A celebration event will be held March 24, 2021. Event details and registration will be available soon.
Lizette Williams is a leading marketing and advertising executive with expertise at driving the convergence of brand, culture and tech. She has worked across Fortune 50 companies driving consumer-centric growth strategies focused on cultural relevancy. In 2020 she was named one of “Top 25 Influential Black Women in Business” by The Network Journal. She is one of the foremost-awarded marketing executives in the field and was also inducted into the American Advertising Federation Advertising Hall of Achievement, the premier industry recognition for leaders under 40 who are making a significant impact in the industry and their communities. She has been listed as Crain’s Chicago Business “40 under 40,” Advertising Age “Women to Watch,” and Black Enterprise “Top Women Executives in Advertising and Marketing.”
A respected thought leader and subject matter expert, Lizette is a sought-out speaker, lecturer, and advisor on marketing and culture. She has provided expertise as a keynote speaker and panelist at several premiere industry conferences, including SXSW, Advertising Week, Essence Fest, and multiple Association of National Advertisers conferences. She is frequently invited to keynote events at major companies to discuss cultural growth strategies including the Kraft Heinz Company, LinkedIn, and Ogilvy & Mather.
Lizette serves as the Global Head of Vertical Solutions Marketing at Facebook where she leads a global marketing team tasked with developing the business marketing strategy and approach across 7 industries including Consumer Packaged Goods, Retail, Gaming, and eCommerce. This combination of platform and digital work allows her to continue to drive cultural relevance and impact on a broader scale.
Lizette has worked in major marketing roles at McDonald’s, Kimberly-Clark Corporation and PepsiCo. She has consistently remained at the cutting-edge of driving innovative approaches that bring brand, culture and tech together.
Lizette’s love of all things “culture” comes from being a born-and-raised New Yorker (and proud “Afro-Latina.”) Currently based in Chicago, she serves on the Board of the Chicago Advertising Federation where she chairs the Diversity Thought Leadership Council. She also serves on the Board of Directors of RealSelf, the leading healthcare marketplace for people considering an elective cosmetic treatment. Additionally, Lizette chairs the American Advertising Federation Hall of Achievement Selection Committee. She has a passion for serving young people and women and as a result, has a countless number of mentees across the country. She spends her free time inspiring college students and has keynoted events at Northwestern University and Lincoln University as well as guest lectured classes at several other universities. Lastly, Lizette is a proud mother of two children who keep her filled with laughter and purpose.
Lizette received her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She received her BA in Economics/ Political Science through a joint program with Columbia University in New York City and the London School of Economics.
Past Honorees
| 2019 Tina Manikas 2018 Esther Franklin 2017 Laurel Flatt 2016 Morgan Flatley 2015 Trish Chuipek 2014 Laura Desmond 2013 Susan Credle 2012 Jackie Woodward 2011 Lisa Donohue 2010 Nina Abnee 2009 Karen Sauder 2008 Lisa Cochrane 2007 Dolores Kunda 2006 Fay Ferguson 2005 Yvonne Furth 2004 Marlena Peleo-Lazar 2003 Carla R. Michelotti 2002 Renetta McCann 2001 Dana Anderson 2000 Linda Wolf 1999 Tonise Paul 1998 Andrea Murphy 1997 Cheryl Berman 1996 Carole Darr 1995 Jayne Z. Spittler 1994 Sally Tassani 1993 Karen Randolph 1992 Maureen Moore 1991 Shari Wall 1990 Susan Gillette 1989 Lynne E. O’Shea 1988 Sherren Leigh 1987 Helen C. Schubert 1986 Patricia A. Cafferata 1985 Mary Ann McCarthy 1984 Yolanda Brugaletta 1983 Marilyn S. Levey 1982 Elizabeth Nickels 1981 Susan Kryl 1980 Elizabeth Harrington 1979 Ruth Ratny 1978 Jane Ellen Murray 1977 Carol H. Williams 1976 Dixie Fortis 1975 Charlotte Beers 1974 Barbara Gardner Proctor 1973 Virginia Doetsch 1972 Mimi Rommel 1971 Marion Howington 1970 S. Joyce Turovlin 1969 Rosemary E. Anderson 1968 Lois Patrich 1967 Dorothy E. Demmy 1966 Myrtle Green 1965 Margaret Carson 1964 Helen A. Krupka 1963 Jean Simpson 1962 Prudence Walter Allured 1961 Alice Westbrook 1960 Frances Kennedy 1959 Lavinia S. Schwartz 1958 Gladys W. Blair |