OUR BOARD

A gap-toothed art director (and illustrator) who occasionally dabbles in the copywriting world, Eric has spent nearly 30 years working in the Connecticut advertising community. He has enjoyed stints at DECKER, Mintz & Hoke and Cronin and Co. Presently, he is happily providing creative direction at Adams & Knight in Avon, CT.

McKaylah is a 2020 BFA graduate from Wilkes University and Connecticut transplant with over five years of professional design experience. She has worked across diverse industries, including legal and medical marketing, as well as research and higher education. She currently serves as a Graphic Designer and Production Artist at Adams & Knight in Avon.

Her work has earned multiple honors, including a Silver Award at the 2024 w3 Awards and a Professional Silver at the 2021 American Advertising Awards. She also holds several traditional art accolades, such as the Bower Adams Simon Sterling Traditional Art Award and the Sidney and Pauline Friedman Visual Arts Scholarship.

Based in Manchester, McKaylah shares her life with her boyfriend, Lamont, and their rambunctious Mini-Bernedoodle, Harlow. A passionate foodie, self-proclaimed tattoo enthusiast, Pink Drink aficionado, and devoted media buff, she is also an avid book lover.

Charlene Chiaro is Founder of Clear Vision Productions, a boutique marketing and event agency located in Connecticut. Prior to 2008, Charlene held significant management roles at New England Bride, New Mass Media, The Journal Register Company, and Summagraphics Corporation. During her tenure as the Associate Publisher at New England Bride magazine, she managed the Art, Editorial, Sales, Marketing and Events departments. During her tenure as Associate Publisher of New England Bride she oversaw the sales, marketing, art, and editorial departments, shaping the success of these publications for over a decade. Charlene’s expertise includes producing over 200 events that include: bridal shows, women’s events, corporate, fundraising and community events showcasing her strategic acumen and meticulous attention to detail. Alongside her professional pursuits, she is dedicated to giving back to the community through events like “Fun Girls Night Out,”  incorporating a charitable component to support worthy causes. Charlene’s commitment to excellence, passion for creating exceptional experiences, and philanthropic efforts have cemented her as a highly respected professional in the marketing and events industry.

As the agency’s President and CEO, Kathy cares about what keeps her clients up at night. Her strategic thinking and finely tuned eye for numbers and digital analytics has led to years of campaigns in health care, hospitality and beyond that have consistently exceeded client goals. Decades of strategic and financial experience have helped establish Kathy as a marketing industry leader. In 2016, Kathy was honored as one of Connecticut’s Outstanding Women in Business by the Hartford Business Journal.

With over 2 decades of experience at creative agencies large and small, as Decker’s Creative Services Manager, Kara oversees the seamless execution of projects by managing creative resources, project schedules and workflow. Kara drives projects through the agency from inception to completion monitoring all types of work from digital assets to printed marketing material. Previously in her account and traffic manager roles, Kara honed her skills in developing client relationships and project timelines, ensuring every deadline is met and every project a success. Kara has a bachelor’s degree in communications from Eastern Connecticut State University and is excited to join the team of advertising and marketing professionals leading the Ad Club of CT.

Pam Howard is a designer, illustrator, and painter based in New England.

As the principal and creative director of Firebrick Design, Pam is committed to bringing creative, thoughtful solutions to branding and marketing challenges.

She has been the recipient of various international, national, and local awards from How Magazine International (merit winner), Print Magazine (Regional Design winner), Graphic Design USA, the Sunday Magazine Editors Association (SUNMAG), Connecticut Art Directors Club, the Mom’s Choice Awards, the Ad Club of Connecticut, American Alliance of Museums, New England Museum Association, and the IBPA Book Awards (the Benjamin Franklin Award). The real prize is that she loves what she does.

Ben is a plug-and-play Marketer of the Year award-winning executive and board member with experience in healthcare, Fortune 500 eCommerce, FinTech, customer experience, attractions, pest control, and more. He is an easygoing and emotionally intelligent leader who requires little oversight.

He is proficient in branding, go-to-market, product development, CRM, automation, SEO, content, advertising, WordPress, user experience, conversion rate optimization, and email. Experienced in creating, managing, and implementing strategies based on KPIs.

Awards Won:
• Marketer Of The Year
• Digital Marketing Rising Star
• Best AI in Marketing
• Best White Paper / Case Study / Article
• Best Search Engine Optimization Campaign
• Best Email Marketing Campaign
• Best Marketing Automation
• Best Interactive Online Campaign
• Best Promotional Product
• Best Giveaway
• Best Special Event Material
• Best Social Live
• Best Multicultural Campaign
• Best SMS Campaign

Non-Profit Board Membership:
• American Marketing Association Phoenix Chapter (President)
• The Steve Aoki Foundation (VP of Marketing)
• Ad Club CT (Digital)
• American Marketing Association Connecticut Chapter (Membership)
• AdClub Pheonix (Sponsorship)
• Arizona Innovation Marketing Association (Email and Web)

Appearances:
• The New York Times Front Page
• Dirty Jobs
• Solved! Natures Mysteries Revealed
• Stan Lee’s Super Humans
• The Alan Nursall Experience
• Inside Edition
• ABC’s Nightlight
• All Phoenix News Stations
• NPR
• AZ Science Center’s Bugtastic Weekend

His Favorite Campaign:
Sports Finatics at OdySea Aquarium
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAYZLhr_KDuNypD9Ige0tmGiACoWJQ_TV

Steve is the President of Mason for advertising and digital services and has been practicing marketing communications for more than 30 years. He is a hands-on team leader and serves as Principal-in-charge for, or collaborates with, virtually all Mason clients. Steve started his career in customer market research and has since built a strong background in brand planning, program development and digital services for major brands. His healthcare experience includes Yale New Haven Health, Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, Hospital for Special Care, Northeast Medical Group, Greenwich Fertility, Anthem of New York, and many others. And he brings to those healthcare clients knowledge from working on a full range of non-healthcare brands such as General Motors, Scandinavian Airlines, Duracell and the Connecticut Lottery. Steve has a BA in Business Administration from New England College with focus in marketing, psychology, and art.

Chief Creative Officer Maria Miranda established Miranda Creative in 1988 at the age of 23, shortly after graduating from the University of Connecticut. Her vision? To develop a unique brand management firm that was a transparent and positive partner to clients while offering a thriving work environment.

Since that day, Maria has led her award-winning, 30-person company through nearly 40 years of continuous growth, with a passion for creativity and the adoption of new media/technology.

With a primary office in eastern Connecticut, Miranda Creative has satellite locations throughout the state and a recently opened office in Boston. Proud to be one of Connecticut’s most diverse and inclusive firms  — the company finds innovative ways to engage and retain valued team members. Maria leads by staying at the forefront of her industry while serving as an adjunct professor of new media for the State of Connecticut and a frequent subject matter expert on national media outlets.

Maria’s accolades include being named Connecticut Small Business Person of the Year by the SBA and Citizen of the Year by the regional chamber. She and her Chef husband reside in eastern Connecticut, where a Black Lab and Siamese cat seek to achieve daily détente.

Maria Lino is the principal of The Latino Way, a fully-integrated Hispanic marketing agency, specializing in all the methods, connections, and tools needed to catapult your product/service to today’s fastest growing and solid market.

Sean is the Director of Client Partnerships for Wilkins Media. His passion for marketing began at Endicott College, then further fueled during his 2.5 years at Lamar Advertising of Western MA & CT, where he got his first taste of Out-of-Home. At Wilkins Media, they are experts in a wide range of marketing strategies, including Traditional & Digital OOH (DOOH), Programmatic (PDOOH), Place-Based Media, Experiential, and Attributions (CTV/OTT, Geofencing, Retargeting, Brand Lifts, and more).

When not immersed in the marketing world, you can find Sean at his home in Windsor, CT, enjoying quality time with his family. He is a proud husband to wife Tonesha, and a father to two wonderful children, Aviana and Zavien. Sean also have a passion for soccer (a loyal Arsenal fan), golf, yard work, and spending time with friends. Even in his leisure activities, Sean is always mindful of the marketing opportunities surrounding us.”

Bernadette Grecki is an advertising professional with over 40 years of experience.

She has a strong interest in brand management, and career highlights include: in 1983 while at Decker, Guertin & Cheyne, she bought the lowest cost TV spot in the final episode of MASH in the Hartford/New Haven market. It remains the most-watched scripted TV show finale. Also, while Director of Advertising & Marketing Communications at The Travelers in 1996-98, she managed its iconic trademark, the Travelers red umbrella.

She graduated from Southern Illinois University with a B.S. in Workforce Education & Development. Currently, Grecki is the Executive Director of the AD CLUB CT. She resides in Norwich, CT, with her husband, Stan Kaplan, a photographer and inventor.