Hey FishbowlDC, meet Allison Mataya! Allison most recently drove the new business efforts at Arnold DC and helped launch Adcision Networks, an online luxury ad network. Prior to that, she ran the regional advertising efforts for Mercedes-Benz from Virginia to Maine for Merkley + Partners. While at Merkley + Partners in New York, Allison managed the corporate advertising efforts for Mercedes-Benz. Allison also has experience working at agencies such as Young & Rubicam and Grey Advertising on Xerox and Kraft Foods. Allison graduated from Bowdoin College with a B.A. in Art History and Government. We caught up with Mataya for a few questions:

What working journalist do you most admire and why? Stuart Elliott, he tells it like it is and has a real passion for the ad business.

Proudest moment in your career? When my new business efforts resulted in making 2008 the best year on record for the Arnold DC office.

What is something that most people don't know about you? I was an Olympic Development Field Hockey player.

What's your guilty pleasure? Shopping for lipstick, I can't go into a CVS without buying some.

What one person would you most like to interview? I would love to have had the chance to speak with David Ogilvy, I think his wisdom would serve our industry well right now.

Mataya says she's highly competitive and this trait is evidenced in everything she does. Whether rooting out a big idea or finding a way to get a table on short notice at some of the best restaurants...she doesn't take no for an answer!

You can catch up with Allison on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.