AAF DC, in collaboration with the American Advertising Federation (AAF), presented the prestigious Silver Medal Award to Martha Boudreau, Executive Vice President and Chief Communications and Marketing Officer of AARP. The award presentation took place October 21 during Advertising Week DC.

Recipients of the Silver Medal Award are recognized for their contributions to their companies, the general advancement of advertising and the community, and for their creative ability.

“Martha is widely respected in the industry for vision, employee leadership, market perspective and developing cutting-edge products and services for clients,” said Scott Williams, president of AAF DC. “We are pleased to recognize her accomplishments as a communications leader on the client side, agency side, and in the community.”

At AARP, Boudreau is responsible for setting enterprise brand and communications strategy and unifying AARP’s voice throughout the organization’s extensive channels: social, digital, earned media and paid media along with AARP’s leading publications, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin.

Previously, she served as president of the mid-Atlantic region and Latin America for FleishmanHillard, a leading global communications consulting firm. She served on the company’s global management committee and was a key figure in growing the firm’s presence in the Middle East and its expansion into Latin America. During her tenure as general manager of FleishmanHillard’s Washington office, she led the efforts to change its offerings to reflect a rapidly evolving communications landscape. In response to client needs, she spearheaded a “Digital Diplomacy” team that trained ambassadors and embassy staff on using social media to support their traditional outreach efforts in Washington.

Throughout her career, Boudreau has spearheaded new advancements. She established FleishmanHillard’s government communications practice, which quickly positioned the firm as the largest public relations provider to the U.S. government. At AARP, she leads the integration of the newest technologies and innovations in communications, brand, and marketing to create cohesive, coordinated and innovative strategies that better serves their audiences. Under Boudreau’s leadership, AARP has launched novel brand campaigns, such as Fearless@50+, a mini-campaign celebrating Real Possibilities for real people 50-plus who are living boldly and in unexpected ways, and We Hear You, AARP’s campaign showing that AARP understands the needs and wants of people 50-plus, does a lot more than they probably realized, and offers tangible value that will surprise and delight them.

Boudreau is a member of the International Women’s Forum, serves on the Advisory Council for Washington Women in Public Relations, the Arthur W. Page Society and the PR Seminar, and is involved with the CMO Leadership Circle. She also has served on the boards of several organizations in Washington, including the National Press Foundation, the American Heart Association’s mid-Atlantic affiliate and the American Bird Conservancy.

You can check out Capitol Communicator’s “up close and personal” profile of Boudreau here.

Past recipients of the Silver Medal Award include David Hunke, then of USA TODAY; Cary Hatch of MDB Communications; Karen Riordan, then of SmithGifford; Mike August of August, Lang & Husak; Doug Laughlin then of LMO Advertising; Alan Weitzman of Weitzman, Robert Whittle of Williams Whittle; Donald Graham, then of The Washington Post; Michael Jack, then of NBC4; Alex Orfinger, then of Washington Business Journal; Tom Curley, then of USA TODAY; Ted Leonsis, then of AOL; and Robert Johnson of BET.