Essay 1923

Damn, if the 4As can’t even retain its Diversity Guru, how can the organization hope to reform the industry? Check out this story from Target Market News…

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Don Richards joins JobPlex as executive vice president and diversity leader

JobPlex has announced the addition of Don Richards, Executive Vice President and Diversity Practice Leader to the Chicago, IL office. Don has thirty-five years experience in the advertising agency industry, working both in Account Management and in Diversity Management.

Prior to joining JobPlex, Don spent two years as Senior Vice President, Agency Diversity Programs at the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA), where he worked closely with member advertising agencies on both workforce and supplier diversity initiatives. He also spent two years at the Screen Actors Guild as Associate National Director of Diversity.

Previously, during his twenty-one year tenure at Leo Burnett USA in Chicago, he worked his way up through the Account Management Department to become Vice President, Account Supervisor. Don was the company’s first African-American Vice President. He continued on as Senior Vice President, Director of Resource Development, developing and implementing strategies to identify, hire and retain minority professionals as well as developing strategies to increase the agency’s utilization of minority suppliers.

Additional advertising agency experience includes six years as Senior Vice President, Management Supervisor and member of the Board of Directors at Marschalk Advertising in New York City, supervising a number of client businesses including brands from the Coca-Cola Company, Heublein, Inc. and Stroh’s and six years at DDB Needham in Chicago as Senior Vice President, Management Representative on several Anheuser-Busch brands.

Don earned both his Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees at the University of Chicago.