Black History Month | Rockstar: Ashley Simms

Ashley Simms | Communications Manager, Google  Ashley Simms is an award-winning communications leader with more than 13 years of experience at the intersection of technology, policy, and the public sector. Currently leading PR and executive communications for Google Public Sector’s education, state, and local government business, Ashley specializes in the art of storytelling—converting complex, high-tech…

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Black History Month | Icon: Chris Foster

Chris Foster is the CEO of Omnicom Public Relations, overseeing 20+ years in communications, consulting, and public affairs firms within Omnicom. In this role, he is focused on talent, innovation, and cross-agency collaboration to drive growth. Foster previously was the president of North America at BCW Group, responsible for managing growth, talent, and client relationships…

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Black History Month | Rockstar: Andrew Soar

Andrew is an earned-first creative, strategist and cultural storyteller focused on helping brands earn their place in culture.   Born and raised in the UK, he built his career leading award-winning work across PR and social, earning hundreds of nominations and wins for global brands.   Since moving to New York from Ogilvy’s UK office,…

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Black History Month | Innovator: Courtney Brown Warren

Courtney Brown Warren is the Chief Marketing Officer at Kickstarter, where she leads brand, growth and product marketing, communications, content, partnerships, and the company’s sales and community outreach strategy. Her work centers on strengthening Kickstarter’s creator ecosystem and expanding access to creative opportunity. Before joining Kickstarter, Courtney served as Twitter’s Global Head of Brand and…

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BHM 2026

Join us to celebrate 100 years of Black History Month and this year’s Icons, Rockstars and Innovators honorees reception on Thursday, February 26th! Where: The AD Club- 21 W 38th St, 12th Floor When: 5:30-7:30 Black History Month | Icons, Rockstars & Innovators RegistrationName(Required) First Last TitleCompanyEmail(Required)

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Black History Month | Rockstar: Alicia Harris

Alicia is a Group Strategy Director at Translation and UnitedMasters, shaping work that sits at the intersection of brand, culture, and community. She led the strategic vision that made Translation one of McDonald’s agencies of record, setting the foundation for work including the nationwide return of the Snack Wrap. Across AT&T, Ally, and Cadillac Formula…

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Black History Month | Innovator: Neisha Tweed-Bell

  Neisha Tweed Bell is proof of what it means to be undeniable – a small island girl who spent 20+ years in rooms she had no business being in and left them better than she found them. She built Meta’s Health Creative vertical from one client to $1B in sales with zero pharma experience.…

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Black History Month | Rockstar: Sisilen Simo

  Sisilen Simo is a Senior Strategist at McCann New York, where she turns cultural insights into human truths that shape brand storytelling. Her work spans global product launches, multicultural positioning, and ethnographic research for beauty and lifestyle brands—including strategy for two Super Bowl campaigns, where her cultural insights helped fuel high-impact, mass-culture moments and…

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Black History Month | Rockstar: Alicia Lee

  Alicia Lee is the Associate Director of Agency Partnerships at Teads, a global media platform for elevated outcomes, where she brings over eight years of experience in digital and out-of-home advertising. Over the course of her career at Teads, Alicia has held multiple key roles – including Senior Media Strategist, Associate Director of Media…

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Black History Month | Innovator: Navarrow Wright

Navarrow Wright has emerged as one of the distinctive and insightful voices in America and a premier expert on how the convergence of technology, the Internet, mass media, and social media can change lives, businesses, and society. A change agent in the digital space for 30 years, he has used his unique combination of technical…

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