About the Board
The Advertising + Public Relations Professional Advisory Board is an important link between the Department and the professional world. Board members assist the faculty in evaluating and planning the curriculum. They also mentor students, visit classrooms, speak to students, host internships, and assist in strategic planning.
Statement from Members
We are proud of the Department’s many achievements, but more importantly, excited for its bright future. A large part of our celebration will aim to expand and rejuvenate the relationships between alumni, students and faculty. The Professional Advisory Board is the keystone in our effort to deepen the interaction among these three groups.
Objective
To infuse real-time marketplace learning opportunities into the communications program using currently-employed professionals from the communications industry (agencies and non-agency people).
Professional Advisory Board Members
Bree K. Balogun is an award-winning advertising and marketing professional with a strong acumen in Account Management and Client Service. With more than 15 years of agency experience she has worked with a plethora of brands, varying from fortune 500 companies to emerging start-ups, in developing integrated national advertising campaigns and effective marketing strategies across all mediums.
Having worked with a wide range of industries, such as Retail, Automotive, Consumer Packages Goods, Financial Institutions and Lifestyle Brands, Bree is passionate about leveraging branded content, event activation, and influencer initiatives to cultivate meaningful relationships between brands and their core diverse audiences and consumers.
As VP of Account Management at REVOLT TV’s internal creative agency, #000000, Bree leads the Account Management and Project Management departments, oversees operations, and safeguards the client portfolio. She has a strong passion and understanding of diverse markets, allowing her to lead strategies uniquely structured to make an impact on targeted audiences.
Bree holds a bachelor’s degree in Advertising from Michigan State University, where she sits on the College of Communication’s advisory board. She loves tacos, traveling and documentaries. On weekends you can find her exploring Atlanta’s food scene with her husband and four year-old son.
Andrea Brimmer is the chief marketing and PR officer of Ally Financial and is responsible for leading all aspects of the company’s integrated marketing and brand transformation, driving unprecedented growth and disruptive consumer engagement.
Brimmer joined the company in 2006 and spearheaded the creation and launch of the Ally brand in 2009. Since becoming CMO in 2015, she has unified the brand under the company’s “Do It Right” mantra, and at her direction, Ally has established itself as a “different” kind of financial services company, dedicated to solving customer pain points that traditional institutions ignored.
Brimmer is widely recognized as one of the country’s most innovative and effective marketing leaders, known for being a dynamically disruptive and culturally astute trailblazer. The work of her team garnered recognition for Ally on many prominent industry lists and rankings, including the 2022 and 2023 Fast Company Brands that Matter lists. Her many honors include Forbes 2024 CMO Hall of Fame induction in recognition of her five times on the Forbes World’s Most Influential CMO list, 2023 Forbes Entrepreneurial CMO 50 and Fast Company’s 2023 Most Creative People in Business and the 2020 Adweek Brand Genius award.
Brimmer is passionate about advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, and using her platform to create good in the world. In 2022, she launched the marketing industry’s first 50/50 pledge with the goal of spending equal amounts in advertising for women’s and men’s sports. Her leadership in gender equity resulted in her being named to the 2022 Adweek Most Powerful Women in Sports list and as the 2022 WISE Woman of the Year.
Prior to joining Ally, Brimmer spent 20 years on the agency side in Detroit, where she led the Chevrolet account. She holds several board positions with organizations including eHealth, Ad Council, Effie Worldwide, American Advertising Federation, Mobile Marketing Association and Women’s Sports Foundation. She serves on Michigan State University’s Sports Management Advisory Board and is chair of the Professional Advisory Board for the College of Communication Arts and Sciences. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University, where she also played varsity soccer for four years.
Hanna Gbordzoe (Porterfield) is a Senior Director of Content & Social at Development Counsellors International (DCI), based in Boston. She first joined DCI in 2014 and worked in the firm’s economic development division for five years before a brief pivot to healthcare/pharma social media at W2O Group. Hanna returned to DCI in 2021 to lead social media and content marketing, working across business, talent and visitor attraction for cities, states, regions and countries.
Throughout her career, Hanna has helped places from Baton Rouge to Orlando and Michigan to the Netherlands to tell their story to potential investors, talent and travelers online. While her specialty lies in social media and content marketing, Hanna’s attention to detail allows her to connect the dots across broader integrated marketing communications programs.
Hanna holds a bachelor’s degree in advertising with a specialization in public relations from Michigan State University. She is a member of the MSU College of Communication Arts & Sciences, Department of Advertising and Public Relations' Professional Advisory Board and has hosted student groups in both NYC and Chicago during agency tours, in addition to guest lecturing in classes. Hanna also served as Vice President of the MSU Alumni Club of Greater New York for nearly four years and is a member of the Public Relations Society of America, where she was the 2018 National Chair of the New Professionals Section.
The Adventure Agency’s founder Megan Gopp has been a graphic designer for 12+ years—or more, if you count the years she spent hand-making greeting cards and designing t-shirts for school functions. Before starting & growing The Adventure Agency, she worked her way up from unpaid intern to Senior Art Director for an ad agency in Downtown Chicago. Although the high-rise office and window with a view was nice, she chose to pursue the road less traveled instead. Today she’s an awardwinning, highly valued creative partner to brands around the world, and The Adventure Agency has been mentioned in Forbes, DesignRush, Motherly, and other publications.
Megan graduated from MSU in 2012 with a BA in Advertising, concentrating in Design. As of 2024, she has worked with over 80 companies (including Starbucks, Dunkin' and Hyatt), and has the pleasure of teaching courses at MSU. In 2024 she was awarded 40 Under 40 in Southwest Michigan, and was nominated for the 2024 Rising Star Award by the Southwest Michigan Chamber of Commerce. She loves to travel, her favorite food is cheese and she listens to true crime podcasts during the workday.
Erica Hughes is an award-winning marketing and advertising executive with a breadth of experience working for Fortune 500 companies. With a love of connecting brands, consumers and culture, Erica has managed marketing strategies for iconic brands such as Chick-fil-A, Chevrolet, Slim Jim and Reddi-wip.
Currently, Hughes serves as the Senior Director of Multicultural Marketing at Ally. As the first ever multicultural marketing hire at Ally, Erica has been a tireless champion for driving growth and engagement with diverse consumers segments. Since joining Ally in 2020, Hughes’ team has made a significant impact on advancing the organization’s commitment to media equity and bridging the gap between culture and finance. Her team has fashioned programs including a HBCU entrepreneurship pitch competition called Moguls in the Making and a first of its kind partnership with United Masters’ and Earn Your Leisure focused on helping diverse communities become more financially independent. Her work landed Hughes on Ad Age’s annual list that recognizes stars who are leading change across the industry, Ad Age 40 Under 40.
Before joining Ally, Hughes lead digital & social media strategy at Chick-fil-A. Prior to joining Chickfil- A, Erica worked at Conagra Brands from 2012-2018. While at Conagra Brands, Erica took on a lead role in transitioning the organization from a traditional marketing company to a forwardthinking digital marketing innovator.
Erica Hughes is a native of Flint, MI and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Michigan State University, where she sits on both the advisory and alumni board of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences. In 2018, Erica was the recipient of the MSU College of Communication Arts & Sciences Rising Star Alumni Award. In addition, she obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Northern Illinois University.
Gary has spent 25+ years at some of the top advertising agencies in the country, including Doner, TRG in Dallas, TBWA/Chiat/Day in Los Angeles, Commonwealth//McCann and BBDO in NYC/Detroit. Before joining Doner as Executive Creative Director, Gary was a full time Creative Advertising Professor at his alma mater, Michigan State University, in East Lansing, Michigan.
Gary created the Emmy nominated "Walter the Cat" campaign for Chevy, and brought the ‘Sopranos’ to the Super Bowl for the Silverado EV launch. Earlier in his career, he created Pennzoil's "Not just oil, Pennzoil" campaign, Levi's "Our models can beat up their models" campaign, and worked on the "Yo Quiero Taco Bell" Chihuahua campaign.
Gary is an Outstanding Alumni at Michigan State University, a two time Automotive News Marketing All Star, he has won 7 Effies, 7 Cannes Lions, 6 D&AD Pencils and 11 Clios.
Gary is married to Amy, lives outside of Detroit, has two teenage boys, Deano and Dylan, and has a one-eyed cat named Ralphie.
Danielle is the Sr. Director of Integrated Marketing at Pura. Where she leads the strategic integration of marketing efforts across multiple channels to create cohesive and impactful campaigns. With a focus on aligning digital and traditional media, her role ensures that all marketing initiatives are effectively coordinated to drive brand consistency and achieve business objectives.
With over 15 years of experience across agencies, brand and publishers, Danielle has worked in various positions such as account management, sales/new business, content marketing, influencer marketing, video production and media.
She believes that every dollar should be focused on changing consumer behavior to deliver measurable business results. Danielle has worked with many industries and clients such as Amazon, Nestle, Tabasco, Impossible Foods, Tim Hortons, AB InBev, Ticketmaster and more.
Danielle holds a bachelor’s degree in advertising Michigan State University (class of 2009). She is a member of the MSU College of Communication Arts & Sciences, Department of Advertising and Public Relations' Professional Advisory Board.
Mone' Ross is from Detroit, Michigan, and lives in Washington, DC. She leads JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s (JPMC) client-facing, cybersecurity educational effort that helps 250,000+ employees, domestic and international Fortune 500 companies, federal agencies, and other financial firms strengthen their cyber resilience. Mone’ is committed to amplifying the value of digital safety to all audiences and frequently presents cyber best practices as a guest lecturer at Michigan State University, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and various Toastmasters International clubs across the country.
Before JPMC, Mone’ served as a project manager for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; stakeholder relations manager for the U.S. Coast Guard Cyber Command – Office of Cyberspace Forces; congressional aide for the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight & Government Reform Committee; digital media manager for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc.; and communication intern for U.S. Senator Gary Peters of Michigan.
Mone’ graduated from Michigan State University in 2013 (Bachelor of Arts, Communication with Public Relations specialization) and Georgetown University (Master of Professional Studies, Public Relations- Corporate Communications). She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., JPMC’s Global Cybersecurity Diversity and Inclusion Council, The Lady Chapter, Inc. Executive Board, and the Michigan State University Professional Advisory Board for the College of Communication, Arts, and Sciences (Advertising/Public Relations Department).
A 2009 graduate of MSU, Keaton has 15 years of experience in the Advertising industry as a Project Manager and Producer. His career spans across Big Brand Campaigns, Global Transcreation, and even lower funnel creative adaptations across the Tech, CPG, QSR, Finance, Apparel, and Telecomm industries.
Currently, Keaton is leading Project Management, Workflows, and Staffing initiatives as part of the leadership team in the new in-house Creative & Production Studio within AT&T.
His finger is always on the pulse of new ways of working as it pertains to the Project Management role in the Advertising and Marketing industries and is eager to guide, coach, and mentor new and upcoming graduates to support them in their career search and introduction.