Four people — two men and two women — will be inducted into the New Jersey Advertising Hall of Fame March 27 at Mayfair Farms in West Orange. Festivities on this 19th annual ceremony, honoring Philip H. Roberts, Deb DiGregorio, Arden Davis Melick and John P. Manos, begin at 5:30 pm. All have demonstrated extraordinary leadership qualities in their creative ascent to the heights of the communications industry.

Philip H. Roberts
Phil Roberts, Executive Director of New Jersey Broadcasters Association (NJBA), has been leading the broadcast community for the past 13 years. Since taking the helm at NJBA, membership has expanded to include all the eligible broadcast stations in the state, the highest percentage of any state broadcaster group in the nation.

Phil began his career in broadcasting as a disc jockey in Boyd, Wisconsin, when he was 17 years old. Following his graduation from the University of the City of New York, he worked as New Jersey State House reporter for WABC-TV, as a correspondent for NBC Radio weekend news, as News Director of Trenton-based WAAT and as host at WBUD, also in Trenton.

He then switched to sales and spent 20 years at Greater Media before moving to NJBA. During his tenure at Greater Media, Phil served as president of the Long Island Advertising Club, boosting membership significantly in a single year.In addition to fighting for fairness in FCC rulings, he was recently cited by Governor James McGreevey for helping bring the Amber Alert child abduction program to the Garden State.

A member of the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Advertising Club for ten years, he currently serves as executive vice president. Phil also holds a certificate in problem solving from the Stirling Institute at Harvard Business School and has served as an adjunct professor at Middlesex County College.

Deb DiGregorio
Deb DiGregorio, President and Founder of Camarès Communications, Cedar Knolls, opened her firm as a copy shop in 1982. Since then, Deb has grown Camarès into a full-service marketing communications and advertising agency catering to an exclusive roster of technology and business-to-business clients.

An active member of the New Jersey Technology Council since its inception, Deb has led the charge in technology in the Garden State, serving on the NJTC communications and sales and marketing tracks. She frequently writes for NJTC’s monthly publication, Tech News, and speaks to countless CEOs about the tech industry.

Recognizing the potential of new technologies, Camarès was one of the first agencies in the state to be fully computerized and to have a presence on the Web. A champion of the hi-tech entrepreneur, Deb has used technology to drive the price point of creating design standards down and enabled small businesses to experience the powerful benefits of consistent branding.

Deb has served such New Jersey-based clients as Intelligent Light; AMSTAT, a private jet information provider; and Archive Systems. In 2002, the agency completed global branding for Satyam Computer Services, India’s fourth largest Information Technology Outsourcing firm.

A graduate of Ramapo College with a degree in communications, Deb spent a year studying abroad at Université de Nice. Politically active in women’s rights and in gay and lesbian rights, Deb has worked with non-profit groups, including the Apostle’s House and Communities-In-Schools in Newark.

Arden Melick
Arden Melick began her career as an AP columnist after a stint as an editor at Hammond Press in Maplewood. Moving to Director of Public Relations at Fidelity Union, Newark, she was recruited as Manager of Corporate Communications by Suburban Propane, Madison, where she helped lead the company into its acquisition by National Distillers.

As Special Assistant to the Commissioner, Department of Commerce and Economic Development under former
N.J. Governor Tom Kean’s administration, Arden was instrumental in expanding the “New Jersey and You . . . Perfect Together” tourism campaign. After two years she was recalled to National Distillers as Director of Corporate Communications.

She then served as Vice President in charge of Public Affairs at Brooklyn Union Gas, now known as KeySpan. After retiring from KeySpan, she was recruited by PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she worked on branding. In 2003, Arden returned to KeySpan as a consultant.

One of the first woman presidents of the Advertising Club of New Jersey, Arden also worked closely with the North Jersey Advertising Club to form the New Jersey Advertising Hall of Fame. She also serves on the board of Leadership America and is Vice Chairman of the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation.

Arden holds a master’s degree from Syracuse University and undergraduate degrees from Seton Hall University and from Centenary College, where she was also awarded an honorary doctorate. The author of three books on the Presidency, Arden has also taught creative writing at the Maplewood adult school.

John Manos
John P. Manos is the President and Chief Executive Officer of DKB and Partners, Inc. John began at the He began at the Morristown-based agency, which also has offices in New York City, Trenton and Washington D.C., as Senior Vice President in 1992. Under his leadership, the company’s billings have grown from $7 million to $74 million.

With more than 20 years of experience in advertising, interactive marketing and public relations, John has served such clients as AT&T, American Airlines, First Union, Inter-Continental Hotels, New Jersey Transit, The New Jersey Department of Commerce, MTV, PSE&G, Revlon, Rutgers University and Verizon-NJ.

At 26, John was named by the Board of Directors of Bozell Worldwide as the youngest Vice President in the agency’s history. His career has also included stints with such blue-chip companies as Wyse Advertising, Ogilvy and Mather, and Young and Rubican.
A Jersey City native, John received his undergraduate degree from Montclair State University and his MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is currently pursuing a second MBA in Branding from the University of Phoenix. John resides in Convent Station with his wife Lisa and their two daughters.

THE HALL OF FAME STORY
Initiated in 1981, the New Jersey Advertising Hall of Fame has to date inducted 46 men and women who have met the strict criteria outlined by the organizing committee. Past inductees have included John B. Gambling, Leonard Dreyfuss, Emanuel London and George H. Gallup.

Hall of Fame Committee chair is Mary Lou Wallace. Members include Herb Barry, Ellen Wasserman, Robert French, Lewis Kraut, Sue Retino and Phil Battista.