A L E TT E R FROM THE PRESID E NT

Welcome back! This is the first Toledo American Advertising Award presentation since 2019 and you are all winners! On behalf of AAF Toledo, congratulations to each one of the 2023 winners and entrants! We are honored to recognize and showcase northwest Ohio’s creative talent in a variety of advertising, marketing, and public relations categories.

In mid-January, we received 155 professional and 35 student entries from agencies, businesses, and individuals throughout the Toledo area. A significant increase over last year. In fact, AAF Toledo had the largest increase percentage-wise of entries for all of District 5. So, give yourself a pat on the back!

Due to our virtual competition, we were able to invite judges from outside of our surrounding area to evaluate each entry. Thank you to G. Williams, owner of Grova Creative located in Tallahassee, Florida; Corey Favor, Sr. Director of Community Engagement, Talent and Culture at Orange Barrel Media, located in Columbus, Ohio; and Darren Steuber, Senior Art Director at the Munroe Agency In New York City.. We greatly appreciate the time they took evaluating each entry.

Congratulations to Rhonda Sewell, Director of Belonging and Community Engagement at the Toledo Museum of Art, for taking home the most prestigious award of the evening, the 2023 Silver Medal Award. This award recognizes Rhonda’s outstanding contributions to the community while further advancing the industry’s standards, creative excellence, and responsibility in areas of social concern. Rhonda will join a remarkable group of Silver Medal Award winners (some who are here tonight!) that represent the Toledo creative and advertising community.

Scott Grosteffon AAF TOLEDO PRESIDENT