Hall of Leaders

The DMAW’s Hall of Leaders is our association’s highest honor. The origins of this award go back almost 60 years and have included such industry greats such as Hal Malchow (2013), Richard Viguerie (1972), and Austin Kiplinger (1987). Previously known as the Professional Man of the Year, Professional of the Year and the Award for Distinguished Achievement, the award was renamed in 2014 to acknowledge the breadth and depth of luminaries that have been honored.

2021 HALL OF LEADERS AWARD RECIPIENT:

Roger Hiyama
Executive Vice President, Solutions & Innovation
Wiland

Roger’s DM journey has included stops with some of the biggest players in the direct marketing industry. He came to DC in 1982 after graduating from the University of Colorado with a degree in Political Science and Economics. His first stop was Wiland Services where he spent seven years working in database management with commercial and non-profit clients including American Express, US News and World Report, GEICO, and the NRSC. He joined Wiland as an account coordinator rising through the ranks to regional manager.

His next stop was Saturn Corporation where he formulated budgets and back-end analysis for, among others, the National Wildlife Federation, American Red Cross, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. At Saturn Corporation he oversaw the development of customized database management systems for clients in the US, Canada and Europe.

After Saturn Roger joined a start-up Shop2u.com/Exmplar that provided email marketing services for 1-800 Flowers, Omaha Steaks, Gumps and Macy’s by Mail. Roger arrived at Merkle Inc. in 2003 as Vice President, Client Management Services. He managed four teams that represented $48 million in corporate revenue.

Roger continued his DM journey at Barton Cotton where increased sales revenue from $16 million to $25 million by adding five new agency clients and growing existing ones. At Barton Cotton he worked with March of Dimes, Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. After Barton Cotton Roger spent two years at Russ Reid where he successfully managed the successful merger of SCA Direct and Russ Reid.

Roger returned to Wiland in 2015 as Senior Vice President where he manages a team of client service directors and coordinators the serve more than 400 clients.

What is amazing about Roger is that while he was hard at work, growing professionally, adding new skills, and expanding his client base he was also supporting the efforts of DMAW at every step of the way. He is a dedicated volunteer and a popular speaker at more than 25 conferences and his steady leadership and tremendous strength as a Board Member, Vice President and President helped weathered some tough storms in 2020 and 2021.

Even more amazing Roger is that his generosity of time and talent extends beyond his professional acclaim, volunteer accomplishments and board leadership. One of his proudest achievements is the mentoring of junior staff. Multiple DM all-stars have reaped the benefit of Roger’s willingness to “look behind him” to make sure that everyone gets ahead.

Previous DMAW Hall of Leaders Award Recipients

2019
Tiffany Neill

Kate Carr, Executive Vice President of Silver Marketing, is a highly successful and dedicated marketing professional with a 30-year track record of producing award-winning creative content and campaign strategies.

Kate began her career in data analytics at Applications Software Company, which later became DataLab USA. A highlight was working on neural networks for SAAB, Commercial Credit, and Primerica Bank. Following her work at ASC, Kate served as the database marketing manager for the American Bankers Association. While at ABA, she earned her MBA from George Washington University.

In 1996, she joined Silver Marketing. Kate oversees all phases of client projects, from strategy to implementation. Her adherence to excellence, as well as her willingness to go the extra mile and provide superior service is well-recognized by clients. She has had the pleasure to work with organizations like AARP, Endocrine Society, The Washington Capitals, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Smithsonian, The Washington Post, and Ringling Bros. – for whom she even named a circus act!

Kate has been nationally recognized over the years, having won over 120 awards for projects reflecting her strategic, creative, and executive skills, including: Hermes, Marcom, MAXI, Healthcare Advertising, National Health Information, Service Industry Advertising, Summit International, and Communicator awards.

There is no questioning Kate’s dedication to our industry. As an active industry leader and community volunteer, she has served on both the DMAW board and the DMAW EF board for a combined 15 years. She currently serves as the DMAW Blog Chair. She served as the Bridge Conference Marketing Committee Co-chair, Bridge Conference Marketing Committee. She was the 2014 recipient of the DMAW Volunteer of the Year Award and is a two-time co-emcee at Best of Direct.

Kate’s positive attitude and commitment make her a great mentor. She thrives on encouraging and seeing the successes of others personally and professionally. She has written grants for students and professors, undertaken fundraising efforts for student scholarships, and provided pro bono marketing for nonprofit organizations, new start-ups, and entrepreneurships including Discovery Creek Children’s Museum, DC Parks, M3 Wellness, and Raber Books.

When she is not working or volunteering, she keeps busy by spending time with her husband David and son Michael; taking Chloe, her beloved Golden Retriever, for walks; hosting chili parties and movie nights for friends; and swimming (especially in her hometown of Rockport, MA). An avid athlete, Kate plays on multiple tennis teams and loves to run. She has been a sponsor for Landon School’s Mark’s Run, which raises money for Juvenile Diabetes, and is looking forward to completing her 10th Cherry Blossom 10-mile race supporting Children’s Miracle Network.

2018
Kate Carr