• by Larissa Faw , April 16, 2019

The Ad Council is electing an array of new board members, bringing the total number of executives sitting on its board to 150.

These executives provide expertise, insights and financial support (often in the form of donated media time from their respective companies) to ensure the group's nonprofit campaigns are effective and impactful.

These new members reflect the organization's continued push toward diversity under a mandate set by Linda Boff, Chief Marketing Officer, GE, who was elected chair of the Ad Council last July. 

Women now comprise 47% of the board, up from 36% last year, while persons of color grew from 8% to 14%.

Each member is elected to two three-year terms. Still, the opportunity to serve has spiked in recent years, with the Ad Council now reporting a waiting list for potential members. 

The new members of the board are:

Sabah Ashraf, CEO, North America, Superunion
Tina Edmundson, Global Brand Officer & Luxury Portfolio Leader, Marriott International
Tim Ellis, EVP & Chief Marketing Officer, NFL
Konrad Feldman, Co-founder & CEO, Quantcast
Rita Ferro, President, Disney Advertising Sales
Constance Cannon Frazier, Chief Operating Officer, American Advertising Federation
Marianne Gambelli, President, Advertising Sales, Fox
Rick Gomez, EVP, Chief Marketing and Digital Officer, Target
Lauren Hanrahan, CEO, Zenith US, Moxie and MRY
Carla Hassan, Chief Brand Officer, Citi
Eva Heyman, Chief Brand Officer, Bloomberg Media
Michael Houston, Worldwide CEO, Grey Group
Sophie Kelly, SVP North American Whisk(e)y, Diageo North America
Darren Lachtman, Co-Founder, Brat
Jeff Lucas, Head of North American Sales & Global Client Solutions, Verizon Media Group
Catherine LaCour, CMO, Blackbaud
Lev Mass, Managing Partner, Crux Capital
John Osborn, CEO, OMD USA
Ryan Pauley, CRO, Vox Media
Adam Roth, VP Global Brand Communications, Nike
Dennis D. Self, CEO, Acxiom
Niharika Shah, VP, Head of Brand Marketing, Advertising and Global Insights, Prudential Financial, Inc.
Donna Speciale, President, Advertising Sales, WarnerMedia
Andrea Sullivan, Chief Client Officer, VaynerMedia
Gail Tifford, Chief Brand Officer, WW
Jen Wong, COO, Reddit

Separately, the Ad Council also added Lyft's Mike Masserman, Visible's Minjae Ormes, and Intersection's Michael Rosen to its Leadership Council, which serves as a younger-skewing board that regularly throws cocktail parties and events to encourage younger voices to align with the organization.