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University of Wisconsin Oshkosh alumnus Rene Delgado ’05, of Chicago, Ill., is one of today’s up-and-coming “Mad Men.”

He has worked on big-name projects for companies like McDonald’s, Kellogg’s, P&G, Samsung and Nintendo. His efforts have earned him a 2015 Outstanding Young Alumni Award , which will be presented at 2015 Homecoming festivities in October by the UWO Alumni Association.

After graduation from UW Oshkosh, Delgado enrolled in the Miami Ad School’s art director portfolio program. He studied for two years and won many national and international awards for his work.

Before moving to Chicago, Delgado interned at agencies in Minneapolis and Dallas, which helped him prepare for his internship with Leo Burnett Worldwide.

In February 2009, he was hired full-time, and has worked as art director and associate creative director. He currently works on creative projects for Leo Burnett’s flagship office in Chicago.

Among his big-name projects, he worked on rebranding campaigns for Sealy, Esurance and Sprint, with his work featured in CMYK Magazine, Adweek, Best Ads on TV and Creativity Online.

Delgado worked on Esurance’s new campaign, “Sorta You Isn’t You,” which premiered during the Super Bowl and featured commercials with celebrities Lindsay Lohan and Bryan Cranston. The commercials made Super Bowl Top 10 lists for Billboard, Rolling Stone, Variety and more.

In the last year, Delgado also earned shortlists at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity, as well as an Outdoor Advertising Association of America Gold, the 2015 Chicago ADDY’s Best in Category for Out-of-Home Advertising, and more.

Jeff Candido, vice president and creative director for Leo Burnett Chicago, knows Delgado as a “dedicated and tireless young advertising creative,” through big company and awareness campaigns.

“He’s also dedicated to using his role in the ad industry for good by currently working on campaigns to help address gun violence in Chicago,” Candido said.

In his free time, Delgado is part of the American Advertising Federation and the One Club and takes improvisation classes at Chicago’s famous Second City. He mentors college and high school students who are interested in advertising and other creative fields. He also travels, writes and plays tennis.

Delgado said he learned at UWO that anything is possible with the right mindset.

“My experiences have taught me there are many different roads to success,” Delgado said. “There are rewards to being persistently open to change and new experiences.”

His UWO hero is advertising professor Julie Henderson who taught him important lessons for surviving a career in communications.

“She believes in the importance of smart, fast and ethical communication, which are lessons I use every day in my work life,” Delgado said. “Plus, I have rarely met anyone who possesses her intelligence and acerbic wit.”

For more information about the alumni awards celebration on Oct. 16, please contact the UW Oshkosh Alumni Relations Office at (920) 424-3449 or send an email to alumni@uwosh.edu.

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