Alumni to share their expertise on social media

Panel Discussion: "Using Social Media to Your Professional and Personal Advantage.”

2-3 pm, Park Auditorium

Panelists include:

Meryl Weinsaft Cooper (TV-R ’92) is a founder and principal of Allen/Cooper Enterprises, a New York-based communications and events company with a focus on art and lifestyle clients. Previously, as managing director of the DeVries Public Relations' Home & Lifestyle division and as SVP-Partner at LaForce & Stevens, she led traditional and social media programs for a variety of hospitality and consumer brands including Veuve Clicquot, Viceroy Hotels, B.R. Guest Restaurants, Tourism New South Wales, Magnolia Bakery, Belvedere Vodka, Pepperidge Farm, Gaiam, Rockstar Games, Samuel Adams Beer and Ecco Domani Wines. She is the co-author of Be Your Own Best Publicist: How to Use PR Skills to Get Hired, Noticed and Rewarded At Work (Career Press, Jan 2011) and is a featured blogger on Forbes.com.

John Davidoff (COMM MGMT’82) is the founder and managing director of Davidoff Communications. He is the architect of the Davidoff Methodology for Mission-Driven Strategy and MarketingTM, which leads organizations to reflect themselves in marketing and sales communications in more compelling and relevant ways. John frequently trains clients on how to use Mission-Driven Networking to establish connections, develop new relationships, and turn employees into brand ambassadors. Some of John’s clients include Allstate, Maybelline, Visa and Pepsi. John serves as founding Director and past President of the Chicago based Wright Foundation for Transformational Leadership; Board of Directors of Chicago’s Heartland Alliance Human Care Services; faculty of the Wright Leadership Institute; and a member of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Executives Club of Chicago, and Social Enterprise Association.

Rob Engelsman (JOUR ’10) is currently the Multimedia Content Coordinator for Ithaca College. His job includes managing social media as well as the creation and managing of content that the college posts online. Before graduating Ithaca in May with a degree in journalism, Rob managed social media for multiple student groups and for a charity in London while he was abroad. He is also very active with his personal accounts and scans Google Reader for the latest social media news daily.

Alyssa Gardina (IMC '08) is currently an Account Supervisor at Weber Shandwick, where she works as a digital strategist, providing social media and digital insights for several clients, including the U.S. Army. She is also on the board of the Social Media Club of Dallas, an organization for social media professionals, and she blogs at blog.alyssagardina.com.

Kelli Grant (JOUR ’04) is a senior consumer reporter at SmartMoney.com where she covers personal and consumer finance. Her Deal of the Day column and accompanying 3 Tips video segments tell consumers how to save money and spend it wisely. Kelli represents SmartMoney as an on-air expert for CNN, CBS, NBC, ABC and FOX. Her freelance work has appeared in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Good Housekeeping, and Family Circle, among other publications.

Jill Kirtland Hughes (OCL&D ‘03) is an Instructional Design Consultant for SAP's Value University Center of Excellence, where she is responsible for the strategic global training initiatives for the SAP sales force. She also has an instructional design and web design consulting company Say It Digital, LLC in which she has worked with numerous clients such as AT&T, Pearson Education, Federal Dept. of Labor, and Morgan Stanley.

Lindsey Knox (JOUR ’07) resides in Atlanta, Georgia where she works for CNN's sister network, HLN, as a writer for Morning Express with Robin Meade. She got her start at CNN writing for their affiliate service, Newsource. Before working with HLN, Knox worked for WFMZ-TV in Allentown, Pennsylvania. At WFMZ-TV, Knox worked as an assignment editor and would later be promoted to the Producer for the 5:00 News.

Rich Morris (PLANNED STUDIES, '81) is the owner of ROI Consulting, a strategic planning and family-business consulting firm based in Evanston, Illinois. He is also an adjunct professor at the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. Earlier in his career, Rich joined his family's 80-year-old company, Fel-Pro Inc. While at Fel-Pro, he held several positions, starting in distribution, sales, personnel training, and marketing, and later, joining the board of directors in 1992. Rich led the effort to identify strategic acquisitions and opportunities for internal business growth, which ultimately led to the sale of Fel-Pro in 1998. While working in the automotive industry, Rich was president and board member of the Automotive Marketing Communications Council. Rich is the coauthor of the book Kids, Wealth, and Consequences: Ensuring a Responsible Financial Future for the Next Generation. In 2010 Rich was awarded the Professional Achievement Award by Ithaca College’s Alumni Association.

Mike Nagel (JOUR ’04) is currently the Associate Director of AA&D Communications at Phillips Exeter Academy. Nagel has worked in network television, sales and marketing, public relations, communications and social media. In the social media world, Mike has reported from the Beijing Olympics as a travel blogger and ghost-blogged and managed social media for a startup.

Jeff Selingo (JOUR ‘95) is Vice President and Editorial Director of The Chronicle of Higher Education, in charge of long-term editorial strategy. He writes a regular blog for The Chronicle and The Huffington Post, Next, where he explores innovation in higher education and offers insights on the college of the future. He has been a featured speaker before dozens of national higher-education groups and appears regularly on regional and national radio and television programs, including NPR, PBS, ABC, MSNBC, and CBS. His writing has also appeared in The New York Times and The Washington Post.