- Kennedy Studdard
- Programming Director / 4As
Kennedy Studdard is a strategic DEI practitioner and an avid champion for supporting and mentoring diverse industry professionals. While her undergraduate major was in public relations, she quickly pivoted into the advertising industry by way of two young professional fellowship programs — the 4A’s Foundation’s Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP) and the American Advertising Federation’s Most Promising Multicultural Students Program (AAF’s MPMS) — and from there her career took off. She worked at Ogilvy in NY for four years spanning a number of roles and experiences as a member of the 2017 Ogilvy’s Associate Program, rotating across major accounts like IHG and British Airways. She was placed within the health and wellness account team before moving into HR to join the Diversity & Inclusion team where she managed the agency’s Employee Resource Groups nationally and globally, as well as leading Ogilvy’s Summer Internship Program and Associates Program. Eventually, Ms. Studdard solely focused on entry-level talent programs and recruiting at Ogilvy, strengthening partnerships at colleges and universities across the U.S. and continuing to help diversify the industry through fostering workplace environments that focused on belonging and support for entry-level talent regardless of one’s identity. In discovering this as her true passion, it led her to joining the 4A’s Foundation (the same organization that first introduced her to the industry), where she’s been for two years creating events, providing resources and support to professionals of color, building partnerships and helping diverse talent find a way into the industry.
Ms. Studdard is currently the director of programs for the MAIP Alumni community at the 4A’s Foundation, as well as leading education programs for New York high school students interested in advertising, marketing and media careers.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama.