About Us

What is Ad Fed? We’re people who make our living in advertising and professional communications, along with students at area colleges and universities. The Ad Fed is a place to network with agencies, client-side marketing professionals, media, creatives, freelancers, and others who love this business. We host events ranging from the ADDYS® (the largest creative competition in the world) and educational programs, to Rapid Connect Events and other gatherings just for fun.

Our group is diverse, which is why it’s so valuable to your professional development. We offer something for creatives, media professionals, marketing managers, industry resources, students and others. And it keeps getting better, because a very active membership is constantly re-shaping and building onto what we do.

Wanna get involved? Join a committee listed below.

AAF-Black Hills Board of Directors

Nicole Bickett President 605-430-9840	Jolene Geary Past President 605-355-0317
Nicole Long Treasurer 605-716-7971	Lane Shull Executive Director 605-863-2186
Josh Barsch Board Member 605-348-3042	Betty Wooten Board Member 605-348-0100
Robert Williams Board Member 605-348-3042	Tim Reilly Board Member 605-791-7104
Cindy Mayes Board Member 605-574-3411	Brittany Rihanek Board Member 605-718-8300
Nikki Johnson Board Member 605-721-3737

AAF-Black Hills Committees

Along with the elected Board of Directors, the following Committees and their Chairs are responsible for shaping the present and future of the organization.  Each year, we call upon our members to serve as Standing Committee Chairs and Members to both plan and execute our highest profile initiatives including the ADDY® Awards, professional and social programs, strategic partnerships, and more. Our Standing Committees also give back to the community by spearheading public service campaigns and by working with regional educational institutions in providing mentoring and scholarship programs to the next generation of advertising professionals.

Standing Committee members are the lifeblood of the organization and their contributions are recognized as such.  Joining one of the AAF-Black Hills committees is an exceptional opportunity to contribute or sharpen your skills and to develop relationships with like-minded professionals who share your enthusiasm for the advertising industry.

Please take some time to review the current committees below and contact us in order to find out how you can get involved.

Membership Committee

2009 Chair: Jolene Geary 2009 Co-Chair: Robert Williams

The Membership Committee is dedicated to growing the AAF-Black Hills with on-going recruitment efforts while ensuring that current members are getting the most out of their membership. It is also responsible for creating and producing updated membership recruitment and promotional materials.

Programs, Events & Sponsors Committee

2009 Chair: Josh Barsch 2009 Co-Chair: Betty Wooten

The Programs & Events Committee is charged with providing social, educational and networking opportunities by organizing a line up of great luncheon speakers, seminars and additional events. In addition, the committee recommends and solicits sponsorship programs for the various events of AAF-Black Hills.

Publications Committee

2009 Chair: Nicole Bickett 2009 Co-Chair: Josh Barsch

This committee is responsible for producing our monthly eNewsletter, updating our website and social media avenues,  sending membership updates  and press releases to promote AAF-Black Hills programs and events.

Media & Merchandise Auction Committee

2009 Chair: Lane Shull 2009 Co-Chair: Nicole Bickett

M&M Committee members are responsible for organizing our largest annual fundraiser. Their responsibilities include soliciting media and merchandise for the auction, marketing the event, executing the auction, and following through with the exchange.

ADDY® & Silver Medal Committee

2009 Chair: Courtney Marti 2009 Co-Chair: Jolene Geary

Our ADDY® & Silver Medal Planning Committee is responsible for planning and executing the call-to-entries process, judging and the awards ceremony for our local competition. This committee also handles forwarding winners to district and our Silver Medal Award process.

Education & Scholarships Committee

2009 Chair: Brittany Rihanek 2009 Co-Chair: Josh Barsch

The Education & Scholarships Committee serves as a resource for area colleges and universities through events such as the Student Summit, Student ADDY® awards, educational tours, seminars, portfolio reviews, and mentoring opportunities.  The committee will also assist with the screening of scholarship candidates.

Public Service Committee

2009 Chair: Tim Reilly 2009 Co-Chair: Nikki Johnson

This committee develops an entire campaign for a selected local non-profit organization including, but not limited to:  logo, letterhead, envelope, business card, brochure, radio PSA, television PSA, billboards and other materials as needed. This campaign is a great way to show the talents of BHAF and support our community.

Our History

AAF-Black Hills started out as the Black Hills Advertising Federation, which was founded as a non-profit in 1981 by the late Tom Franklin. The original club consisted of 80 members representing advertising professionals from throughout the Black Hills community. The purpose of the club was to meet other creative professionals, network with industries that service the ad industry and to provide creative stimulus to its members.

Over the years the club has been lead by many dedicated Past Presidents who, with the help of their board members, have been able to grow the organization. Today we are reshaping the Ad Fed once again to better identify ourselves with the American Advertising Federation by adopting their name initiative and new branding. As we continue to evolve and grow we hope to continue to provide outstanding advertising education and networking opportunities to our members and surrounding community.