The Speakers
Tad Carpenter
Owner, Carpenter Collection
Tad Carpenter is a designer, author and New York Times best selling illustrator. Carpenter co-runs the graphic design and branding studio, Carpenter Collective with his wife, Jessica Carpenter where they focus on bringing powerful messages to life through branding, packaging, illustration and environmental design. They have worked with clients ranging from Target, Coca-Cola, Meta, Macy's, Old Navy, Conan O'Brien, Adobe and MTV among many others. Carpenter has also worked with numerous bands on posters and tour campaigns, including John Mayer, Bob Dylan, Radiohead, Paul McCartney and Dave Matthews Band to name a few. Carpenter has written and illustrated dozens of children's books in our marketplace today intended for adults and children of all ages.
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Noor Naseer
VP of Media Innovations and Technology, Basis Technologies
Noor Naseer is VP of Media Innovations and Technology at Basis Technologies. She leads client thought leadership and innovative media strategy development. She guides clients on how to evolve media strategy to accommodate fast-changing consumer behavior and media trends.
Noor has written for and been cited in industry outlets including Adweek, MediaPost and SmartBrief. She has spoken at industry events and conferences for the 4As, the American Advertising Federation, the American Marketing Association and SXSW. She hosts adtech podcast, AdTech Unfiltered. Prior to Basis Technologies, Noor served in media roles at Starcom MediaVest Group. She is a graduate of Northwestern University.
Craig Brooks
Founder and CEO,
Forae Factory
Craig Brooks is the Founder and CEO of Forae Factory, a creative agency based in Austin, Texas. With experience working on global brands including Michelob ULTRA, Bud Light Seltzer, Kraft Heinz, and Crunch Fitness, Craig’s portfolio of work has impressive reach across the country. After many years of collaboration with Fortune 500 chief marketers and strategists, it became an imperative space for Craig to create and elevate the importance of creative diversity. His work today with global executives is focused on increasing the representation of minorities and diverse thinkers in the work of tomorrow.
Steve Pacheco
President & CEO, AAF
Steve Pacheco is the President/CEO of the American Advertising Federation. Pacheco is tasked with designing a future-forward organization consistent with the changes impacting the advertising landscape. His role will span evolution of the AAF’s programs, services and membership; volunteer engagement; and serving as the voice of the advertising industry through advocacy and lobbying on key issues from free commercial speech to the advancement of diversity and inclusion.
Pacheco joins the AAF from Ducks Unlimited, where he was Chief Marketing Officer. He has 30 years of industry experience, more than 20 of which were spent at FedEx as Director of Advertising & Sponsorship Marketing. There, he produced award-winning work, including 12 Super Bowl commercials, FedExCup, NFL and NASCAR ad campaigns. He worked for International Paper as Director of Advertising & Marketing Communications, where he directed their 1996 Summer Olympics sponsorship. He was also a partner in a Memphis-based advertising and design agency, Humphreys Ink.
Pacheco is the first AAF President & CEO to have held leadership roles at every level of the organization, beginning at the collegiate level, President of Memphis Advertising Federation and Chairman of the AAF National Board of Directors in 2011. In 2013, he received the AAF Barton A. Cummings Gold Medal Award and was named The ADVERTISING Club of New York’s “Advertising Person of the Year.
Kathleen
Reissen
Owner, Canoan Strategy
Kathleen is an executive coach and strategic planning consultant for advertising and marketing agencies. She has advised hundreds of companies over the last 20 years.
Kathleen served on the National American Advertising Federation Board amongst industry legends and was awarded the Silver Medalist Lifetime Achievement Award.
She is a former Certified Public Accountant and has run seven businesses over the last 15 years including an advertising agency for 10 years. She and her husband, Josh, own Farrell’s Martial Arts in Urbandale – the 2022 Urbandale Small Business of the Year.
Kathleen runs a live radio show and podcast called “The Kathleen Riessen Show: Pushing the Boundaries of Leadership” and is a two-time author. She is a certified Master Leader through Heartcore Leadership where she graduated top of her class, a mentor for Boston Breakthrough Academy’s Mastering Leadership Program and a Leadership Iowa graduate.
Most importantly, Kathleen is mom to three boys – Caden, Noah and Andrew and two dogs.
John Pickerill
Shareholder & Attorney,
Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.
John Pickerill is an advertising attorney who regularly assists clients with the wide range of legal issues which converge in the marketing space, including ad copy and sweepstakes/promotions compliance, industry agreements, dispute resolution, content licensing, trademark planning, prosecution and enforcement, social media marketing issues, privacy and compliance issues, and the full spectrum of copyright matters. Before law school, John spent 5 years at Carmichael Lynch as an advertising executive, helping clients like Harley-Davidson, Volvo Trucks and United Healthcare build strong brands and create great advertising.
