Texas Faculty Member, Jef Richards, Elected AAA President

The University of Texas Advertising Department, already rich with outstanding faculty, has yet another new accomplishment to celebrate. Dr. Jef Richards, a long-standing faculty member at the University was recently elected as President for the American Academy of Advertising.

The American Academy of Advertising is an organization for teachers and individuals conducting research in the field of Advertising. This allows for useful relationships to be formed, and valuable research to be shared. The Academy is just shy of 600 members, those of which are predominately professors in Advertising and Marketing. The Academy hosts a conference at a different location in North America annually, and a conference is also hosted in the Asia-Pacific region biennially. This year's conference in San Mateo, California, is especially notable because it will also celebrate the organization's 50th anniversary.

Doctor Richards became involved with the AAA in 1988, while working on his Doctorate, at the start of his teaching career at the University of Texas. So, 2008 is proving a special year for Jef Richards, as he was not only named President for the AAA, but he will also celebrate twenty years with the University.

Richards recognizes that his career at Texas probably aided him in getting elected president, as all the members of the Academy are familiar with the Texas Advertising program. In fact, Richards is the third Texas faculty member to hold this position, following in the footsteps of John Leckenby and Patricia Stout. "This makes our program look even more distinguished. I think this might be the first program in the country to have had three AAA Presidents," Richards said.

The presidency is a one-year appointment, and includes the role of serving as the Executive Committee Chair, which is the governing body for the Academy. This Executive Committee is responsible for overseeing The Journal of Advertising and The Journal of Interactive Advertising, the Academy's quarterly publications. This involves ensuring the proper funding is attained, hiring a company to print the publications, and appointing editors for each. The President also serves on the Conference Committee, and is largely responsible for the success of the yearly conference- again this year will be of marked importance, as it is the organization's 50th anniversary.

In addition to what is expected of him, Richards also has goals to update and strengthen the AAA brand. This will include debuting a new logo, the first in several decades. Coinciding with a new brand image, he also plans on introducing a higher "creative" presence into the AAA. To date, the Academy has emphasized heavily on research, and only viewed creative contributions as an afterthought. Richards states, "I would like to elevate the visibility and value placed on the creative side of our industry within the AAA.

Richards believes in the importance of the Academy and encourages doctoral students and faculty to get involved as a means to share individual findings in the field and learn about others' research. Boasting a repertoire of highly recognized names, this organization can be highly beneficial to those with a love for the discipline of Advertising. For more information on the American Academy of Advertising and membership go to www.aaasite.org/.

2/4/2008