Esther Novak appointed to AHAA Board.

José López-Varela, Chairman of the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies (AHAA), announced the appointment of Esther Novak, founder and CEO of VanguardComm – a New Jersey-based multi-cultural marketing communications firm – to the board of directors of AHAA.

The appointment takes effect immediately.

”Diverse leadership and fresh ideas about our marketplace and our agency businesses is critical to the vitality of AHAA,” said López-Varela. “We look forward to the industry insight Esther will bring to the board of directors and appreciate her willingness to lend her talent and perspective to keep the association relevant. Serving on the AHAA board takes passionate marketers who are dedicated to growing and strengthening the Hispanic marketing and advertising industry. Esther is a highly respected pioneer in multicultural communications, and is a welcome addition to the AHAA team of leaders.”

“I am honored to be named to AHAA’s board and deeply committed to advancing our industry,” said Novak. “The Hispanic market has impressive buying power, yet is underserved in important areas. It continues to present enormous opportunities. Beyond the market, however, I hope to create greater understanding and insight into Latinos’ great strengths and contributions to our society.”

Novak founded VanguardComm in 1995 and headed Ketchum Vanguard, Ketchum’s multicultural marketing unit from 2001 to 2003. She also held various positions at AT&T, where she established multicultural public relations and community affairs programs for its corporate headquarters, and the AT&T Foundation, where she became vice president for arts and culture.

Earlier, Novak was director of interdisciplinary programs at the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, D.C. and founded Rutgers University’s Hispanic Arts Program, now established as the university’s Center for Latino Arts and Culture. She was president of the American Repertory Ballet’s board of Directors and served on the board of McCarter Theatre, both in Princeton, N.J. She also served on El Museo del Barrio’s Advisory board, the Smithsonian Institution Latino Task Force, and the boards of INTAR and the New Jersey Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The National Association of Hispanic Publications honored her for her contribution to Hispanic media.

She currently serves on New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine’s Council for Economic Growth and was selected 2006 Professional Services Business Person of Year by the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.