Advertising Industry Executive to Give Keynote Speech at UPB

Nancy Hill, president and chief executive officer of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, will be the keynote speaker at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s Communications Day on Thursday, Oct. 22.

Her presentation, “Why Advertising? Confessions of a (M)Ad Woman,” will illustrate the ad business with a focus on technology. Also speaking will be Allie Reid, a 2009 alumna who is the noontime and evening drive-time on-air personality at WMXO Mix 101.5 in Olean, N.Y.

Local high school students were invited to attend Communications Day, which will also includes tours of the media and arts facilities.

“We’re really looking forward to bringing Nancy Hill to Pitt-Bradford,” said Jeff Guterman, associate professor of broadcast communications. “She’s a high-profile advertising executive working in New York City, which is essentially the nerve center of the advertising world.”

“Allie Reid has experienced much success in her radio career since graduating from Pitt-Bradford. She gives a great presentation that is inspiring to future broadcasters.”

Hill has distinguished herself as a technologically savvy champion of digital marketing tools as well as a leading voice for the need for increased diversity and youth education and training in the advertising industry.

She was named president and chief executive officer of the AAAA in 2008. Previously, she served as chief executive officer at Lowe New York.

A veteran of AAAA-member agencies on both east and west coasts, Hill has served as executive vice president and managing director at Batten, Barton, Durstine, Osborn New York, where she oversaw several of the agency’s largest accounts.

Hill joined the agency from Hill Holliday, where she was first president of its San Francisco office and later served as executive vice president and managing director for New York. In San Francisco, she was named one of the “75 Most Influential Women in Business” in both 2001 and 2002 by the San Francisco Business Times.

Her background is steeped in technology experience with clients such as Cisco, Microsoft, LucasArts, Sybase, Sony and Verizon.

Hill began her career in the recording industry. Later, she spent 11 years at Doner in Baltimore and TBWA\Chiat\Day before moving to San Francisco to lead Goldberg Moser O’Neill, which became Hill Holliday in 2001.

Hill has served on the Board of Directors of the Miami Ad School and led the launch of its New York campus. In addition to many teaching engagements throughout the country, she is actively involved in a community and education program in Ecuador, where she has a home.

She is the daughter of Louise William M. Hill Jr. of Warren.

Reid is a 2009 broadcast communications graduate of Pitt-Bradford. Since 2007, she has worked in radio in Kane and in Olean.

Reid has quickly climbed the ranks during her three years at The Mix. In addition to her work as an on-air personality, she is the creative director, schedules commercials and works the traffic desk at the station.

Some notable highlights of her career include being called upon to do a live interview about the Continental Flight 3407 plane crash in Clarence Center, N.Y., and the investigation surrounding Michael Jackson’s death for an English-speaking radio station broadcasting from the coast of Spain. Her voice can be heard throughout New York and Pennsylvania on various commercials and public service announcements.