March 1, 2013

Founding director of VCU Adcenter, now Brandcenter, honored

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By Shay Kazi

On Friday March 1st, the VCU Brandcenter paid tribute to its founding director, Diane Cook-Tench, with a plaque in recognition of her achievements.  She envisioned and helped to build the VCU Adcenter — now the VCU Brandcenter — into the country’s leading graduate advertising and marketing communications program. The plaque is installed at the VCU Brandcenter building at 103 S. Jefferson St.
 
Cook-Tench's closest friends and family gathered to listen to heartfelt thanks from John Adams, chairman of The Martin Agency, and Mike Hughes, president of the Martin Agency, who were both alongside Diane Cook-Tench in her journey creating the Adcenter.  Helayne Spivak, director of the Brandcenter, then unveiled the plaque and gave a toast in honor of the evening.   

“It was a special way for us to say thank you as well as honor the founding leader of our program,” Spivak said.

The Adcenter opened in 1996 with Cook-Tench as director. She worked with then-VCU President Eugene Trani to create a graduate marketing and advertising program at VCU that gave students an in-depth look at the advertising industry. 

In 2008, the VCU Adcenter was rebranded as the VCU Brandcenter to reflect the quickly changing advertising industry and changes in the curriculum.

The plaque reads: “Diane Cook-Tench/ Founding Director/ VCU Adcenter/ Est. 1996.”

Cook-Tench, who left VCU in 2007, is president, creative director and branding consultant at Cook, where she uses her skills and expertise to help start-up businesses grow and make a name for themselves. 

Cook-Tench left all in attendance with a thought: "What is it that you can create with a simple piece of white paper, a belief and a passion?"