Columbus, OH - based marketing agency The Shipyard has hired Jelani Gibson as associate strategist and Mwesi Stokes as associate performance media analyst. Both Gibson and Stokes had previously held internships with the agency during their recent Spring semester. In addition, The Shipyard has hired two new incoming student interns for the Summer: Averi Allison and Richard Dixon. All four are members of Ohio State University’s Black Advertising and Strategic Communication Association (BASCA).

These hires mark the agency’s one-year anniversary of launching its partnership with OSU on the BASCA internship and advocacy program. Through this program, OSU students and graduates are acquiring skills and experience while creating a pipeline of diverse talent from which local and national agencies can recruit.

The Shipyard’s CEO Rick Milenthal stated, “We are continuing to make a big investment in finding new people to comprise our agency culture [and] remain dedicated to building a stronger bridge between industry and academia.”