The Top 22 Women Who Drive Growth in Out of Home

Today marks the launch of OOH Today’s annual shortlist of influential Women Driving Growth in Out of Home.  From sales to management to thought leadership positions, this impressive roster of 22 women were nominated by Industry peers, managers and leaders, culled by our own selection committee, and vetted by the OOH Today editorial team. We’re honored and delighted to highlight this extensive group of female leaders who motive others through active leadership while paving the way for themselves and others to follow.

As we celebrate these women and their packed CVs, we also acknowledge the steep steps yet to be tackled for true equality. Beyond simply being the right thing to do, workplace diversity is widely known to boost innovation (and revenue). As an industry of innovators, OOH should be doing more to shake up the billboard boy’s club and bring more diversity to the decision-making table.

Winnie Chin, SVP, OOH Practice, Client Service at Publicis

Starting in the OOH business at TDI in 1999, Winnie Chin worked her way up the outdoor ladder to the rank of SVP of OOH Practice and Client Service at Publicis, overseeing all East Region business.

In addition to participating in committees working to improve the overall OOH business, Chin frequently presents the benefits of OOH overall, from traditional to experiential, and how it can be contextually relevant.

What advice would you give other women moving up in OOH?

“Don’t be afraid to speak up. Your expertise and experience are just as valid. It may spark valuable ideas/conversations and even be a learning moment for someone else.”

– Winnie Chin

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Valerie Vespa, Vice President Brand Partnerships at OUTFRONT Media

Valerie Vespa is an OOH veteran with over 18 years of experience selling everything from billboards and transit to malls and airports. She began her career as a sales assistant for a senior account executive at Clear Channel Outdoor, rising to become the first female national account executive there. At JCDecaux, she sharpened her skills working with brands direct on large airport campaigns for Fortune 500 companies like Mastercard and SAP.

Vespa is currently the VP of Brand Partnerships at OUTFRONT Media where she focuses on evangelizing OOH to major holding companies and brands to ensure a larger share of media investment by bringing creative and innovative solutions.

What’s the key to your success?

“Always be kind and curious. Kindness isn’t weakness. Curiosity moves you to learn and challenge yourself. Learning provides individual growth and unlocks potential. You can’t rely on time or crushing your budget to provide the upward trajectory you desire.”

– Valerie Vespa

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Randi Pesso, Group Director, Account Services at Kinetic Worldwide

Randi Pesso is currently a Group Director, Account Services at Kinetic New York. She successfully leads a team that works across a wide variety of clients such as Coca Cola, Unilever, DoorDash, Campari and The North Face. In her role as Group Director, she is responsible for building strong relationships across Group M agency partners and collaborating with teams to connect brands with consumers on the move.

Throughout her career, Randi has executed award-winning campaigns for Mars, AT&T and Anheuser Busch, including Media Plan of the Year. Randi has been an integral part of the education and growth of programmatic DOOH and measurement solutions across her portfolio of business.

Randi currently resides in Livingston, NJ with her husband, two sons and her furry baby, Reggie, a five-year-old Labradoodle.

What advice would you give other women moving up in OOH?

Being a woman in a mostly male industry can be intimidating. My advice to women is to always strive to surround yourself with individuals who foster growth, push you to do your best and – most importantly – always have your back. This may sound cliché, but never be afraid to speak up and ask questions. I work hard to make sure that anyone who I manage experiences this environment.

– Randi Pesso

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Rachel Roger, Vice President of National Sales at Lamar Advertising Company

Beginning in the sales department as a national sales coordinator, Rachel Roger’s deep understanding of OOH and advertisers earned her responsibility for developing and implementing sales strategies for a legion of Lamar national sales executives across Baton Rouge, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

After 16 years of coordinating and managing national sales, she was promoted to her current position as Lamar’s first female Vice President of National Sales in April, 2020.

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Monica Denney, Chief Revenue Officer at Delta Media

Monica Denney began her 25-year career in out-of-home in the scheduling department of an outdoor company based in Seattle, WA, where she learned the basics of outdoor sales, service, and operations.  She later moved to the planning and buying side at IPG shop Outdoor Services. In 2001, Denney helped co-found Outdoor Media Group (OMG) and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer following OMG’s acquisition by Omnicom Media Group in 2003.  Currently, Denney is CRO and a partner at Delta Media.

Monica resides in Vancouver, Washington, with her husband Jeff and has twin daughters in college at the University of Washington and Boise State University.

What’s your golden rule for the workplace?

“I have a few: Lead by example. Be a part of the process, not just the outcome. Everyone should have a voice and feel free to share ideas. Lastly, BE ON TIME!”

– Monica Denney

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Michelle Costa, EVP & Regional President at Clear Channel Outdoor

Michelle Costa is an executive vice president/regional president with direct responsibility for a portfolio of markets in North America. She works with the individual market leaders to create and implement strategies that affect all facets of the business, including sales, marketing, real estate, government affairs, public affairs and operations. In addition, she actively manages the company’s legislative agenda in Texas working with a team of lobbyists at the state capitol.

“Since assuming a regional president’s role in 2010, I’ve had the opportunity to support more than 25 Clear Channel markets across the U.S. and have worked diligently to ensure we have a strong focus on talent acquisition and leadership development. When fully adopted, this talent-first strategy enables any leader to drive growth within the industry regardless of the size of the market or the mix of the displays.”

Michelle currently serves on the board of the Greater Houston Partnership, as the national director for the Outdoor Advertising Association of Texas and as the co-fundraising chair on the board of the Foundation for Outdoor Advertising Research and Education (FOARE) for OAAA. She previously served on the boards of the Dream Foundation, The Better Business Bureau of Southeast Texas and the American Advertising Federation-Houston Chapter.

What’s the most interesting part of your job?

The fact that I can sit in a meeting with a chief marketing officer of a Fortune 500 company on one day and share a hamburger from a food truck with the ops team the next day.

– Michelle Costa

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Lynn Palmer, Regional Sales Manager Southern CA/ VP Sales Market Manager at Clear Channel Outdoor

Lynn Palmer began her media career selling local radio and was taught to know and understand the competition. A working knowledge of all other media (not just OOH) and their rates matters still today and is crucial for the OOH industry to earn a bigger slice of traditional and digital ad spend.

Palmer joined Clear Channel as a sales manager in 2009, working her way up to her current role as Regional Sales Manager Southern CA/VP Sales Market Manager San Diego.

“We must go to prospective customers as consultative sellers and show them how OOH delivers against, and complements, these other media.  Media consumption has changed as consumers are researching and buying more and more of their products online. I believe OOH remains the lynch-pin medium that makes all others work better together as it continues to efficiently, and effectively, drive measurable outcomes for brands whether the consumer is online or in line.”

How can the industry take a bigger slice of total ad spend?

“We must go to prospective customers as consultative sellers and show them how OOH delivers against, and complements, other media.  I believe OOH remains the lynch-pin medium that makes all others work better together.”

– Lynn Palmer

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Leslie Lee, Senior Vice President Marketing at Vistar Media

As Senior Vice President of Marketing, Leslie Lee leads Vistar’s global marketing, including corporate communications, events, product marketing and customer education. Prior to joining Vistar in 2017, Leslie held marketing & communications roles at ChoiceStream, Turn (now Amobee), and InkHouse PR. Leslie has also served as an advisor to ad tech startup Eulerity, and is an Advisory Board Member of the DPAA’s We.DOOH initiative. Leslie holds a BA in English from Harvard University.

In addition to generating leads from brands that previously never spent or under-invested in out-of-home, Leslie has led programmatic education initiatives with OAAA, DPAA, DSF and other global groups to increase knowledge in the OOH industry about data-driven, biddable media. She is also co-chair of OAAA’s OpenRTB committee.

How can the industry take a bigger slice of total ad spend?

“By investing in solutions that prove ROI and building scalable ways to use data creatively. With the growth of programmatic and variety of vendors in the space, we run the risk of getting lost in pricing optimizations and losing sight of what brand marketers truly care about. If OOH can directly show the impact of exposure on consumer actions, and make it easier to execute highly creative, data-driven strategies, the entire category will grow.”

– Leslie Lee

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Leigh Lowery, Group Vice President, National Sales at OUTFRONT

After a 14-year tenure at CBS Television, Leigh Lowery transitioned into the OOH space in 2014, serving as a National Director and then SVP of the Western and Southern regions at Captivate.

During her tenure at Captivate, Leigh led the West to win Region of the Year three years in a row (2018-2020). Last fall, she made the move to OUTFRONT where she currently leads the Brand Partnerships Team across the country, along with her duties as the Group Vice President of the LA National Team in partnership with GVP Julie Radlovic.

What advice would you give other women moving up in OOH?

“Be courageous and bold. Your voice and perspective shape our future. Keep showing up in all you do with excellence no matter what challenges you face or how small the task. It’s how you treat others, share your ideas and perspectives, respond to adversity, partner internally and externally, and apply consistent tenacity in your everyday work and communication that create the best kind of visibility.”

– Leigh Lowery

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Kym Frank, Global CxO of Intermx, Market Research Council President

Kym Frank has over 25 years of experience working in media and audience research. She has worked in every single major media channel, on the publisher side, the agency side, and the supplier side. Kym’s leadership is focused on improving business outcomes through marketing, research, measurement, and attribution.

Prior to joining Intermx as Global Chief Experience Officer last year, Kym led the Traffic Audit Bureau for Media Measurement (TAB) through a much-needed repositioning and rebrand under the name Geopath, tripled the organization’s membership, hosted record-breaking industry conferences, measured new place-based OOH advertising formats, and launched an all-new, state-of-the art measurement system that harnessed the power of population intelligence and location data.

She is the current President of the Marketing Research Council (MRC), one of the most prestigious market research organizations in the world, and founder of the Global OOH Research Leads, a group for OOH measurement experts to network and share best practices. She recently won the Cynopsis “Top Women in Media” award and was recognized among the Top 25 Leading Women Entrepreneurs in New Jersey.

What’s your golden rule for the workplace?

“‘Yes and …’ thinking. Even the craziest ideas have value. Embracing all of them without immediately judging them creates a collaborative, creative, and fun environment. It also never hurts to laugh.”

– Kym Frank

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Kim Bradley, Regional President-Midwest at Clear Channel Outdoor

Kim is a sales veteran with over 30 years’ experience in revenue growth and profitability, strategic planning, designing high performance sales teams, using data insights for improved performance and building long-term client relationships.  As Regional President, Clear Channel Outdoor-Midwest, Kim Bradley provides leadership in all areas of Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis branch operations including sales, marketing, real estate, public affairs, operations and finance.

Prior to joining CCO, Bradley held the position of Vice President, General Manager for Comcast Spotlight (Comcast Cable’s Advertising Division), overseeing marketing, research, finance and creative services for a staff of 140.

Bradley has completed advanced leadership programs from Women in Cable & Telecommunications (WICT) Betsy Magness Leadership Institute and Women in Leadership and Executive Leadership Forum at Comcast Cable.

She and her husband, Gary, live in Lake Forest, IL, and have three sons.

What’s your golden rule for the workplace?

“Embrace empathy. The pandemic brought a new meaning to this term as long-held personal perspectives and values began to shift among my employees, clients and family and friends. My goal throughout was to find the right balance in understanding the changing needs and desires of a workforce in ways that continuously enabled me to build a sense of culture based on respect, teamwork and collaboration. Looking back, what transpired was a cultural alignment that powered a spirit to win through stronger interpersonal relationships with my employees and our clients.”

– Kim Bradley

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Jodi Senese, CMO of OUTFRONT

Jodi Senese began her career in sales at New York Subways Advertising Company (which was later acquired by OUTFRONT Media) in 1981. She moved up in outdoor, from VP of Marketing at Gannett Outdoor to EVP of Marketing at TDI Worldwide Inc., and eventually EVP/CMO at OUTFRONT Media.

She served as Chairwoman of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) Marketing Committee from 2009 through 2013 and currently serves on the board of directors of Geopath, Inc.

Jodi currently lives in Katonah, NY with her husband and has two children.

What’s your golden rule for the workplace?

“If you make people part of the process they don’t become part of the problem. No one wants to be outside a loop so being as inclusive and collaborative as possible is important. And although I am serious about the business, I try to laugh at something every day.”

– Jodi Senese

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Jennifer Seickel, Co-founder of Sightline

Jennifer Seickel co-founded the full-service media buying agency Sightline OOH in 2020 to provide an unobstructed view into OOH media investments and help agencies and advertisers avoid the friction and complexities inherent in the media channel.

Previously, Seickel served as president of OOH Pitch – a boutique OOH specialist agency. There, Seickel channeled her skills as a strategist and problem solver to help deliver award winning work. This included Gold, Silver, and Honorable Mention awards for the OAAA media plan of the year, the Spirit of the Founders award for Volunteers of America and the Social Good award for GLSEN. She currently sits on the Board of Directors for Geopath and has held positions on industry committees, advisory boards, and panels during her career.

How can the industry take a bigger slice of total ad spend?

If we as an industry are more focused on doing the strategic-level work day-in-day-out all of the other industry growth metrics will follow and for the right reasons.

– Jennifer Seickel

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Hallie Friedman, Chief Strategy Officer at cOOHllective, LLC

Hallie is the Chief Strategy Officer at cOOHllective, LLC, a boutique consultancy where she specializes in marketing, sales development, strategic planning, and business development. She has a strong foundation in Strategy & Media with a deep expertise in OOH & Media Research. Hallie has held leadership positions at agencies within the world’s largest advertising networks and independent companies including Omnicom (DDB), WPP (Ogilvy & Mather), Dentsu (Posterscope), Pedone & Partners, MacDonald Media and Project X Media. She has also led marketing and growth at Van Wagner Communications, LLC, an independent media operator, and Lon Gundie, LLC, an athleisure apparel start-up focused on high performing base layers. Hallie has worked across an extensive array of brands spanning product categories ranging from luxury fashion to donuts. She holds a B.A. in History and Art History from Northwestern University and an MBA in Marketing and Management from New York University.

Hallie has consistently driven industry growth by educating clients about impending changes to OOH, identifying the strategic role of the channel and how that applies to clients’ businesses, translating implications and opportunities back to marketing and media objectives and advising clients on amplifying their OOH and quantifying its value. She helped develop some of the industry’s best and brightest talent, has brought an assortment of new advertisers and partners to OOH, developed extensive business initiatives and elevated the practice of OOH planning by drawing insights from a cache of data, developing standards and ‘conjugating’ OOH for diverse stakeholders.

What’s your golden rule for the workplace?

Work hard, play hard, have fun and listen. To do this, be respectful and kind and do your best – you need to put in the effort, challenge yourself to learn and make someone’s day every day.

– Hallie Friedman

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Gina Lin Stratford, VP of Sales & Marketing at YESCO Outdoor Media

Gina Lin Stratford’s 20-year tenure at YESCO Outdoor Media has taken her from sales support to Marketing Director, Director of Sales and on to VP of Sales & Marketing, becoming the first female VP at the company.

Before joining YESCO, Gina had the opportunity to certify in Six Sigma, which helps to remind her daily of the importance of reducing waste in processes. Along the way she has also certified in Predictive Index management training, Franklin Covey 4DX Management solutions, Dale Carnegie Leadership for Managers and Sandler Sales Mastery. All of which have molded and guided her as a leader for YESCO’s successful sales team.

Gina’s mantra is “Check your Compass.”  Basically, if you find yourself wandering too far from your core beliefs and values “check yourself and redirect.”

What’s the most interesting part of your job?

I love meeting people and learning about their industries. I am your worst nightmare on an airplane if you want to read a book or take a nap. I want to know who you are, where you come from, where you are going, what industry you are in, how you got into that industry, the biggest challenges that industry faces, etc.”

– Gina Lin Stratford

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Gale Domokos Bonnell, Director of Business Development at Adams Outdoor Advertising

Gale Bonnell started in sales at Adams Outdoor Advertising back in 1987. Her role evolved into sales management, marketing, asset management political consultant, lobbyist, and industry spokesperson, but her true north has always been driving revenue. “It’s our responsibility to provide the best ROI we can for our advertisers. How do we do this? Rolling up our sleeves and really getting involved in their business, staying connected through ups and downs and always having their best interest at heart.”

“We represent a medium that is, and has always been, powerful. As an industry we need to continue to develop our understanding of the audiences we deliver and refine the measurement of those audiences. This is what advertisers not only want but are demanding. In my opinion this is the most important work for our industry if we truly want to see significant growth.”

What advice would you give other women moving up in OOH?

“GO FOR IT! Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Go for the job, the promotion, the market, whatever it is you want. Second guessing yourself isn’t helpful or productive. Believe in yourself and when you don’t, find that person in your circle that does and lean on them.”

– Gale Domokos Bonnell

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Diane Veres, Regional President – Southwest at Clear Channel Outdoor

As Regional President of Clear Channel Outdoor-Southwest, Diane Veres leverages the intersection of technology, data and out-of-home media. Veres has worked in the advertising and communications field for over 20 years. Earlier in her career she focused on media sales for regional print and online publications throughout Central and Southwest Florida. She was the Advertising Director for GDP Media Group’s West Coast Woman publication. After witnessing the impact of an OOH campaign for one of those publications, Veres moved into the outdoor industry as an Account Executive with Patrick Media Group (now CCO), in the Tampa market where she became the top revenue producer in the Southeast. Veres was promoted to Vice President of Sales for the Atlanta market in 2002, and then to President of the Arizona market in 2008.

Veres has been active in community organizations throughout Arizona as a board member of the ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism Endowment Board, United Cerebral Palsy of Central Arizona, Friends of Public Radio Arizona, Charter 100, Greater Phoenix Leadership, and the US Bank Advisory Council for the State of Arizona. She and her partner Cherlyn, currently reside in Scottsdale.

What advice would you give other women moving up in OOH?

Take on tough challenges, produce measurable results and don’t be afraid to take risks. Additionally, take people with you in your growth. A collaborative, respectful and shared action plan produces results that will be supported across key stakeholders.

– Diane Veres

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Denise Levine, Chief Revenue Officer at Branded Cities

From Tribune Broadcasting to Sky Sites Airports, Denise Levine brought nearly 3 decades of ad sales experience to Branded Cities when she joined as Chief Revenue Officer in 2015. For the past six years, Levine has overseen all sales and marketing for the OOH company, which specializes in iconic urban out of home locations.

Levine is also a founding member of the OAAA’s Revenue Growth Council, where industry experts look to drive initiatives that will capitalize on the OOH’s growth potential.

How can the industry take a bigger slice of total ad spend?

“We must continue to make both static and digital inventory easier to buy. We can do that by ensuring inventory is properly audited and measured. The industry must continue to invest in technology, whether it is digital or back-end systems that could ultimately connect to specialist and agency buying platforms. Now, more than ever, it is important to invest in the right people who can holistically talk about omnichannel media plans and how OOH/DOOH can fit into them. Finally, we need to make sure we are reaching out to all pulse points, clients direct, ad agencies and OOH specialists together as an industry.”

– Denise Levine

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Christine Lanziano, President Digital Outdoor Advertising

Christine Lanziano co-founded Digital Outdoor Advertising a decade ago with the goal of making it easy for premier ad agencies to execute large national campaigns across many independent operators, offering the best placements in targeted markets, all with one point of contact, one POP, and one invoice. This one-stop-shop has assembled a network of hundreds of independent billboard operators which collectively own over 10,000 billboard faces in 166 markets across the US.

What advice would you give other women moving up in OOH?

Stay the course…it’s a fun industry don’t be afraid of the old boy’s club!

– Christine Lanziano

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Candice Simons, President + CEO at Brooklyn Outdoor Advertising

After establishing herself in the out-of-home advertising industry in Chicago, Candice Simons returned to Detroit in 2012 and saw an opportunity to fill a gap in the industry while also contributing to the local economy.  She designed Brooklyn Outdoor to provide boutique-style billboard inventory by offering highly sought-after locations over mass production.

Simons has been the recipient of Crain’s Business “40 under 40”, Crain’s Business Notable Woman in Marketing, D Business “30 in their thirties,” Detroit Young Professionals Vanguard Award, Summit International Marketing and Creative Awards, Michigan Economic Bright Spot Award, Corp! Magazine’s Diversity Business Leader, and 2017 Enterprising Women of the Year.

“As one of the only certified women-owned businesses in the industry (WBE and WOSB), it has been part of my vision and goal as an industry leader to pave the way for other women and minority owned businesses.”

Last year, Simons was appointed co-chair of OOH United, an industry-wide diversity and inclusion initiative. To create momentum behind the initiative, the 2022 GO Conference will be hosting an OOH United lounge to further shine a light on our diversity initiative and provide tangible resources and takeaways for attendees.

Do you have a pandemic highlight?

The shelter in place orders were also not ideal for the OOH industry. But, while there was less movement happening, my team and I took the time to strengthen our focus and operations. It was through that hard work that we were able to finish out 2021 with our highest sales year-to -date and best year yet as a company.

– Candice Simons

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Anna Bager, President & CEO OAAA

Anna Bager is the President & CEO of the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA), the national trade association that represents the out of home (OOH) advertising industry. Bager’s core focus for the industry is in making OOH a fraud free, accountable key ingredient for omnichannel marketing plans. In the last 12 months alone, Bager led OAAA to put forth seven new industry guidelines, standards and best practices helping the industry make advancements across programmatic, video, creativity, attribution, and exposure measurement. Bager also helped re-assert OOH’s prominence in the advertising industry – engaging Harris Poll to uncover consumer insights about the power of the medium, throughout the duration of the pandemic to provided OOH businesses with the critical information they need to drive ROI.

Bager is the first national association representative to join the World Out of Home Organization board, thus expanding the influence, reach, and partnership potential of OAAA and its proud members.

How can the industry take a bigger slice of total ad spend?

Prove it. To raise awareness for and ensure OOH is a part of omnichannel marketing plans we need to reduce friction and make OOH easier to plan, buy and sell. Brands continue to struggle with challenges around viewability, fraud and fragmentation of their online advertising. OOH has an opportunity to showcase advances in addressability, attribution, and prove it delivers campaigns that are relevant to audiences, in the right contexts and drives meaningful outcomes to advertisers. We can do this by doubling down on data-driven technology, audience measurement, creativity, privacy, and ROI attribution.

– Anna Bager

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Amanda Dorenberg, President at COMMB

Amanda Dorenberg graduated high school at 16 years of age, moving to a degree in Computer Programming & Systems Analysis followed by a bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Media & Communications. Dorenberg has led technology and marketing strategies at many out-of-home companies, including OUTFRONT Media, Cieslok Media, and FrontRunner Technologies.

Her work has been featured in Forbes Tech, Wired Magazine, Technology Headlines among other top national & international media outlets. Dorenberg is a 2019 nominee of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, TechTO & the Mobile Co-Chair for the IAB Canada and current member of the Forbes Tech Council, Rolling Stone magazine culture council, and sits on Fast Company’s executive board.

Currently the President of COMMB (Canadian Out-of-Home Marketing & Measurement Bureau), Dorenberg is responsible for driving innovative change using new and emerging technologies across the out-of-home industry. Leveraging her background in deep tech, product development and data/analytics, she is responsible for the collective marketing & measurement efforts for the OOH industry across Canada.

What advice would you give other women moving up in OOH?

Don’t be afraid to take a seat at the table. Work collaboratively, and put forth your opinion just as you would encourage others to share theirs. Celebrate your uniqueness and nurture it just like you would fortify and refine the image of the company or brand you represent.

– Amanda Dorenberg

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It is part of OOH Today’s core mission to elevate and highlight impressive women in the industry throughout the year, not just on a designated day. If you think we missed an opportunity to highlight someone in your circle, send us a note.

Comments have been edited and condensed for clarity.

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