Ross Cranford

Ross joined Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods as a writer in 1995, working his way up the creative department before being named Director of Strategic Planning in 2006 and Vice President of Tourism Services in 2009.  A rare hybrid of creative and account services, he is lead writer for Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, Hot Springs and Oaklawn, as well as the account executive for Oaklawn.

His work has been recognized with hundreds of awards, including a National ADDY for best newspaper ad; a Judges' Special Award for Best Art and Creative Direction in the Regional ADDYs; and Best of Show (twice), Best of Print and a Special Judges' Award at the Arkansas ADDYs.

Most importantly, his work has helped generate remarkable results for a wide variety of clients such as Oaklawn Racing & Gaming, Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, Hot Springs, the Department of Health's Stamp Out Smoking campaign, The Peabody Little Rock, The Clinton Presidential Center and Park, First Commercial Bank, and Metropolitan National Bank.

A graduate of Georgetown University, Ross earned a double major in government and fine art.  After college, he interned at Concorde Pictures in Los Angeles while writing screenplays before joining the Clinton for President Campaign in 1992.  He returned to Washington, D.C. as a presidential appointee in the Department of Commerce where he was a legislative specialist attached to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

A native of Little Rock, Ross graduated from Central High School.  He is the incoming president of Arkansas Arts Center Contemporaries advisory group and a member of the UAMS Rockefeller Cancer Institute Envoys.