August 2023

Insights from Steve Pacheco

President & CEO, American Advertising Federation

AAF Chapter Leaders: Our Best Representatives

One of my favorite parts of being at ADMERICA in St Louis last month was the opportunity to meet and spend quality time with so many of our outgoing and rising Chapter Presidents.

From casual conversations between sessions to sitting in on the regional meetings, I was able to have dialogue and get feedback from many of our leaders representing the entire AAF Network. I left those conversations inspired to do even better at creating the right environment for you to succeed.

It always energizes me to hear stories of how each of you came to be an AAF Member and how you began the leadership track within your own AAF Chapter. 

It reminded me of my own AAF journey and the great people I met and worked with along the way. The fascinating thing to me is no two stories are the same and everyone comes to be in to their role through a different path but we are all here for the same reason—we want to leave this industry better than we first found it. That’s a good and noble purpose we can all support.

The similarities of our leaders is equally fascinating, most leaders were invited to get more involved by someone they knew who thought they’d be a strong leader and force for good for their Chapter and community. That invite almost always leads to good things. The AAF is known and respected for growing, developing and nurturing generations of talent and leaders that feed into our Chapter network.

I was also moved by how these volunteer leaders are extremely influential in their own communities and markets and how they deeply understand what it takes to build, manage and grow an AAF Chapter. They are our best representatives and help us build awareness and positive sentiment for each community we serve.

Our grass roots network spanning North America, is driven by these leaders and their desire to help us remain “The Unifying Voice for Advertising.” These are world class marketers, advertisers, brand builders, makers and influencers who really want to make the Advertising, Media and Marketing industries better, give our young people more opportunities to succeed and help our communities thrive.

Their endless energy and their amazing resolve and their incredible resourcefulness inspires me in so many ways. I am proud and honored to get to work with each of you. 

At this time, the start of an all new year for our Chapters, it’s particularly important these leaders get our full support as we work to ensure a successful year for all AAF members. We don’t succeed unless they do. For this reason, AAF National has many resources available for club leaders  and a Staff of knowledgable and helpful people who want to see you at your best. We also have the Presidents Idea Exchange (PIE), learning sessions and webinars, and other opportunities for Professional and Personal growth. I don’t think the AAF gets nearly enough credit for all of the development opportunities we create for our leaders and members each year.

My promise to each of you is that I will do all that I can to make sure that you have a great year at the helm and that you make some amazing new friends along the way and that you create special AAF memories that last a lifetime. 
The AAF is very proud of you and values your commitment to our mission greatly. Let’s make this an outstanding year for all of us and build on what we have created together.

—Steve