Barton A. Cummings Gold Medal Award
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The Barton A. Cummings Gold Medal Award was established by the American Advertising Federation board of directors in 1994 to recognize distinguished individuals for their volunteer service to advertising through volunteer work with the AAF.
The award is named in honor of the late Bart Cummings, former chief executive officer of Compton Advertising (now Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising), whose extraordinary career was dedicated to industry service and to advancing the social and economic values of advertising. Cumming's volunteer work included serving as chair of the AAF, the AAAAs, the Advertising Council, the Advertising Educational Foundation and The AAF Foundation. His many honors include induction to the Advertising Hall of Fame.
Download the 2013 Barton A. Cummings Gold Medal Award Call for Nominations form.
2012 Barton A. Cummings Gold Medal Award Recipient: Rick Shiiki
Rik Shiiki has had a long and varied career as an AAF volunteer—one that has taken him from the young professionals of Ad 2 to the senior levels of the AAF National Board of Directors and executive committee.
Shiiki began his involvement with AAF in 1979 as a member of Ad 2 Portland. While there, he served in various leadership roles, including a term as Ad 2 club president. His involvement with Ad 2 National, during this time, resulted in his becoming one of the strongest advocates within AAF for Ad 2 National mission and goals, long after he still qualified for Ad 2 membership. As a result of his continuing belief in an advocacy for Ad 2, Shiiki was awarded an honorary lifetime membership to Ad 2 National in 2004. As a result of his work with Ad 2 Portland, Shiiki was asked by the leaders of District 11 to coordinate their National Student Advertising Competition. Shiiki is proud to note that he has been doing this for the last 30 years. “In the beginning, we were contemporaries of most of the students,” he commented, “but now, we have been doing this since before most of the competitors were born!” Given his work with the NSAC, serving as Education Chair for the district was a natural fit for Shiiki, but his AAF experience is very broad. He has been Chair of the Northwest ADDYs, and was elected Governor by his District peers.
Shiiki’s leadership skills were recognized by his AAF colleagues from around the country when he was elected as an officer of the Council of Governors. He served as COG Chairman from 2003–2004, a position that placed him not only on the AAF Board of Directors, but the Executive Committee as well. During his chairmanship he worked closely with former National Chair, Carla Michelotti, to connect the important work of the COG with that of the National Board of Directors.
Shiiki is currently Vice Chair of the AAF Western Region and will serve as Chair for 2012–2013. He is a member of the Advertising Federation of Central Oregon, and the recipient of two AAF Silver Medal awards, one from AAF District 11 and one from the Portland Advertising Federation. In every position in which he has served, Shiiki has kept a keen eye out for new and innovative ideas that will help to improve programs and events and to strengthen AAF at the club, district and national levels. Shiiki’s volunteer service to the AAF goes far beyond elected positions. Through his company, Shiiki and
Sichler, he has generously donated his services and time to produce the NSAC and Club Achievement winner’s videos shown during the AAF National Conference. His contributions play a vital role in ratcheting up the excitement around these signature AAF events.
In the rare hours when he isn’t donating his time, energy and talents to the AAF, or managing his own firm, Shiiki enjoys working in his yard; thereby “proving” his claim of a dominant farmer gene. He is an active competitor in a Nisei (second generation Japanese-American) bowling league begun by his parents’ generation. Shiiki is a fan of gymnastics, and in particular his niece Kelly, who has been competing in national competitions for over ten years.
For award criteria, click here.
For more information, contact Joanne Schecter, EVP, AAF Club Services at (800) 999-2231 or jschecter@aaf.org.