Maria Hokanson is the executive vice president of marketing in the U.S. and Canada at American Dairy Queen Corporation (ADQ). In this role, she is responsible for all marketing leadership in the U.S. and Canada, including menu strategy, promotions, media, branding, digital marketing and advertising. She is focused on both honoring the legacy and retaining the relevancy of the iconic DQ® brand.
Since starting with ADQ in 2004, Maria’s career highlights include leading strategy for the $5 lunch program, Blizzard® Treat seasonal menu, DQ app and loyalty program, and launch of the revitalized DQ brand positioning and consumer-facing tagline, “Happy Tastes Good.”
A retail marketing veteran, Maria earned a Bachelor of Science degree in advertising from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a graduate certificate in internal communications from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. She currently serves on the Board of Directors at Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities and on the Strategy Committee at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
Maria has been honored as a Brand Innovators Top 100 Women to Watch, Agency Spotter Quick-Service Restaurants’ Most Influential Marketing Leaders, and Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal Women in Business honoree.