Summer 2017 Conference Speakers
Jen Dalton
PRECONFERENCE WORKSHOP: HOW TO BE A NOISEBREAKER, NOT A NOISEMAKER
Jen Dalton has 15 years’ experience in brand strategy. In 2012, she launched BrandMirror, becoming a certified master personal brand strategist. In 2016, Jen published The Intentional Entrepreneur, a bestselling book that shares her process for building your personal brand to grow your impact and business. She has spoken to and coached thousands of individuals and entrepreneurs about how to stand out. She is an international speaker, working with the Navy, the State Department, GE, IBM, Capital One, 1776, and more.
Joelle Ziemian
KEYNOTE: FROM RESCUE TO REVIVAL: REFRAMING THE STORY OF SWEET BRIAR COLLEGE
Joelle Ziemian brought to Sweet Briar nearly 30 years of strategic communications experience in the corporate, nonprofit, international development, and government sectors.
She spent seven years at Lipman Hearne, a full-service communications firm serving the nonprofit space. There she partnered with colleges, universities, and foundations to deepen brand awareness and attract media attention. International clients included Qatar’s Supreme Education Council and the Supreme Council of Information, Communication and Technology. She led a U.S. State Department communications project for the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity and a USAID effort for Mongolia’s Ministry of Fuel and Energy.
Joelle began her career as a TV reporter in York, PA before moving to the Pennsylvania Senate as a press secretary. A press secretary role for a Pennsylvania Member of Congress took her to Washington, DC. She later moved to the U.S. Department of Energy and then to the private sector where she lobbied and served public affairs clients. She also worked for one year in Romania helping NGOs get their message out in what was then a new democracy.
Greg Weatherford
COMMUNICATING THE VALUE OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN VIRGINIA
Greg Weatherford, State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV)
Sally Jane Conner
CAMPAIGN COMMUNICATIONS THAT WORK!
Sally Jane Conner has more than 20 years’ experience in philanthropy, specializing in all aspects of fundraising for the annual campaign as well as special events. Most recently she was involved in the successful completion of BRCC’s third major gifts campaign. She is past president and current treasurer of the Shenandoah Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Sally Jane holds an MBA from Eastern Mennonite University and a bachelor’s degree from Bridgewater College.
Jake Perez
CAMPAIGN COMMUNICATIONS THAT WORK!
Jake Perez joined William & Mary in September 2013 and is leading university-wide marketing efforts focused on brand engagement by delivering coordinated, compelling content to target audiences. Prior to joining William & Mary, Jake served as a vice president and account director for The Martin Agency, where he led a multi-partner technology special projects program focused on loyalty, customer conversion and behavior change for Walmart. Jake holds a B.S. in mass communications from James Madison University. He is the father of two daughters and serves on the boards of Here For The Girls, Inc., a Williamsburg-based breast cancer nonprofit that supports young women diagnosed with breast cancer, and the William & Mary Chapter of Camp Kesem, a national nonprofit that supports children of parents affected by cancer.
T.J. Zepp
CAMPAIGN COMMUNICATIONS THAT WORK!
T.J. Zepp, a Clemson University Class of 2012 graduate, started his career working for marketing communications companies in the Washington D.C Metro Area. Primarily, he worked to create and execute strategic marketing campaigns while maintaining and developing key relationships with the numerous association clients in the area. In 2014, T.J. transitioned into the higher education marketing space. After accepting the position of Associate Director of Marketing at the University of Virginia Alumni Association, he now resides in Charlottesville, VA. T.J. has expertise in communications, marketing, sales, development, design, and social media.
Dana Cruikshank
COMMUNICATING RESEARCH
Dana Cruikshank is the director of communications for the Office of International Research, Education and Development at Virginia Tech. He has spent nearly two decades helping those in the engineering, basic science and healthcare communities communicate the complexity of their work to a variety of audiences. Dana holds a masters degree in organizational communications from Bowie State University and a Master of Public Health from Virginia Tech.
Lisa Van Pay
COMMUNICATING RESEARCH
Lisa Van Pay, director of research communications, joined the George Washington University in 2012 to assist in highlighting university-wide research initiatives. Prior to this she spent four years at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs. At NSF, Lisa was involved in establishing a social media presence and other efforts to communicate science to broad audiences. Lisa holds a Ph.D. in Molecular and Environmental Toxicology from the University of Wisconsin.
Ginnie Titterton
TIPS FROM THE INSIDE: HOW TO GET YOUR PITCHES PICKED UP
Ginnie Titterton is the senior public relations manager at The Chronicle of Higher Education, where she is responsible for external media relations, corporate PR strategy and internal communications. Prior to joining The Chronicle in 2014, Ginnie served in the public affairs office of the American Council on Education. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of William & Mary and an MPA from George Mason University.
Jane Gregorski
STUDENT TAKEOVERS OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Jane Gregorski is the social media coordinator for Tidewater Community College in Norfolk, Va. She earned her undergraduate degree in Media Arts and Design from James Madison University. She is currently pursuing her M.A. in Strategic Communication from American University.
Dan Lomask
STUDENT TAKEOVERS OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Dan Lomask is a web editor at the George Washington University where he runs the university’s official social media accounts. Before working in higher education, he developed and executed digital strategies for government and nonprofit organizations. Originally from Connecticut, Dan has a B.A. from Temple University.
Megan Schmidt
STUDENT TAKEOVERS OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Megan Schmidt currently serves as a Social Media Strategist for Virginia Commonwealth University. Megan plans and creates content for the university-level social media sites, obsesses over social analytics, consults on university marketing projects and acts as a community strategist. She routinely offers guidance and training for the numerous social media administrators across the university and its academic medical center. As a self-identified “Early Millennial,” her favorite platforms to manage are Snapchat and Instagram. Megan received her bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from VCU in 2012. She is a member of the Public Relations Society of America.
Carolyn Conlon
WRITING/EDITING/PROOFING FOR THE WEB
Carolyn Conlon is a communications manager at Virginia Commonwealth University where she coordinates web, print, social media and other strategic communications for the Human Resources department. Prior to VCU, Carolyn was the assistant director of marketing at Reynolds Community College. She is originally from the Jersey Shore, where she received a bachelor’s in communications from Monmouth University. She received her master’s degree from University of Richmond.
Agatha Rule
WRITING/EDITING/PROOFING FOR THE WEB
Agatha Rule develops, writes, edits, and manages content for the Longwood University website. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and a minor in Women’s Studies from Hollins University, and a Master of Science in Corporate and Professional Communication from Radford University. Agatha joined Longwood’s Marketing & Communications staff in 2016 after spending nearly a decade teaching multimedia journalism and public relations at a private college in Central Virginia.
Jason Smith
INCREASING YIELD THROUGH CUSTOMIZED WEB CONTENT
Jason Smith has more than 20 years experience working at the intersection of digital strategy, data, and design. As the founder of OHO Interactive (www.oho.com), a Boston-based digital agency, he leads the higher education practice to create digital marketing strategies that drive conversion and revenue. His clients include: The College of the Holy Cross, Oberlin College, The Boston Conservatory, St. John’s University, Norwich University, and Notre Dame of Maryland University.