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CLEVELAND, OHIO (August 3, 2020) ― Joanne Kim, who has been a voice for change at Marcus Thomas LLC, leading the Cleveland-based agency through a seminal period of growth and transition, has announced her retirement effective October 1.

A 30-year veteran of the agency, Joanne Kim was one of five partners who joined the agency in the 1990s and grew it from 35 employees, based in Youngstown, Ohio, to over 200, based in Cleveland, Buenos Aires and Santiago. As the agency’s longest-standing creative head, she not only evolved the agency’s creative culture but also pushed the agency toward early adoption of social media, digital communication, and most recently, diversity and inclusion, as well as multicultural marketing.

“At so many critical moments in our history, Joanne was someone whose intuitions and exposure to different perspectives enabled her to see what was coming ahead. In each case, she was an important force in enabling the agency to move quickly forward, giving us an advantage when we needed it most,” said Jim Nash, Chief Executive Officer at Marcus Thomas.

“She really helped to define our culture, and her legacy of constant evolution will continue to be a part of the agency,” Nash added.
Kim was a powerful creative voice and visionary, helping the Midwest agency build a national reputation that attracted clients such as Behr Paint, BUITONI®, GE Lighting, NESTLÉ® and Sherwin-Williams Diversified Brands. Under her guidance, her team earned local, regional and national accolades, including from the American Advertising Awards, The One Show, the Effie Awards, Communication Arts, the American Institute of Graphic Arts and others. In 2015, she was inducted into the American Advertising Federation-Cleveland Advertising Hall of Fame.

In 2019, Kim transitioned creative leadership to Jamie Venorsky, Chief Creative Officer, as she pivoted to become the agency’s first Chief Diversity Officer. Kim had long advocated for underrepresented voices in the advertising industry and was a lead voice in prioritizing diversity and inclusion as a strategic priority for the agency back in 2017. Since taking on the CDO role, Kim propelled efforts to diversify the agency’s talent base and led the organization through courageous conversations about race and multiculturalism. Kim is succeeded by Elise James-DeCruise, who joined the agency in July as Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer.  

Over the course of her career, Kim’s leadership has extended to the industry and the local community. From 2016 to 2018, she served as President of the Board of Directors for the Marketing & Advertising Global Network (MAGNET), a worldwide community of independent agency CEOs and principals. In 2016, she was selected as a juror for the Effie Awards, the pre-eminent marketing awards program that recognizes effectiveness in marketing. She also has served on the board of directors of several nonprofit organizations, including The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio, Center for Arts-Inspired Learning, Northeast Ohio public radio station WKSU, and Greater Public, an organization dedicated to providing resources to public media.

Marcus Thomas LLC, with 230 professionals in its offices in Cleveland, Ohio, Buenos Aires, Argentina and Santiago, Chile, is among America’s leading independent marketing communications agencies. Marcus Thomas is a recognized leader in digital strategy and technology; is Ohio’s largest media planning and buying agency; has been recognized by the Content Marketing Institute as one of the world’s leading content marketing agencies; and is regularly honored for its award-winning creative, public relations and social media work.

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Contact: 

Kim Wysocki

E: kwysocki@mtllc.com

P: 440.796.1801