Speakers
The Solo PR Summit schedule includes internationally known speakers Mark W. Schaefer, Kevin Dugan, Sarah Evans, Arik Hanson, Kami Huyse, Tom Martin, Jeremy Porter, and Heather Whaling, along with many more thought leaders on topics of interest to independent consultants in public relations and related fields. View the bios of all of our speakers below:
Keynote: Mark W. Schaefer
Mark W. Schaefer is a globally-recognized blogger, educator, business consultant, and author who blogs at {grow} — one of the top marketing blogs of the world. Mark has worked in global sales, PR, and marketing positions for nearly 30 years and now provides consulting services as Executive Director of U.S.-based Schaefer Marketing Solutions. His clients include both start-ups and global brands such as Cisco, AT&T, Johnson & Johnson, and the UK government.
Mark has advanced degrees in marketing and organizational development and holds seven patents. He is a faculty member of the graduate studies program at Rutgers University and is the founder of Social Slam, a national social media event that takes place each April. He is the author of two best-selling marketing books, Return On Influence and The Tao of Twitter. In 2012, he was named by Forbes magazine as one of the Top 50 social media “power influencers” of the world.
Mark has appeared on many national television shows and periodicals including the Wall Street Journal, Wired, The New York Times, and the CBS NEWS.
Kristie Aylett, APR
For more than 20 years, Kristie Aylett, APR, has been tailoring communications programs to help organizations accomplish their goals, previously for her employers and now for clients large and small through her consulting firm, The KARD Group PR/Marketing. From her office on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, she works with organizations throughout the United States, providing strategic counsel and senior-level tactical support. Her background in agency, higher education, health care and municipal environments brings a well-rounded perspective to her award-winning work with KARD Group clients.
In addition to her consulting work, Aylett teaches PR classes at the Biloxi campus of Tulane University and an online course on social media for consultants for the University of California at Irvine. She is a frequent workshop leader and conference presenter to business and professional groups. An accredited public relations practitioner, Aylett has served in various leadership roles with the Public Relations Society of America, on local, regional and national levels. She is also a former president of the Public Relations Association of Mississippi and serves on the board of the Southern Public Relations Federation. In 2009, both PRAM and SPRF recognized Aylett with their highest individual honor, the Professional Achievement Award.
Greg Brooks
For more than two decades, Greg Brooks has effectively communicated complex business, policy, planning and technical issues to the press, the public and elected officials. With experience spanning marketing, public relations, public affairs and journalism, his career includes strategic communication and management roles on some of the largest and most visible projects in the U.S.
Brooks creates and implements award-winning campaigns for businesses in manufacturing and professional services, nonprofits in the trade-association and public-policy spaces, as well as for state, regional and local governments. These programs have reached millions of customers, donors, public officials, corporate decision-makers, business owners and other stakeholders in their homes and workplaces, and have repeatedly helped meet established ROI, public-involvement and policy objectives.
Ashley Callahan
Ashley Callahan is the managing editor of Coca-Cola Journey, the new global, digital magazine that replaces the company’s corporate website at www.coca-colacompany.com, which is viewed by 1.2 million unique visitors each month. Previously, Ashley was an award-winning journalist, having reported and anchored for number-one-rated television stations in three separate news markets throughout the United States, including WSB-TV in Atlanta. She will speak on the Solo PR Summit’s “Lessons from the Big Guys” panel.
Kelly Davis
Kelly Davis, APR (@davispr) is the founder of Davis Public Relations and Marketing in Columbia, South Carolina. Her passion for helping nonprofit, public health and philanthropic organizations with strategic public relations planning, brand development, issues management and grassroots advocacy has led to historic policy change in South Carolina and more than 40 communications awards, including three Best in Show Awards and the “Distinguished Public Relations Practitioner of the Year” Award from the South Carolina Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.
A past chair of PRSA’s Independent Practitioners Alliance, Kelly was recently elected to the PRSA National Board of Directors. Davis Public Relations is the exclusive South Carolina member of the PRConsultants Group, a nationwide affiliation of independent public relations firms with senior-level public relations professionals in each of the top 50 U.S. media markets. In January 2013, Kelly will join the adjunct faculty of the University of South Carolina’s College of Mass Communications and Information Studies.
Kevin Dugan
Kevin Dugan is director of marketing at The Empower Group and co-author of The Bad Pitch Blog. For the bulk of his 20-year career in marketing communications, Dugan has used the Internet to advance client goals. Advising clients as large as General Electric and Xerox, as small as a startup and most everything in between, he’s been immersed in digital technology, social media and all forms of content.
Dugan has been blogging at Strategic Public Relations since 2002. And since 2006, as founder and co-author of the Bad Pitch blog, he has enjoyed helping improve the public relations industry from the inside out by exposing bad pitches. Dugan is responsible for marketing strategy across The Empower Group and its three member companies: media agency Empower MediaMarketing, brand-building agency Powerhouse Factories and content marketing company Magnetic Content Studios.
Aimee Ertley
For more than 15 years, Aimee Ertley has worked in the PR department at Sage, a world-leading supplier of accounting and business management software to start-up, small, and midsized businesses. In her current postion as Director of Public Relations, Aimee oversees sweeping integrated programs for Sage in their highly competitive marketplaces. She will speak on the Solo PR Summit’s “Lessons from the Big Guys” panel.
Sarah Evans
Sarah Evans (@prsarahevans) is the chief evangelist at Tracky and owner of Sevans Strategy, a public relations and new media consultancy. A self-described “social media freak,” Sarah initiated and moderates #journchat, the weekly live chat between PR professionals, journalists and bloggers on the microblogging platform, Twitter. She shares her social media and tech favorites on Sarah’s Faves (sarahsfav.es), as well as a daily resource for PR professionals called Commentz.
It’s her personal mission to engage and employ the use of emerging technologies in all communication that connects her with a rapidly growing base of more than 120,000 people. A “for good” advocate, Sarah worked with a local crisis center to raise more than $161K in three weeks via social media and is a team member of the Guinness Book World Record holding #beatcancer. Sarah can be seen in Vanity Fair’s Americas Tweethearts, Forbes’ 14 Power Women to Follow on Twitter and Entrepreneur’s Top 10 Hot Startups of 2010. She’s the author of [RE]FRAME: Little Inspirations For A Larger Purpose).
Natalie Ghidotti
Natalie Ghidotti, APR, is principal of Ghidotti Communications, a public relations consulting firm in Little Rock, and is a member of PRConsultants Group, a collaborative of 50 senior-level PR practitioners representing the top markets in the country. She’s a past president of the Arkansas Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and currently serves as the chairman of PRSA National’s Independent Practitioners Alliance.
Previously, Natalie served as an award-wining special publications editor-in-chief at Arkansas Business Publishing Group, where she was editor of Little Rock Family, Arkansas Bride, Little Rock Guest Guide and other magazines for five years. In her public relations career, Natalie has garnered top Prism Awards from the Public Relations Society of America and Bronze Quill Awards from the International Association of Business Communicators, and was named to Arkansas Business’ “40 Under 40.”
Arik Hanson, APR
Arik C. Hanson, APR, is the principal of ACH Communications, a digital communications consultancy focused on fostering meaningful online interactions, driving digital relevance and building measurable growth through social channels. Through integrated PR, communications and digital programs, Arik has been able to create tight-knit communities, build strong brand awareness and drive thought leadership for organizations across the country.
Arik’s blog, Communications Conversations, has been recognized as one of the leading industry PR blogs. Named one of the top 100 PR people worth following on Twitter by Valeria Maltoni and one of the top 50 PR professionals to follow on Twitter by Everything PR, Arik has more than 15 years of experience in marketing, communications and PR. His client list includes larger, well-known brands like Select Comfort, Starkey, Walgreens and the Mall of America and more local organizations like UCare, Minnetonka Public School District and Bike Walk Twin Cities.
Kami Watson Huyse, APR
Kami Watson Huyse, CEO and Founder of national boutique agency Zoetica, authors Communication Overtones on the topic of public relations and social media strategy. She is considered a national leader in the use of social media for public relations. A 17-year-veteran of PR, she speaks at social media events and conferences all over the country and her work in social media has earned her the SNCR’s 2008 and 2010 awards and IABC’s 2009 Gold Quill of Excellence Award. She ran the virtual PR agency, My PR Pro, from 2002-2009 and is the strategic architect for many successful social media campaigns.
Kami’s experience is broad, and she oversees account management for Zoetica. She has worked for corporate clients such as SeaWorld, Time Warner Cable, Network Solutions and Frost Bank. She also has worked for many non-profit organizations such as the Manufactured Housing Institute, America’s Charities and the American Red Cross. She is APR certified and was named the Public Relations Professional of the Year by the Public Relations Association of America San Antonio.
Amanda Miller Littlejohn
Amanda Miller Littlejohn is the founder of Mopwater Social Public Relations. A former print journalist, she’s an idea oven and brand problem solver working at the intersection of public relations, journalism, marketing and social media.
Specializing in new media and online communications, Amanda helps individuals, businesses, and organizations leverage social media and new media tools to create exciting, creative PR and marketing campaigns. Her social approach to public relations has led to sold-out events and traditional placements in countless media outlets. Amanda writes regularly on social media, branding and PR for BlackEnterprise.com and was named the 2012 PR Practitioner by the National Black Public Relations Society. She blogs at Mopwater PR + Media Notes and can be reached on Twitter @amandamogul.
Tom Martin
Tom is a no nonsense, straight-talking 20-year veteran of the advertising and marketing business who favors stiff drinks, good debates and helping companies make more money. As an internationally recognized digital marketing keynote speaker, blogger, and founder of Converse Digital, Tom marries his two passions, marketing & technology, to teach companies how to leverage innovative digital marketing approaches to achieve and sustain sales growth, enhance brand perception and painlessly prospect for new customers.
You can find Tom’s marketing missives on his blog at ConverseDigital.com, Ad Age, where he is a regular contributor, as well as many of the top social and digital marketing blogs like Social Media Examiner, Social Fresh and MarketingProfs, to name a few.
Candace McCaffery
Throughout her almost 20-year career, Candace McCaffery has created results-oriented, high-quality and relevant integrated communications programs across a wide variety of practice areas, including non-profit, environment/green business, energy, financial services, consumer products & services, government, transportation and technology.
Formerly with Cookerly Public Relations, Candace led the agency’s decade-plus relationship with The Clean Air Campaign, a seven-time winner of the Best Public Service Campaign award from the Public Relations Society of America, Georgia Chapter. She has provided strategic direction, traditional and social media relations, branding and reputation management for clients including SunTrust Banks, VeriFone, GEMA’s Ready Georgia campaign and the Atlanta Regional Commission.
Mary Ellen “Mel” Miller
Mary Ellen Miller is President and CEO of MarketingMel, a creative firm offering innovative marketing, public relations and social media strategies to business professionals. Before launching her firm in February 2009, she was marketing director for an interactive digital agency.
In addition to her position in interactive media, she has worked as a TV anchorwoman, ad agency co-founder, corporate spokesperson, university development officer, law firm marketing director and magazine editor. She is both a public speaker and published writer, and hosted a three-part series on WJHL-TV called “Social Networking 101″ that was shown on the evening news.
Jeremy Porter
Jeremy Porter is founder and editor of top PR blog Journalistics, and serves as Director, Unified Communications, for Definition 6. Porter is responsible for managing the company’s lead generation, online marketing, social media and public relations programs.
Jenny Schmitt
Jenny Schmitt is a veteran public relations and marketing professional and sought-after conference and keynote speaker. Nearly seven years ago, she founded CloudSpark , an award-winning Atlanta-based strategic communications company that specializes in helping companies answers the key questions of “What now?” and “What next?”
As the original Spark, she is responsible for providing the strategic and creative counsel for all client communications. Jenny brings a solid foundation of business strategy development, communication expertise and marketing experience to match a client’s immediate needs or their long-term vision. She serves on the board of PRSA Georgia and the Atlanta chapter of Women in Sports and Events.
Heather Whaling
Heather Whaling fuses strategic thinking, strong writing, and creativity to deliver PR, social media and marketing results. After nearly a decade of PR agency work, she launched Geben Communication to advise nonprofits and small businesses about new media’s influence on communication — and the value of integrating digital strategies with traditional approaches. Heather works with a range of companies — big (FORTUNE 500 and a NY Times best-selling author) and small (a London-based start-up and a “mompreneur”), as well as nonprofit organizations. Her clients have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Fortune Small Business, Entrepreneur Magazine, ReadWriteWeb, TechCrunch, and Web Worker Daily.
Named one of the top 30 PR experts to follow on Twitter, Heather co-moderates the popular #pr20chat, a weekly live Twitter chat exploring social media’s influence on public relations. She’s a contributor to the PR Breakfast Club, one of industry’s top blogs, and runs her own PR and social media blog. Lastly, Heather has received numerous awards in recognition of the strong results she delivers for clients.
Lunch Conversation Guides
The following speakers will guide our conversations during lunch on Thursday:
Monique Caradine
Monique Caradine has been on the Chicago media scene for more than 15 years as a producer and on-air personality for several nationally recognized radio and TV talk shows. Most notably, Monique worked at WVON radio, where she hosted an award-winning talk show, and she is also the former host of Perspective.
An entrepreneur, Monique owns Momentum Media Group, where she independently produces TV & radio programs and helps women entrepreneurs become more visible, more credible and more profitable. A native of Chicago’s South Side, Monique is a long time advocate for women and girls. She is the creator of Monique Caradine’s Marketing Visibility & Profits (MVP) Academy, the Bold, Fearless & Fabulous Success Circle and in 2012 she wrote the Black Woman’s Manifesto.
Karen Swim
Karen Swim is many things but clients agree that she is genuine, hard working and cares deeply about their personal and professional success. With a firm belief that success begins with a solid and comprehensive plan, there is never a cookie-cutter approach to PR and Marketing. Karen offers a depth of expertise in PR | Marketing strategies and communications, customer communication and engagement strategies, sales and business development, and branding strategies. Her client work has appeared in Forbes, Law Technology News, Business Week, Venture Beat, MarketingProfs, CPA Journal and more.
Daria Steigman
Daria Steigman is a business-savvy communications strategist who helps organizations develop and execute communications solutions to help them achieve their business goals. She’s the author of a column for IABC’s CW Bulletin and a blog–both of which focus on the business of running a business, entrepreneurship, communications, social media, strategic thinking, and what she calls Independent Thinking. Daria is also a contributor to Workshifting.com and a past president of the Washington chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).
Space is limited – register for the Solo PR Summit today!
*Speakers subject to change
