What makes an Icon?
An authentic and influential leadership style that has contributed to your trailblazing career success. They have broken barriers, overcome adversity, and as a result, are a role model to many in the industry.
Constance Cannon Frazier is the founder and principal of Cardinal Change Consulting, a change management organization, with emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion, corporate social responsibility, and association management.
Prior to founding Cardinal Change, Frazier was a member of the American Advertising Federation’s (AAF) staff for nearly seventeen years. Her stint with AAF commenced with her being responsible for the AAF’s Mosaic Center and Education Services departments. In that role, she oversaw, expanded and created numerous programs including AAF’s Most Promising Multicultural Students, Mosaic Awards, Mosaic Career Fairs, AdCamp, Mosaic Supplier Diversity Vendor Fairs, National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) and Student Conference.
In 2007, Frazier was promoted, and her responsibilities were expanded to include being responsible for all, of AAF’s programming, including the Advertising Hall of Fame, Advertising Hall of Achievement, and national conference.
She was promoted to Chief Operating Officer (COO) on, August 1, 2010, and served in that capacity until July 2020. As COO, Frazier oversaw the organization’s strategic planning, administration and coordination of all services, programs, and operational activities. She also continued to be an integral part of the AAF’s programming to increase diversity and multiculturalism within the advertising industry.
To increase and innovate the organization’s industry DE&I presence, prior to her departure, she introduced three new Mosaic Center programs. The Mosaic10, The APEX Multicultural Speakers Directory and Mosaic Inclusion Tracker. Frazier’s work at AAF also included conducting research and writing white papers on the portrayal of African American women in media.
Prior to AAF, Frazier was a lecturer in the School of Communications at Howard University, where she gained national recognition as an advertising educator. While at Howard, Frazier’s students were the first to participate from an Historically Black College & University (HBCU) in the AAF’s NSAC. Frazier has also held the positions of Director of Community Affairs and Programming Director at Public Broadcasting television stations in Washington, DC and New Orleans.
Frazier is a 2021 recipient of an ADCOLOR Lifetime Achievement Award and the Sheldon Levy Leadership Award. She has also been recognized by her alma mater Howard University School of Communications as the recipient of the 2016 Alumni Legacy Award and the 2011 Global Visionary Leadership Award. She also received the Gerald Sass Award for Distinguished Service to Journalism and Mass Communication Education in 2011.
Currently, she serves as treasurer of ADCOLOR’s Board of Directors and is a member of the Quantcast Board of Directors
She is a former member of the Howard University School of Communications Board of Visitors, the University of South Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communications Partnership Board, American Academy of Advertising Industry Relations Committee, Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and American Society of Association Executives.
— The AD Club Foundation is proud to recognize outstanding industry professionals, during our 5th Annual Black History Month recognition series titled, “Icons, Rock Stars & Innovators”.
Each day during Black History Month we profile a selected “Icon, Rock Star & Innovator” across all our digital platforms. Though we cannot be together in person, the spirit of our history and the legacy of our excellence lives on in us. Follow the series on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn!
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Check out our other content from previous years
2020 – Honorees
2019 – Sizzle Reel
2019 – Online Exhibition