Tierney was thrilled to welcome Jeff Marshall—Chief Diversity Officer and Head of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging at UM Worldwide—as our latest DEIBA series guest speaker.

Jeff brought his warm energy and thoughtful storytelling to our office, sharing some of the best insights he’s gained throughout his career. His journey—which he described not as a corporate ladder, but as a winding mountainous road—started in the media department at Tierney decades ago. After 21 years in marketing and advertising, he shifted gears to address a gap he observed in his agency experience: a lack of diversity in the space.

Following his motto to “never stay still” and continue learning, Jeff got his law degree from Temple University to make him an even more effective leader in the DEIBA landscape. He now leads UM’s diversity strategy, directing the DEB Council of over 90 members and acting as the accountability partner for agency leaders. He recently influenced the launch of Breaking Media, a media certificate program in partnership with Vox Media and the AAF to educate BIPOC students on the media and advertising industry.

A huge thanks to Jeff for his valuable guidance on how we can expand our own DEIBA initiatives, take control of our careers and pay our success forward.