Rick Boyko, former Chief Creative Officer and Co-President of Ogilvy & Mather North America, joined the VCU Adcenter in 2003 as Managing Director. In addition to teaching, he is responsible for financial and personnel management, as well as fundraising and outreach to individuals and firms in the advertising industry.

Since Rick has become MD, the school has changed quite dramatically. In addition to offering Art Direction and Copywriting, its curriculum has evolved to include three new tracks: Communications Strategy, Creative Brand Management and, in 2008, Creative Technology. The student body has grown from 100 graduate students to 190, and the faculty now counts 12 professors.

This change was capped off on 14 January 2008 when the school's name changed from VCU Adcenter to VCU Brandcenter and moved into its new home, an open, creative and collaborative breeding ground designed by world-renowned architect Clive Wilkinson.

These changes have not gone unnoticed and in 2005, the Adcenter was ranked the number 1 advertising programme in the country by Advertising Age’s Creativity magazine in all three categories: innovation, programme quality and graduate quality. In 2007, BusinessWeek recognised the school’s unique curriculum and named it one of the 60 best business/design schools in the world. The business world has taken notice as well, awarding the Brandcenter real assignments for its students from companies like Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, The Learning Channel, Tourism Industry of America, Business for Diplomatic Action, Newspaper Association of America, AICP, Virginia Tourism, The Gettysburg Foundation, Boy Scouts of America and UNICEF’s Tap Project for Richmond.

Rick began his career in 1974 as an art director at Leo Burnett Chicago and moved to Chiat/Day Los Angeles in the 1980s. He joined Ogilvy & Mather New York in 1989 and in 1997 was named Chief Creative Officer and Co-President of Ogilvy’s $1.5 billion flagship New York office. The following year he was named North American Chief Creative Officer. He ascended to that post with a mission: to reclaim the creative ethos of legendary founder David Ogilvy. He worked to seamlessly integrate the efforts of Ogilvy’s creative departments throughout the North American network and started many new initiatives to set Ogilvy apart from its competition.

While Rick has won practically every advertising award there is, he feels most proud of two accomplishments unrelated to advertising. First, in May 2001, in honour of his career achievements, Rick was awarded the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Then, in October 2001, in the aftermath of the September 11th tragedy, Rick conceived of, and was the driving force behind, Brotherhood, a tabletop book honouring the 343 firemen who perished. It sold more than 200,000 copies and the proceeds of $1.5 million went to the families of the firemen. In light of Brotherhood’s contributions to the Fire Department of New York, Rick was designated an Honorary Deputy Chief in the FDNY. An active member of the VCU Brandcenter Board of Directors since 2000, he was honoured on behalf of Ogilvy & Mather when they were inducted into VCU’s Founders’ Society. He currently sits on the boards of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Butler Shine Stern & Partners, and is on the advisory committee of the Business for Diplomatic Action (BDA). He is also Dean of the Cannes Lions Roger Hatchuel Academy.

Clive Challis studied Graphic Design at the Central School of Art and Design under Richard Hollis, Anthony Froshaug and Bob Gill. His first job was as Assistant Art Director at the London Sunday Times Magazine. He then changed both his career and his continent by moving to New York to become an art director at Lord Geller Federico, then DKG and Y&R.

Back in London, Clive stayed in the advertising industry, becoming Group Creative Director at DMB&B. For the last 12 years, he has headed-up the Advertising course at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design. For the last five years, Clive has also been a tutor at the Roger Hatchuel Academy, and has taught both in New York and Hong Kong.

His book on Helmut Krone is the definitive book on modern art direction as it emerged from the creative revolution. It has been critically acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic.