Priscilla's Final President's Message

June 30th, 2023 marks my last day as President of Ad 2 Hawai`i. What a wild ride it has been! I could insert something sappy about how bittersweet this will be, however, I’m here to share my genuine experience being in this organization since 2019.

I started out during the first year of my career. With barely any exposure to Ad 2 Hawai`i, I was asked to become a Public Service Chair at the third meeting I ever attended. I thought about it for a few days and ultimately the still-naïve, fresh college graduate I was never said “no” to an opportunity. I’m not going to lie, between not having much industry experience and dealing with a family emergency, I was this close 🤏 to giving up. Good thing I didn’t. Working on the Biki campaign is one of my fondest memories. It was the first time I got to be part of a commercial shoot and radio spot. The pandemic hit halfway into the term, but our club still went on strong (even winning national recognitions, shout-out to Khrystyn and the 2019 team).

The following year, Lauren asked me to become her Vice President. Again, an opportunity I couldn’t say “no” to. It was yet another successful year filled with national recognition. You can see the awesome leadership trend continued. This was also the year I made my first career jump and I can confidently say that being involved with Ad 2 Hawai`i helped me secure it.

Within a blink of an eye, it became my turn to take over the reins. I was anxious; could I live up to everyone’s expectations? Especially in a weird time like 2021. No lie, my weakest skill set is event-planning. My husband likes to claim I am the most extroverted introvert he knows, planning social events gave me anxiety. What did help ease me into it was that most events were still virtual during my first year as President. I also had a strong and mighty Board that continued to provide value to our members. In the end, I was even able to experience the ADMERICA magic itself in person! (If you ever get the opportunity to attend a national conference, do it.)

2022 began my fourth year of being in Ad 2 and my second term as President. We were emerging from the shadows of COVID-19 and I had high hopes to reengage our organization and greater community through in-person programming. Amidst an unpredictable economy and increasing burnout, we brought back Signature Socials, Shots for Success, and more networking opportunities. I was happy that our Board grew to nine members, shout-out to my team for stepping up! This year, we also launched corporate sponsorships as a means of keeping our organization running as the cost of everything went up. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Servco, Zippy’s, and Wasiswas (Brad Shin) for providing much-needed support. I also owe a huge amount of thanks to those who served on Board before and alongside me, in addition to our District 13 Governor Paul Lam, and to everyone who has served on the AAF Hawai`i Board during the last four years.

I am not going anywhere anytime soon, however, I am stepping aside to make room for new leadership. I have the honor of presenting Cale Guillermo as your new Ad 2 Hawai`i President!

Cale’s vision for the organization is exciting and I hope you all choose to be a part of it. You are a part of the Ad 2 community for a reason, because similar to my story, you are the type of person to take on challenges. The benefits reaped are a direct result of what you make out of your experience with Ad 2, so I highly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to build your legacy in our industry.

Priscilla Zheng-Moore

2021-2023 Ad 2 Hawai`i President