Introduction by Dan Perkins

The world is changing at an amazing pace, and so too is the industry responsible for shaping our perceptions of and desire for marketed goods and services. 

This month, our marcom specialist and West Coast Correspondent, Matthew Jones, introduces us to five rising stars who are carving out distinguished careers for themselves in the advertising and public relations fields.  Here's a quick rundown on these extraordinary, young movers and shakers.

Steve Johnson is an Account Group Supervisor with Manning, Selvage & Lee (MS&L) in Chicago, Illinois.  Johnson helps oversee the U.S. Army account, which is one of MS&L's largest and most visible accounts.  MS&L is one of the world's leading public relations firms.

Latha Sundaram is a Media Director at Starcom Worldwide - Chicago, who works on the Sun Microsystems account.  As Media Director, she is responsible for all of the system giant’s online and offline media activities worldwide. 

Kipp Cheng is the vice president, director of public affairs at the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA), a leading trade organization that represents major advertising agencies in the United States

Vida Cornelius is the associate creative director on some of DDB Chicago’s largest and most visible brands, including McDonald’s and Dell.

Tony Lima is an account supervisor for the Social Marketing and Consumer Practices of Golin/Harris, a leading public relations giant. He is also a key pitch person for new accounts, and has experience working on major efforts and partnerships that include State Farm and the New York State Department of Health.

We're pleased to feature these exceptional young men and women.  Each offers a unique cultural, racial and professional perspective. The diversity of their skills, talents, backgrounds and perspectives is not only transforming the way we see their clients, and their client's products, but they are also changing the way we see ourselves and the world.

You can click on the name or the image of any of the individuals above to discover how they are helping to reshape the world of advertising and public relations.

These five individuals are living proof that diversity in advertising and diversity in business are good for everyone's business. Their success, both individually and collectively, is having a profound and  positive effect well beyond their industries.  We're proud to present them as representing the Next Generation of advertising/PR talent.

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