Summer 2018 Conference Speakers
Karen L. Sanzo
PRE-CONFERENCE: INTRODUCTION TO DESIGN-THINKING
Karen L. Sanzo is a Professor and Graduate Program Director for the PK-12 Educational Leadership Program at Old Dominion University. She has led the redesign of the PK-12 school licensure program, developed numerous district-university partnerships, and has expanded ODU’s reach in leadership development across the Virginia. Prior to joining ODU, Karen spent eight years in the public schools as a middle school mathematics teacher and an elementary school administrator. Karen engages in research around aspiring and current school leadership development, creating and sustaining partnerships between universities and school districts, and the development and use of formative assessment practices in schools by leaders and teachers. She is also currently working with PK-12 and Higher Education organizations around organizational innovation through Design Thinking.
Jay Scribner
PRE-CONFERENCE: INTRODUCTION TO DESIGN-THINKING
Jay Scribner is Professor of Educational Leadership at Old Dominion University. In his roles as professor, department chair, and program evaluator over the years, he has worked on and taught about organizational improvement in a variety of contexts. He served as department chair for nine years at the University of Missouri and Old Dominion. He has worked as a program evaluator for the U.S. General Accountability Office and as an independent organizational consultant, and he has taught about continuous improvement and evaluation for over 20 years. Jay’s research focuses on the professional learning and leadership in schools. He has received awards for his research and contributions to the field of educational leadership from the National Staff Development Council, The University Council for Educational Administration, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education. In 2000, he was awarded a National Academy of Education Postdoctoral Fellowship.
James Toscano
KEYNOTE: RESTORING TRUST IN HIGHER ED
James Toscano is the president of Partners for College Affordability and Public Trust and former Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Tidewater Community College. A policy entrepreneur, James spearheaded the development and adoption of an expanded public comment policy for governing boards, which gave greater access to citizens in public decision-making. He has held policy board appointments under two governors, was the legislative director to the assistant majority leader in the Virginia House of Delegates, and was a Governor’s Fellow under then-Virginia Governor Mark R. Warner. James holds a doctorate in law and policy from Northeastern University, a master’s in public policy and management from the University of London, and a bachelor’s in communications from Old Dominion University. His research and writings can be found in GOVERNING, Government Technology, Public Management magazine, and in a recent book, Citizen Engagement and Public Participation in an Era of New Media, published by IGI Global.
Deborah Fontaine
WE SEE THE FUTURE IN YOU
Dr. Deborah Fontaine has served as Vice President for University Advancement since 2013. She is responsible for providing leadership and administrative oversight for Communications & Marketing, University Fundraising, Alumni Relations & Annual Giving, University Events and L. Douglas Wilder Performing Arts Center, Development Services & Stewardship, and as executive Liaison to the Norfolk State University Foundation. Prior to her appointment, Dr. Fontaine served as Chief of Staff.
Dr. Fontaine previously served as Special Assistant to the President for Institutional Effectiveness and Director of Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment at Thomas Nelson Community College. Other key positions held include Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at Elizabeth City State University (NC), Campus Executive Administrator and Vice Provost at the University of the Virgin Islands; and held teaching appointments at Christopher Newport, Elizabeth City State, Hampton, Central Michigan and Duke Universities.
Prior to joining the academy, Dr. Fontaine had a successful career with Verizon Communications, Inc. in Philadelphia serving as Director in a number of key areas. She holds a Ph.D. in Management from Walden University, and a M.B.A. and B.S. in Business Administration from Hampton University. Additionally, Dr. Fontaine holds a graduate certificate in higher education leadership from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education.
Active in higher education, Dr. Fontaine serves on the Board of Directors for the American Association of Women in Community Colleges, the Urban League of Hampton Roads, and the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce. She is active in her church, New Grace Ministries, and previously served on the City of Hampton’s Town and Gown Commission, Rotary Club of Oyster Point, and Board Chair for the Peninsula Crisis Pregnancy Center.
An expert on strategic planning and organizational development, Dr. Fontaine has consulted with universities and companies in Virginia, North Carolina, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. She has written articles and presented at conferences on equity and women in leadership. A passionate advocate for inclusion and equal opportunity, Dr. Fontaine believes deeply in lifelong learning and affirms that the pursuit of excellence is essential for success. Dr. Fontaine has two adult children and four grandchildren.
Regina Lightfoot
WE SEE THE FUTURE IN YOU
Regina Lightfoot is the Communications and Marketing Practitioner in the Norfolk State University Office of Communications and Marketing. In this position, she is responsible for the coordination of and the writing and editing in the University’s Making Waves newsletter and BEHOLD Magazine.
Her writing career, which spans more than 30 years, began as a reporter at The Courier News in Bridgewater, New Jersey in 1980. She subsequently held reporting positions with several newspapers including The Montgomery Journal (Rockville, MD), The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, NC), The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) and The Daily Press (Newport News, VA). In addition, Ms. Lightfoot has written for Education Daily and edited the bi-weekly What Works in Education newsletters, which covered national education issues and initiatives.
She won several Virginia Press Assocation awards while working in the Creative Services Department of The Daily Press. In addition, Ms. Lightfoot has won awards from
Higher Education Marketing Report for BEHOLD Magazine, Making Waves and the Infinite Possibilities Viewbook.
A native of Washington, DC, Ms. Lightfoot holds a Bachelor of Arts in Print Journalism from Howard University and a Master of Business Administration in Marketing from American Intercontinental University.
Ms. Lightfoot is married to Jack DaCosta and is the proud parent of three adult children, two adult stepchildren and 12 grandchildren and step-grandchildren.
Chris Ritter
WE SEE THE FUTURE IN YOU
Chris Ritter’s marketing and communications career spans over thirty-five years, including a leadership role at the largest independent advertising agency in New York, and experience as the CMO at Binghamton University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Clarkson University.
Most recently, he served as Senior VP, Chief Marketing Strategist at Fuseideas in Boston. There, he worked with client and agency teams to develop brands for Norfolk State University and ten other colleges and universities, including Virginia Commonwealth University and Radford University. Chris has learned that sustainable brand success is built on objective data, human insight, purposeful engagement and steadfast commitment.
Chris retired in March and is currently enjoying bicycling, kayaking and community work while reflecting on his career and considering next steps.
Michael Bartolotta
PRINT ISN’T DEAD: BUILDING AN OVERALL STRATEGY
For nearly 20 years, Michael Bartolotta has been creating visual solutions to communication challenges by finding effective ways to get messages across in both print and digital platforms. As an award-winning art director at William & Mary, Bartolotta has led the creative direction for numerous projects and signature events including the university’s current $1 billion capital campaign and the W&M Alumni Magazine. In addition to his love for printed media, Bartolotta is an accomplished photographer who creates one-of-a-kind tintype and ambrotype images through the historic photographic process known as wet plate collodion.
Virginia Carter
PRINT ISN’T DEAD: BUILDING AN OVERALL STRATEGY
Virginia Carter is Director of Communications, Office of the Vice President and Chief Student Affairs Officer, University of Virginia
Philip Walzer
PRINT ISN’T DEAD: BUILDING AN OVERALL STRATEGY
Philip Walzer is Monarch magazine and university editor at Old Dominion University. Monarch magazine and Monarch Extra, an e-magazine launched in 2017, recently received Awards of Distinction in the international Communicator Awards. The publications also won Special Merit Awards in the CASE District III competition this year. Before Phil came to Old Dominion in 2016, he worked as an education and business writer at The Virginian-Pilot for 27 years.
Vincent Rhodes
GHOSTWRITING: JUGGLING THE VOICES IN YOUR HEAD
Vincent Rhodes serves as Chief Communications & Marketing Officer for Eastern Virginia Medical School overseeing executive and corporate communications, public and media relations, digital media, marketing and creative services.
Rhodes has presented nationally on speechwriting and presentation development and was a member of the Professional Speechwriters Association Speechwriting School founding faculty and PSA Online Speechwriting School faculty. His speechwriting earned an Honorable Mention in the Cicero Awards and been published in the national Speechwriters Newsletter.
Previously, Rhodes served as Communications Manager and Clerk of the School Board for Norfolk Public Schools, the largest urban school system in Virginia and one of the 150 largest school systems nationwide.
Prior to entering the education field, Rhodes served as managing editor of the national scuba diving magazine Sport Diver. His dive experiences include exploration under the Arctic ice, visiting World War II plane and shipwrecks in the Pacific, and visiting underwater caves.
Ryan Catherwood
BUILDING A PODCAST FOR ALUMNI AND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
Ryan Catherwood is Assistant Vice President, Alumni and Career Services, Longwood University
Erika Forsack
SOCIAL MEDIA FOR EVERYONE: MAKING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT ACCESSIBLE
Erika Forsack started managing social media on the university level in August 2017. Previously, she spent six years working for VCUarts in a number of different roles in both the Admissions and Communications offices with a focus on recruitment strategy and social media communications. She currently works to train social media administrators across the university and works to improve accessibility and inclusion on social media. Erika completed HigherEd Experts Social Media Marketing for Higher Ed certificate course in July 2017.
J.J. Ruscella
VR AND YOU: VIRTUALLY PROMOTING THE UNIVERSITY
An innovator in live action simulation and training, J.J. Ruscella leads the Shenandoah Center for Immersive Learning at Shenandoah University, which recently won the Innovations in Higher Education Award from the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council. Prior to Shenandoah, he founded the Interactive Performance Lab at the University of Central Florida. Last year, his simulation stage “StoryBox” was housed at Lincoln Center, where he presented his concept of his VR simulation stage, the Augmented Reality Chamber.
Brett W. Tubbs
LIVE! FROM YOUR CAMPUS IT’S…
Brett W. Tubbs is the Public Relations & Social Media Manager at Regent University in Virginia Beach. Her roster of work includes coordinating media relations for on-campus events including the university’s United States Presidential Candidate Forums (2015-2016), and notable alumni such as academy award-winning actor Tony Hale (Veep, Arrested Development) and New York Times best-selling author Charles Martin (The Mountain Between Us). However, she considers her greatest accomplishment her ability to fold quotes from The Office into any conversation. She graduated from Regent in 2012 with her Master’s in Communication with a Journalism concentration. In 2010, she graduated from James Madison University with her Bachelor’s in Media Arts & Design, and English. She’s a big fan of coffee, Instagram, and the Oxford comma.
Joe Carpenter
PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITIONS
Since 2013, Joe Carpenter has served as vice president for university relations and chief communications at Radford University. He also currently serves as chair of the New River Valley Regional Commission and chair of the Montgomery Regional Economic Development Commission.
Previously, he served for 20 years as an officer in the U.S. Navy, retiring as a public affairs officer and at the rank of commander. Some of his assignments included: managing editor of the Navy’s internal communications production branch for the Navy’s Chief of Information (CHINFO); director of public affairs for the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.; director of congressional information and public affairs at the Navy’s Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA), Washington, D.C.; media relations spokesman in the Office of the Secretary of Defense under Secretaries of Defense Rumsfeld and Gates; director of regional public affairs for Navy Region Northeast, Groton, Ct.; and concurrently, director of public affairs for Navy’s Fleet Week New York City and interim public affairs officer for Commander, Submarine Group TWO. He has previously served on the Board of Directors of the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
He earned a B.S. degree and commission as an officer from the U.S. Naval Academy, is a graduate of the Joint Forces Staff College, National Defense University, Norfolk and earned an M.A. from the U.S. Naval War College, Newport, R.I. He is a graduate of the Virginia Executive Institute (Virginia Commonwealth University Performance Management Group) spring 2014 class.
Melissa Farmer Richards
PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITIONS
Melissa Farmer Richards serves as vice president for communications and enrollment management at Sweet Briar College. Previously, she served as vice president for communications and acting executive officer for admissions and financial aid at St. Lawrence University, and assistant vice president for marketing and publications at Virginia Tech. She has 25 years of global experience in communications, public relations, integrated marketing strategy, brand management, special events, and strategic alliances.
Melissa earned a Master of Public Administration at Virginia Tech and a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Virginia. She was one of the founding members of TEDxVirginiaTech and served as faculty advisor for TEDxStLawrenceU. She is one of the founding board members of the Blacksburg Children’s Museum. She currently sits on the board of directors for the Girl Scouts Virginia Skyline Council.
Holly W. Walker
PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITIONS
Holly Walker is the public relations manager at John Tyler Community College. Her responsibilities include media relations; legislative advocacy; writing for print and web; supporting internal and external communications; event support and promotions; executive communications; social media; crisis communications; and advertising.
Before coming to Tyler in 2005, Walker worked at WWBT in Richmond as a television news producer. She holds a master in liberal arts with a focus on communications from the University of Richmond and a bachelor’s of science in mass communications with a focus on broadcast news from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Brian Whitson
PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITIONS
As Chief Communications Officer, Brian Whitson is William & Mary’s senior communications strategist. He is responsible for the offices of University News & Media, University Research Communications and University Web & Design. This includes university-wide media relations and public relations, executive communications, the William & Mary News, national news outreach, the university web, social media, visual identity and online and print publications.
Whitson also chairs the university’s Emergency Communications Team and serves as a member of the President’s Cabinet.
Whitson received his B.S. in Mass Communications from Virginia Commonwealth University where he completed the News Editorial track within Mass Communications. Before coming to W&M in 2003, Whitson worked as daily newspaper reporter for more than eight years. His last journalism position was covering higher education for the Daily Press in Newport News.
Deanne Taenzer
HOW ARE YOU PROMOTING YOUR EXPERTS?
Deanne Taenzer is an authority on developing online thought leadership content programs that utilize an institution’s experts. She works with leading corporations, universities, associations and healthcare organizations to drive engagement with a range of audiences including media, patients, researchers, students, partners and donors. In her role leading institutional and agency partnerships she has worked with clients such as UNC Chapel Hill, University Health Network, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Mary Washington, Emory University, IDC and Deloitte. She is a graduate of York University in Toronto, a lecturer and is on the council of the Executive Leadership Program at Schulich School of Business.
Eric Zack
HOW ARE YOU PROMOTING YOUR EXPERTS?
Eric Zack brings nearly 25 years of experience working for and with colleges and universities. As Director of University Relations for the non-profit media platform The Conversation (theconversation.com), his main focus is creating partnerships with institutions to engage faculty members to author knowledge and fact-based articles meant to inform and educate the public at large.
Just before joining The Conversation, Eric was an Executive Recruiter specializing in higher education administration searches. Prior to that, he spent three and a half years with the education division of NBC News, focusing on teaching, learning, and student engagement.
Eric began his career as a fundraiser for the University of Michigan (his alma mater) before transitioning to other university alumni relations and fundraising positions, including stints at the University of Massachusetts, Suffolk University, and Georgetown University. His unique experience of working for diverse campuses combined with his deep understanding of how institutions operate led to a seven year career at The Chronicle of Higher Education where he was a trusted advisor, consultant, and frequent speaker at higher education conferences.