Advertising Professional of the Year Award

The Advertising Hall of Fame seeks to recognize the very best among Southern Arizona marketing and advertising professionals who have led, mentored and inspired others to succeed in this industry, while preserving the legacy of our past and promise of our future through the next generation. 

Know someone who should be nominated for an Advertising Professional of the Year Award? Just fill out the online form, explain why you think they fulfill the criteria, and submit!

The Advertising Hall of Fame seeks to recognize the very best among Southern Arizona marketing and advertising professionals who have led, mentored and inspired others to succeed in this industry, while preserving the legacy of our past and promise of our future through the next generation. 

Know someone who should be nominated for an Advertising Professional of the Year Award? Just fill out the online form, explain why you think they fulfill the criteria, and submit!


Award Recipients

Linda Fahey

2021 Award Recipient

Linda was born in the West Texas town of El Paso where her dad was an  Army nuclear engineer assigned to Ft. Bliss.  Linda’s mom worked at the base at the Air Defense Board and later earned a Master of Education in Administration. Linda found her love of marketing in high school when she and other sorority members transformed the bland halls of the school into themed works of art for homecoming.  She didn’t know what they did was considered marketing, but she was mesmerized when she saw how her fellow students were transformed by experiencing the hall designs.  Creating something that changes people’s behavior continues to be her driving force.

Her journey to university started with tennis, a lot of tennis, starting at age 10.  She was a highly ranked tennis player in the Southwest Region and attended college on an athletic scholarship to the University of New Mexico-Albuquerque.  New Year’s Eve of her Junior year, she broke her foot and was not able to return to the court as a collegiate athlete.  She finished her college education at University of Texas at El Paso.

Linda’s first job was in 1981 as the marketing department with Helen of Troy, a national manufacturer of professional beauty supply products. Following that job, she worked as the National Marketing Director for Castle Park Entertainment theme parks.  She and her first husband moved to Phoenix in 1983 at a time when jobs were scarce, so she taught tennis lesson for a season at John Gardner’s Tennis Ranch.  Their next move was to Las Vegas in 1984, where she worked for two local agencies as a media buyer.  She noticed the salespeople calling on her from the media were making some serious money and so she tried her hand at media sales.

Two years later, the family moved to Tucson where Linda worked for the Journal Broadcast Group in sales for two years.  Always knowing that she wanted to get back into the agency business, Linda worked for JR Dubler for a short period of time and then Duvall-Evans Advertising, eventually running the Tucson office.  When she met Marge Wilson, General Manager of KOLD, regarding an open sales position at the station she was instantly impressed and thought, “this is an opportunity I can’t pass up”. Her hunch was right, she learned more about the business and more importantly, the right way to do business, eventually rising to the rank of Local Sales Manager.   After KOLD sold, Linda knew she wanted to get back to the agency side of the business.

She met Julie Davey and in 1996 they started Dark Horse Media out of a ten foot by ten foot gardening shed at the back of Julie’s house.  They had no idea if this agency “thing” was going to work.  They worked hard, stayed motivated and created a thriving business.  In 2017, Julie left the agency to pursue other interests and Linda has since been the sole owner. In 2021, Dark Horse Media celebrated their 25th year in business.

Linda knows the benefit of mentoring and giving back to her industry and has served on numerous boards as chairs or committee members including; The Business Women of America,  Arizona Women in Radio and Television, Chicks n Chaps, El Grupo Youth Cycling, Salpointe Advancement Committee, and the American Advertising Federation – Tucson (AAF-Tucson). Linda is currently President of AAF-Tucson.


Previous Advertising Professional of the Year Award Recipients

  • 2019 Steve Earnhart
  • 2015 Jennifer Nunn
  • 2014 Doug Martin
  • 2013 Steve Swinehart
  • 2012 Ken Godat
  • 2011 Richard Rose
  • 2010 Darrell Durham
  • 2009 Linda Cohen & Kerry Stratford
  • 2008 Cyndy Neighbors
  • 2007 Debbie Wagner
  • 2006 Steven Meckler
  • 2005 Ray Depa
  • 2004 Mary Martin
  • 2003 Jackson Boelts
  • 2002 Rochelle Lang
  • 2001 Ann Courtney
  • 2000 Doug Meyers
  • 1999 N/A
  • 1998 Dave Slavin
  • 1997 Don Regole
  • 1996 Kathy Arrotta
  • 1995 Steve Rosenberg
  • 1994 Steven W. Lynn
  • 1993 Diana Madaras & Dave Sitton†
  • 1992 Mike Levy
  • 1991 Mary Dunkel 
  • 1990 Georgia Lacy
  • 1989 Chip Travers
  • 1988 Ed Ackerley
  • 1987 Jeff Nordensson
  • 1986 Rich Moret
  • 1985 Bob Lunningham
  • 1984 Laurie Fagin
  • 1983 Patty Ruiz
  • 1982 Manny Molina
  • 1981 Foss Tucker
  • 1977 LuAnn Koepke
  • 1975 Jennette Lasch†
  • 1974 Gene Kelly†
  • 1972 Leo Sterling
  • 1971 Jerry Bolger†
  • 1970 Don Kaneen†
Deceased†