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WASHINGTON, DC — Candace Queen, who was born in Port Arthur, has joined the American Advertising Federation in Washington, DC in the role of VP, AAF Mosaic Center.  

The AAF is one of the advertising industry’s major trade associations.

President and CEO Steve Pacheco announced the news this week.

The AAF Mosaic Center implements all of the AAF’s multicultural and diversity initiatives, ranging from its Most Promising Multicultural Students program to Mosaic Awards, HBCUs for Advertising, APEX Multicultural Speakers Bureau and more.  

In her role, Queen oversees all of the Mosaic Center’s activities, helping to deliver on AAF’s promise to serve as “the unifying voice for advertising.”

“Candace has held leadership roles within the AAF at the Student Chapter, Ad 2 and Local AAF Chapter level,” Pacheco said. “She has participated in judging, facilitated workshops and presented keynote presentations across a large portfolio of the AAF DE&I programs. Those experiences have given her a valuable perspective into the AAF’s evolution and insights on how to take the Mosaic Center’s work and visibility to the next level.”  

Most recently Queen founded Tabernacle in 2019 — a branding and design consultancy where she’s guided agencies and brands in building and maintaining a community-centric ethos and equity-first approach in their brand’s DNA.  

“The AAF has not only served as an integral foundation for my pivot into advertising over a decade ago, but has supported my growth and development in many ways,” she said.  

“So, to be able to contribute to the organization in this capacity is an exciting opportunity and one that’s close to my heart. I truly believe the Mosaic Center’s work is more important than ever and am excited about the opportunity to be a part of its continued elevation.”

She starts at AAF on June 1.