right side of history.

Our research showed people have more empathy for the innocent. So we made the pen into a symbol of representing innocent people who are affected by this injustice. We passed the pen to mothers, sons, daughters who wrote personal letters pleading for clemency for their loved ones.

Rather than public shaming, we applied private pressure, bombarding lawmakers with over 20,000 letters to make it impossible to ignore.

Emotional films, social pressure, and national press amplified the story.

It worked.

On June 17, 2024, Maryland Governor Wes Moore claimed the pen and signed the largest cannabis pardon in U.S. state history—175,000 convictions forgiven.

What began as a symbolic object became a national movement. A five-year-old nonprofit inspired real, measurable justice, proving that with the right idea, even the smallest gesture can spark generational change.

Gary Coichy is the founder and CEO of Pod Digital Media, the first multicultural podcast network and full-service agency connecting brands with diverse creators. A seasoned media executive with experience at Mediacom, Resolution Media and Laundry Service, Gary has led award-winning multicultural campaigns for brands like McDonald’s and PepsiCo. Known for his strategic vision and creator-first approach, he has helped drive millions in revenue to underrepresented talent while reshaping how the advertising industry approaches inclusion, podcasting, and cultural engagement. Gary is a sought-after speaker, mentor, and industry advisor championing equity across media and marketing.

Kathryn Parsons works at the intersection of search, AI, and inclusive experience design. With 25+ years in SEO and content strategy, she has led digital transformation for Fortune 500s and global agencies. As the innovator behind Neuroverse, she developed a sensory sensitivity framework and new search signals to help brands create cognitively inclusive experiences for neurodivergents. She orchestrated the Office Depot/OfficeMax digital merger and scaled a centralized SEO program across 60+ countries. Named one of the Top Inspiring Women Shaping SEO (2022), Kathryn is the VP, Content Strategy at Havas, driving AI-powered innovation that centers accessibility, performance, and human impact.

Samantha Hosein is a dedicated people leader, inclusion strategist, cultural innovator, and community builder. She’s also a New Yorker, a painter, and a mom. She has expertise in inclusive education, curriculum design, organizational change management, transformational leadership and healing and restorative practices. She believes that building inclusive teams is not just essential as a way to ensure a robust employee experience but also for business longevity and growth. As a leader, she seeks to build healthy environments where inclusion and belonging empower and nurture employees from diverse backgrounds to thrive, and leaders to tackle difficult and highly charged issues.

Desiree Moore is a multimedia visual designer working at the fast-paced intersection of technology, sports, and entertainment, with a passion for brand storytelling that drives global impact and revenue growth. Backed by advanced design training and evolved arts education, she brings a visionary approach and unparalleled creative skill to every project—blending innovation, culture, and strategy to shape the future of visual storytelling and the industry at large.

Kaleb Mulugeta is a Senior Copywriter at Translation, telling culture-shaping stories for the world’s biggest brands. He’s helped write global campaigns for the National Basketball Association, Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, and created YouTube’s first short-form content series team. Outside the office, Kaleb produces and performs at sold-out comedy shows in New York City, while writing and directing comedy shorts that reach hundreds of thousands of viewers. A product of Ethiopian immigrants, he believes stories told with empathy and authenticity can bridge the widest of gaps, and he’s building a career to prove it.

Reana Johnson is an Inclusion Associate at United Talent Agency. She started in the mailroom in 2021 and worked in the TV Literary department before transitioning to corporate. Previously, she was a VICE 2030 Fellow – producing content drops around the future of identity, food, community, and fashion. Reana graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication (Performance Studies Concentration) & a Social and Economic Justice minor. Outside of work, she is a photographer, dancer, event planner, and aspiring DJ.

Jeremiah Abraham is the Founder and CEO of Tremendous Communications, a multicultural PR and marketing agency championing AAPI, BIPOC, and intersectional audiences in entertainment. A queer Filipino American leader with over 20 years of experience, he has led campaigns for EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE, JOY RIDE, and THE WEDDING BANQUET. He also serves as a Broadway co-producer and sits on the boards of FilAm Arts and F.A.C.E. Named one of Variety’s “8 APIs Up Next in Entertainment,” Jeremiah is committed to building authentic, community-centered campaigns that shift culture and create lasting representation.

Kandace J. Barker is a visionary marketing executive and the Head of B2B Marketing at Initiative, a global media agency. With a career defined by innovation, purpose, and impact, Kandace has transformed complex strategies into meaningful brand stories that connect deeply and deliver results.

Prior to Initiative, Kandace founded the B2B Center of Excellence at Publicis, where she pioneered new standards for strategic alignment and creative excellence in B2B marketing. Kandace co-founded MAFA Chicago, a nonprofit organization committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in advertising.

Kandace holds a B.A. from Howard University and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Ri-Karlo Handy is a pioneering force in the entertainment industry with over 25 years of experience in editing and producing. As CEO and Founder of Handy Foundation and Sunwise Media, he has built a strong reputation as an award-winning showrunner and producer, with partnerships spanning NBC, MTV, OWN, BET, and Starz. He is the creative mind behind Rebuilding Black Wall Street (OWN) and currently serves as SVP, Creative for Unscripted Productions at Blink49 Studios. His latest projects include The Braxtons (WETv) and Harlem Globetrotters: Secrets of the City (Aspire TV), continuing his mission to elevate diverse voices in media.

Ryan Ford is a visionary strategist and creative executive reshaping how brands move through culture. As the former President and Chief Creative Officer of Cashmere, he pioneered the “Culture Agency of Record” model and led the agency through a successful exit and merger, delivering campaigns for Disney, Google, BMW, and Kraft Heinz. A New York Times best-selling author and Emmy-winning producer, Ryan remains a sought-after advisor to Fortune 500 brands, entertainment studios, and emerging platforms. He serves on advisory boards for ADCOLOR and The Marcus Graham Project, continuing to mentor the next generation of inclusive, culture-first creative leaders.

At VML, Kaleeta helps companies drive intimacy at scale while harnessing the power of innovation, design, data, and technology. Her twenty years of experience span numerous industries and geographies, holding notable leadership and creative roles with Google Brand Studio, Apple, Sapient Shanghai, Deloitte Digital, and Ogilvy. Kaleeta has a proven ability to drive impact for brands, helping them shape a creative vision that deepens customer relationships across every stage of the engagement lifecycle. Her influence and leadership shape how customers around the world experience some of the largest brands in retail, sports, beauty, and health. Her work has been revered by major clients such as Costco, Nike, Apple, Google, WNBA, LA Rams, Verizon, AT&T, Wells Fargo, NY Life, and The Coca-Cola Company. Kaleeta is bridging creative storytelling into storyliving across VML’s client portfolio.

Oved Valadez is the co-founder and executive creative director of INDUSTRY, a creative agency working at the intersection of culture, innovation, and brand impact. He recently led the launch of Toma El Juego, Nike’s global youth-led street soccer platform, the debut of Almavé, the world’s first premium non-alcoholic agave spirit, and the rebrand of the Leagues Cup, uniting MLS and Liga MX through culture-driven storytelling. With over 15 years of experience, Oved has shaped culture for brands including Nike, YouTube, Timberland, Google Pixel, HP, and Converse—creating work that doesn’t just participate in culture, but moves it forward.

Joe Hall is CEO of Manhattan Neighborhood Network, the nation’s largest community media center, serving artists and activists.

2000 Joe founded Ghetto Film School, a nonprofit academy supporting 8,000+ underrepresented talent through its NYC, LA and London facilities.  GFS has produced projects on five continents, with thousands of graduates working in film, television and advertising industries

Joe, a trained social worker, moved to the South Bronx in 1992 and led homeless relocation, job training, youth development, education and health projects benefiting thousands of neighbors. He raised $100M+ for these initiatives, leading operational teams of hundreds of local residents.

Diversability® is an award-winning, entirely disabled-led and disabled-run community business that elevates disability pride, builds disability power, and advances disability leadership. Founded in 2009 by Tiffany Yu, Diversability has grown a digital ecosystem of 80,000+, hosted 150+ events, and helped disabled people earn over $130K. We’ve advised brands and institutions including Campbell’s (Spoonful of Joy) and the LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games on local hiring and workforce development. In partnership with cultural insights platform Gauge, we published the report Disability Community Brand Allyship & Engagement, guiding brands toward authentic, accessible inclusion (https://gauge.ai/allyship/). Support our work with a tax-deductible donation: http://mydiversability.com.

Mark Clennon is a self-taught photographer and director whose work captures the essence of the Black experience. He became internationally recognized for his work during the 2020 protests in New York City. Since then his pieces have been acquired by institutions like the Whitney Museum, and his work has been auctioned internationally with Phillips.

He has collaborated with some of the world’s largest brands, like Apple, Coca-Cola, Nike, TIME Magazine, and more. In addition to commercial work, his ongoing Father’s Hands Project celebrates Black life across generations by honoring the bond between Black fathers and sons.

Stephanie Nadi Olson is the Founder & Chair of We Are Rosie, a flexible marketing talent platform championing inclusive work environments. A passionate advocate for equity and belonging, Stephanie launched the company, which now consists of more than 30,000 independent marketers coming together for project-based work, to disrupt traditional agency and consulting models. Her visionary leadership has earned recognition from Forbes, Fast Company, and Adweek, among others. As she’s moved from CEO to Board Chair, Stephanie maintains her commitment to advocating for the underserved and overlooked, spending much of her time fighting for freedom, belonging, and justice for Palestinians. Stephanie is the daughter of a Palestinian refugee and Nakba survivor from Saqiya, Palestine.  

George Felix has spent his career building iconic brands like Old Spice, KFC, Pizza Hut, Tinder, and Chili’s Grill & Bar where he currently serves as Senior Vice President and CMO. George has helped return Chili’s to relevance and in 2025, George was named AdAge’s CMO of the year and Chili’s was named Brand of the Year. George holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. George lives in Dallas with his wife of 20 years, Mary and 2 children, Eleanor and Wilson.

Sofia Hernandez is a transformational business leader, currently serving as Global Head of Business Marketing & Commercial Partnerships at TikTok. She has helped scale the platform from a challenger brand to a multibillion-dollar global business, leading go-to-market strategy, B2B marketing, and commercial partnerships. Previously, she helped build disruptor platform Suzy from the ground up through Series C and now serves on its board. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Sofia has risen from humble beginnings to become a global executive. As one of few Latina leaders in tech, she is a passionate advocate for inclusive leadership.

Dani Monroe’s 40-year career in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion strategy showcases her extensive expertise. Her deep understanding of linking human capital change to business, social, and environmental outcomes has positively impacted the bottom line for companies in healthcare, finance, and technology.

In 2022, Ms. Monroe established the Martha Vineyard Chief Diversity Officer Summit, one of the largest and most esteemed thought leadership events for CDOs in the nation. Today, its influence reaches over 2.5 million people across 13 industries and 57 companies.  

Dani held the inaugural Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer position at Mass General Brigham, the largest private employer in MA, with 85,000 employees across 16 institutions.

Dani has an MS in Organization Development from Pepperdine University and is the author of the book Untapped Talent: Unleashing the Power of the Hidden Workforce (Palgrave Macmillan).

Procter & Gamble (P&G) aspires to create a company and contribute to a world where equality and inclusion are achievable for all, driving growth and creating value for all our employees, through our brands, with our partners and in communities.  The company develops and nurtures long standing and transparent partnerships that enable our brands to have sustained impact that helps economies grow, businesses thrive, and communities flourish.

Globally, P&G serves consumers in approximately 70 countries with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted brands, including Always®, Pampers®, Tide®, Gillette®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Old Spice®, Febreze®, Head & Shoulders®, and more. To learn more, visit www.pg.com.

Founded in 2014 by CEO Monique Rodriguez, Mielle is the fastest growing Black-founded and women-led global beauty brand. With a heavy emphasis on incorporating healthier ingredients and a “root to results” approach, Mielle’s collection of beauty products is designed for all hair types. Today, Mielle is a global and viral sensation, with orders in over 90 countries around the world. Their products can be found in more than 100,000 stores across the U.S. in retailers such as CVS, HEB, Rite Aid, Sally Beauty, Target, Ulta Beauty, Walgreens, and Walmart. To learn more, visit mielleorganics.com

Umar Issa is a culture marketing leader with over a decade of experience building community across the sports, fashion, music, creative, and tech spaces. As Head of Inclusive & Cultural Partnerships at Yahoo, he leads efforts to cultivate brand relevance and visibility with new audiences. Umar approaches his work through an inclusive lens — combining his DEI expertise and cultural insights with a global network of tastemakers to elevate brand affinity. Since 2017, Umar has hosted Culture Study, a podcast spotlighting diverse movers and shakers. He recently served on the board of The Lobiko Initiative, which advances the holistic development of children in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Jochebed Fekadu is the Director of Marketing and Inclusion & Impact at Omnicom Precision Marketing Group. In this role, she leads strategic initiatives that strengthen the OPMG employee and client experience, cultivating an inclusive and innovative environment. She is a 2018 IRTS Fellow, 2021 ADCOLOR FUTURE, and 2023 CC:DC Fellow, and is proudly serving as the ADCOLOR Advisory Board Co-Chair.  As a first-generation college graduate (Hook ‘Em!) and professional, Jochebed has built her career grounded in a people-centered approach, believing that the strength of our industry and its work is shaped by the cultures and lived experiences within it.