Lissy Calienes is a seasoned creative strategist, designer, visual storyteller, and educator whose three-decade career has taken her through advertising, film, and academia. Currently, she shapes the minds of future advertising professionals as an Associate Instructional Professor in the University of Florida’s Advertising Department.

Born to Cuban immigrants in Wilmington, Delaware and raised in Puerto Rico, Lissy learned to be culturally adaptable from an early age. She has lived in the Caribbean and both coasts of the U.S., and worked globally, with a focus on Latin America, U.S. Hispanic, and multicultural markets.

Lissy has held senior leadership roles agency side in both Creative and Strategic Planning, working on global, regional and national client business for some of the top brands in the world including Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola and Toyota. Her advertising work has earned recognition by AdAge, Adweek and POPAI, and her films have been featured at Sundance and other international festivals.

Lissy is dedicated to advancing Latino representation through her work in advertising and film. She’s helped create groundbreaking multicultural campaigns, including Toyota’s first bilingual Super Bowl commercial, and her films tell heartfelt stories of Latino communities in the U.S. Her commitment extends to her role as a mentor and advisor to students and multicultural student organizations, her active involvement on the Community + Culture Committee, and her work as a juror for the ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards.

Fascinated by people, Lissy’s research focuses on human-centered design and her PhD uncovers how to communicate authenticity through design in retail spaces.

A lifelong learner, eternal optimist and creative problem solver, Lissy brings passion and insight to everything she does.