OUR BOARD

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.

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 a Marketing Program Manager at Eversource Energy. She resides in Norwich, CT, with her husband, Stan Kaplan, a photographer and inventor.

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.

With great creative comes great responsibility. Through FORM:SUBSTANCE, David Cushman strives to give back while stretching his creative muscles, through pro bono and low bono work for causes he cares about.

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.

Ron has been overseeing the financial health of the agency for 30 years. He has nurtured and developed the digital offerings while adhering to best practices from a security and development point of view. Ron has played many roles, from IT guru to CFO to COO and finally CEO. His in-depth knowledge of all aspects of the agency allows him to provide the best possible guidance when managing the outcome of projects. The knowledge and insight that Ron has gleaned from his BOD experiences and constant interaction with other CEOs in the industry plays a major role in all initiatives.

Ron has touched, in some way, shape or form, every client engagement that the agency has been lucky enough to work on over the past 30 years. In his current role, Ron serves as Managing Principal + CEO of Mintz + Hoke, as well as the lead legal and financial advisor. He is ultimately accountable for the overall success of the agency and plays a key role in the digital offerings. Ron’s expertise and knowledge of many content management systems (CMS), ranging from WordPress to Sitecore, provides guidance when deciding on the purchase and integration of the CMS. Ron has implemented many enterprise systems and is keenly aware of the intricacies of making disparate systems speak to each other.

Ron’s exceptional leadership and compassion continue to inspire the agency’s Immersively Different philosophy and empower the Mintz + Hoke team to be their best, collaborate freely and make an impactful contribution every day. Perine is also a tireless advocate for expanding DEIB at the agency, in the Connecticut ad industry, and in the community. To advance inclusive employment at Mintz + Hoke, Ron created a role at the agency in 2019 for an individual with an intellectual and developmental disability. He also sits as chairman of the board for the Connecticut Creative Academy (CCA), a tuition-free portfolio school, with a goal to eliminate barriers of entry into the creative industry.

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 fiancee 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."