The Dallas/Fort Worth affiliate of Alliance for Women in Media (AWM) is pleased to announce that Liz Barber, founder and CEO of The Barber Shop Marketing, is the recipient of the 32nd annual Silver Award of Excellence Lifetime Achievement Award.
Silver Award of Excellence Lifetime Achievement Award is the most prestigious award given by the DFW-AWM chapter, it is presented annually to a media professional in Dallas/Fort Worth who is above reproach both in regard to the hiring and promoting of women and promoting and helping the media business; directly contributes to the community at large; has made a direct, positive impact on the DFW media community; solely represents a commitment to excellence; and whose accomplishments are an example to others in the media and business community.
Barber founded The Barber Shop Marketing (TBS) in 2003, after working in various capacities in the media industry for more than 30 years. She began as a media buyer then supervisor for Bozell. In 1977, she became the first Media Director for The Richards Group. Her career took her to KMEZ Radio, Susquehanna Broadcasting and CBS Radio, where she was director of Infinity Promotions Group. While at Susquehanna, she was named AWM Account Executive of the Year seven times and was the #1 biller in the nation multiple times, leading the company to designate May 21 from then on as Liz Barber Day.
Since founding TBS, Barber built an organization populated with talented women who proudly maintain the agency’s HUB and WBENC certificates. Today, there are 16 full-time employees, 14 of whom are women. From the beginning, Barber and her TBS team have mentored young women interested in a career in advertising with the company’s College Woman Intern Program, which has provided hands-on experience; help with resume-building, presentation skills and networking; and often their first job post-graduation.
CBS Radio President Mel Karmazin handpicked Barber to make his brain child, Infinity Promotions Group, a reality in 1996. She started this unique agency from the ground up – opening the offices, hiring the staff and cultivating clients by tailoring large promotional campaigns to encourage spending a bigger piece of their media budget on radio.
A committed animal lover, Barber has given of her time serving as a board member and foster mom for Operation Kindness and Kittico Cat Rescue. She is currently a full time foster mom for Operation Kindness. She has served on the boards of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Executive Women of Dallas and participated actively on various committees for both organizations as well as Wilshire Baptist Church. Barber is the proud mother of son Hagan and daughter Mallary, the impetus for starting TBS so she could balance work and family. She attributes a lot of her success to her entrepreneurial Dad.
In her nomination of Liz Barber, TBS Vice President Karen Cuskey stated, “Liz’s integrity is consistently pointed out by clients and peers as a prime reason of why they work with her. Her devotion to under promising and over delivering has set a standard for everyone she works with.”
The 32nd Annual AWM Awards of Excellence Gala recognizing Barber and top DFW media professionals will be held Thursday, April 16, 2015, at the Omni Hotel Dallas at 6:00 p.m. For more information about the gala, go to www.allwomeninmedia-dfw.org.
Alliance of Women in Media is a national, nonprofit organization of men and women who work in the media and allied fields. Founded in 1951 as American Women in Radio and Television, AWM (formerly American Women in Radio and Television) is proud to represent men and women engaged in all aspects of creating high-quality media and related services. AWM harnesses the promise, passion and power of women in all forms of media to empower career development, engage in thought leadership, and drive positive change for our industry and societal progress.