The American Advertising Awards are a juried competition with vetted judges from around the nation.

 

2022 EAST TEXAS ADDY JUDGES

NIKKI
ARNELL

First, a familiar face! Nikki Arnell first visited East Texas in 2022 for an AAF Lunch & Learn.
 
About Nikki:
 
An obsession with the communicative aspect of art led Nikki Arnell first to advertising. Moving from Midwestern Indiana to Denver, Colorado, she began a decade in the fast-paced and exciting world of advertising. From design for local shops to art direction for mega-brands like Procter & Gamble and Coors Brewing Company, she gained experience in the day-to-day challenges and triumphs.
 
However, an unexpected teaching job while freelancing changed her desired career path, so she returned to school to earn her graduate degree. At Colorado State University as both a student and teacher, traditional fine arts and art theory formed another dimension to the communication of her art. Her graphic design shuffled out of the expected computer formula and instead mixed disciplines and technologies and experimented with the levels of communication per context.
 
Ms. Arnell then took a position with Arkansas State University’s Art + Design Department. Now a tenured professor, she continues to push herself and her students to explore and experiment with graphic design and creative problem-solving. Her recent research for 2022 led to presentations at three international academic design conferences and an article about to be published in an international design journal.
 
Ms. Arnell is honored and excited to judge ADDYs for this chapter, a service she has had the opportunity to do in previous years for AAF chapters in Kentucky, Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

 

STEPHANIE
PRICE

Meet our second American Advertising Awards judge, Stephanie Price!

Stephanie Price is an Amarillo native. She has a B.A. in Advertising and Public Relations from West Texas A&M University and an M.A. in Public Relations from Kent State University. She holds a certification in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Florida Atlantic University and will have her Certified Tourism Executive designation from the Texas Travel Alliance in 2022.

In her role as Director of Marketing and Communication for the Texas Panhandle Cultural Foundation, Stephanie Price develops and execute all advertising, PR and social media for the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum and the TEXAS Outdoor Musical. She has been at PPHM for 9 years growing communications and marketing, garnering statewide and nationwide recognition for PPHM.

Stephanie serves as the Secretary Treasurer for the Council of Governors for the American Advertising Federation, Immediate Past Governor for District 10, is on the AAF Amarillo board, Amarillo Chamber of Commerce Board, WTAMU Communications Alumni Network board and Amarillo Convention and Visitors Council Tourism and Communication Committees. Currently, she is the chair of the Sunshine for Charlotte 5k benefitting Ronald McDonald House Amarillo and volunteers with United Way of Amarillo and Canyon’s Day of Caring, Zeta Tau Alpha at WTAMU, and Panhandle Aids Support Organization.

Stephanie and her husband Joseph have two daughters, Charlotte Leighann who passed away in 2016 and Madeline Kathleen who frequently attends anything with her parents she can. They started the Sunshine for Charlotte kindness and charity movement which has been picked up by the local March of Dimes, Ronald McDonald House and BSA/NWTX Hospitals to honor two NICU nurses and a volunteer each year.

 

COOPER
EPPS

Here’s our third American Advertising Awards judge! Meet Cooper Epps, an Art Director from the Salt Lake City area.

After graduating from the Brigham Young University AdLab, Cooper interned at MullenLowe Boston, then found a role as an Art Director at Boncom, a cause-based agency in Salt Lake City. There, he enjoys working on wildfire and suicide prevention campaigns among other efforts. Outside of work, he enjoys making animated stickers for GIPHY and hates writing in the third person.