Illinois State University COM Week 2017

letteR from the directoR WELCOME TO COM WEEK 2017 Communication Week is one of the most important traditions in the School of Communication. For more than 3 decades this event has provided opportunities for current students to network with and learn from accomplished alumni and professionals working in a diverse array of communication professions. COM Week 2017 spans 4 days and includes numerous panels, 5 keynotes, a documentary film festival, and the annual awards and scholarship luncheon. This year’s theme, “Reach New Heights,” highlights the many ways that our students and alumni are pursuing their passion for communication in a wide variety of settings.

You should take full advantage of everything that COM Week has to offer. To help you do that, this schedule will guide you through all of the events, panels, and keynotes. By attending COM Week, you will gain a new appreciation for how to apply your communication degree and learn about some of the career paths that are possible.

I urge all of you to participate actively in COM Week 2017. Our COM Week interns and School staff have worked extraordinarily hard to bring a range of interesting, informative, and innovative events to campus. I look forward to seeing you at COM Week 2017!

Sincerely,

Dr. Stephen Hunt Executive Director, School of Communication Illinois State University

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Meet the keynote speakers GRIFFIN HAMMOND*

DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER Just 10 years after finishing graduate school at Illinois State University, award-winning documentary film maker Griffin Hammond could star as himself in a documentary titled “A Young Film-Maker Charts His Own Career Path.”

Hammond began as a video producer and social media strategist at State Farm. He also has done work for YouTube Next Lab, the U.S. State Department (as a cultural diplomat), Panasonic and Bloomberg Television/ MSNBC covering the 2016 presidential campaign. Now a New Yorker, the Central Illinois native became a household name in DIY film making by producing “Sriracha” and film making tutorials for independent filmmakers. His bachelor’s and master’s degrees are both from the SoC at Illinois State University.

RYAN LACOSSE*

RADIO / TV TALENT After Ryan LaCosse, Illinois State University student, discovered he wasn’t born to teach basic algebra, the former math major began finding his passion (and a new major) working 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. weekend shifts at WZND radio. That solitude—plus other opportunities at TV-10 and WZND-- fostered a creativity and imagination that led to the persona “ORyan” who has delighted listeners with his antics as host of “The Morning Grind” on Peoria’s 92.3 and “The No Pants Party” middays on 105.7, The X. Beyond the studio, Ryan gets around as host of Monster Jam broadcasts and Monster Jam live events on Fox Sports One. His immense talent and Illinois State experiences became an equation for a career with wide-ranging opportunities.

KASEY LARSON

PRESIDENT/CO-FOUNDER AT DBY EVENTS & INVITATIONS Uniting a formal education in finance and marketing with practical knowledge of hospitality, events management and communication, the life experiences of Kasey Larson seem to make her perfectly suited to be the entrepreneurial leader of DBY Events and Invitations. Clients appreciate the width and depth of her knowledge as someone who has kept the books (as a CPA) and used cookbooks (at culinary school).

For two decades, she has planned city-wide walks, intimate dinner parties, society-page weddings and business events in venues from Chicago’s Museum Campus to the city’s most elegant ballrooms -- all to help build client brands.

Best of all, Kasey leads a company she founded by combining her creativity and personality with her amazing array of interests to the benefit of her clients. Her slogan is her standard “perfect event every time.”

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* = ISU ALUM

AARON SCHOENHERR*

FOUNDING PARTNER AT GREENTARGET GLOBAL GROUP Soon after his Illinois State University SoC education was completed, Aaron Schoenherr seemed destined for a comfortable career as a strategic leader with a top-tier public relations agency. But Schoenherr wanted his own destination. He hungered for the biggest PR challenge he could find.

As co-founder of Greentarget Public Relations, he created that challenge for himself by building Greentarget into a world-class agency serving the needs of attorneys, their clients and their firms. In a crisis, attorneys protect their clients by advising them to stop communicating … while public relations advisers encourage clients in trouble to tell their story authentically. Schoenherr and his Greentarget team know how to bridge that “advice gap” with creative strategy and good common sense. Now with a larger and more diverse staff, Greentarget has branched into other client areas by providing the same intelligent approach to thought leadership and crisis management.

As one of the founding members of the School of Communication Alumni Advisory Board, Aaron is invested in the future of the public relations profession by connecting with its upcoming generations.

JESSE WHITE

ILLINOIS SECRETARY OF STATE One of the most popular elected officials in the State of Illinois’ 200-year history, Jesse White began adult life as baseball player in the Chicago Cubs’ organization, transitioning into a career teaching and coaching career in Chicago’s Public Schools before accepting the call to civic engagement and becoming Illinois’ longest-serving Secretary of State.

His name may be on every Illinois driver’s license, but the things most people associate with Jesse White are the Jesse White Tumblers, his “Life Goes On” program promoting organ donation and his winning battle against impaired driving. White started his acrobatic group to help put at-risk Chicago youngsters on a path to success. Nearly 60 years and 17,000 members later, the tumblers are one of the most in-demand “traveling acts” around the state--including more than 20 appearances in halftime shows at Redbird Arena.

After the tragic death of Illinois State student Michael Collins in 2014, Secretary White and his team actively supported the Collins Family by joining the “#MC Strong” campaign, ramping up the “pay-it-forward” value of organ donation while continuing the battle against impaired driving. While Jesse White contemplates retirement from Secretary of State, his legacy of civic engagement and community service will touch eternity.

* = ISU ALUM

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MONDAY APRIL 17 THE CROSSROADS OF JOURNALISM

10-10:50 AM•FEL 162 Bringing together journalists’ perspectives and how they have overcome the trials and tribulations of journalism’s evolution.

JIM KIRK*• Editor-in-Chief and Publisher at The Chicago Sun-Times SHAUNA JACKSON*•Photojournalist at KDFW FOX-TV Dallas Fort Worth HOLLY PETROVICH*•Editor-in-Chief at Chicago Athlete Magazine ERIN FLEMING•Operations Director at MediaTracks Communications JULIA EVELSIZER*•Secondary Education Reporter at The Pantagraph

RESEARCH TALK ON MARITAL CONFLICT & QUANTITATIVE METHODS

10-10:50 AM•FEL 64 A discussion on the importance of being a sophisticated social scientific designer and the benefits to using the PROCESS macro for testing mediation analyses. Additionally, Samantha is happy to answer any questions regarding methodology, graduate/doctorate programs, and/or tips for writing a thesis.

SAMANTHA SHEBIB•Doctoral Student at Michigan State University

AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS LUNCHEON 11:30-2:00 PM•BSC - OLD MAIN ROOM

A DIVERSE WORLD: PRACTICING INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION 2-2:50 PM•FEL 152 Discussing the value, importance, opportunities and challenges of being intercultural communicators in a variety of workplaces.

CHRIS ARVIN*•Manager of Global Organizational Development at Caterpillar, Inc. DONYA FLOHR*•Public Affairs Director at State Farm Insurance SHANNON O’DONNELL*•Math, Statistics, & Engineer Marketing Manager at McGraw-Hill Education (US) ROBERT SELF*•Project & Communications Manager at Messe Düsseldorf North America

DEDICATION OF BENCH IN HONOR OF BEN ALLISON 2:30 PM•NEW PLAZA WEST OF FELL HALL

EVENT PLANNING 101

3-3:50 PM•FEL 162 The fun (and sometimes not-so-fun) side of planning and developing enjoyable and unique experiences for audiences that meet the needs of clients.

MIRANDA DAVIS•Design Consultant at Simple Elegance Events MIKE POHLMAN•Owner at Palace Events CHRISTY GERMANIS*•Event Coordinator at YWCA McLean County

STEPPING OUT OF THE OFFICE WITH JESSE WHITE•KEYNOTE

4-5:15 PM•FELMLEY HALL OF SCIENCE ANNEX 133 Jesse White brings experience as Illinois’ Secretary of State, a professional player for the Chicago Cubs, and an educator and administrator for the Chicago public school district.

JESSE WHITE•Illinois Secretary of State

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* = ISU ALUM

Tuesday APRIL 18 LEAN IN: WOMEN AT WORK

9:35-10:50 AM•FEL 176 Women leaders will “Lean In” to focus on the strides that have been made for women in the workforce, mentoring, and relationships. This will be an open discussion offering advice, insight and encouragement from women leaders, to women leaders.

LEANNA BORDNER•Deputy Director of Athletics/SWA at ISU MARLENE DIETZ•President of Dynamic Leadership Development & First Lady at ISU KASEY LARSON•President/Co-Founder at DBY Events & Invitations NIKITA RICHARDS*•Public Relations & Crisis Communication Manager, CEO at NDR Communications LEILANI SCHEETS•Administrative Services Manager at State Farm Insurance

CAREERS IN MEDIA & SALES

9:35-10:50 AM•FEL 158 Preparation, audience-awareness and presentation skills … the same three qualities that make great communicators make great sales people, and sales industry leaders are seeing that more than ever. Find out how their COM degrees prepared these ISU SoC alums for sales careers.

ANDY RZECKOWSKI*•Account Executive at Neuhoff Media DEVEN DEVORE*•Account Executive at WYZZ- TV/ WMBD-TV ANNIE EACHLES*•Account Executive at I Heart Media Chicago TIM VAN DUYNE*•Account Executive at Atlanta United FC MADELINE SMITH•Business Manager at The Vidette

GETTING EDUCATED ABOUT ENTREPRENEURSHIP

11-12:15 PM•FEL 162 Entrepreneurs will share their journey as well as offer advice and tips to students who are interested in developing a successful company or business.

BRIAHNA GATLIN•CEO and Founder at Swank PR SHERRI FISHMAN•President at Fishman PR MICHAEL RIGSBY*•CEO and Founder at DirtOnDirt.com

MEDIA SALES MENTORING COFFEE

11-12:00 PM•FEL 446 Senior management and sales executives from the most dynamic media companies in Illinois want to meet our young alumni and focused undergraduate students. Dress your best and bring copies of your resume. Executives in attendance will include: STEVEN FARBER•Senior Vice-President/Operations at Weigel Broadcasting Chicago SARAH HAUTALA•General Manager at Morgan County Broadcasting EDNA URIBE•Vice-President of Sales at Univision Chicago DELIA JACKSON•Director of Sales at The Cromwell Group SARA MCMURRAY•General Sales Manager, Hubbard Radio Chicago TOM LANGMYER•Vice-President Scripps Media WTMj/WKTI-Milwaukee

* = ISU ALUM

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Tuesday APRIL 18 cont.

THE NEW AGE OF BLOGGING

12:35-1:50 PM•FEL 148 Blogging panelists integrate their personalities, interests and platforms to connect audiences with meaningful lifestyle content.

RACHEL BARTER*•Life & Style Blogger at TheSassRoom.com GINA LAROSE•Lifestyle Blogger at ReadyOrNotMom.com BRITTNEY WINSETT•Chief Blogger at Celery and the City, Owner at Indigo Photography ELLIE O’BRIEN•Food Blogger at HungryByNature.com

LIVING YOUR BRAND PROMISE: THE ART OF ATTRACTING AND KEEPING CUSTOMERS•KEYNOTE

2-3:15 PM•CVA 147 DBY Events and Invitations President and Co-Founder Kasey Larson will dive deeper into the defining characteristics of effective communication, strategic messaging and memorable branding. Learn first-hand her secrets on how she fulfills her standard of a ‘perfect event every time’ for each and every client.

KASEY LARSON•Founder/Owner at DBY Events & Invitations

ENTERTAINMENT PR: BEHIND THE CURTAIN

3:35-4:50 PM•FEL 123 From diverse venues to creative promotions, entertainment venue leaders share their secrets.

CLARE ZELL•Marketing Coordinator at Peoria Civic Center WILLIAM PRENEVOST*•Managing Director at Illinois Shakespeare Company JASON WILLIAMS•Marketing Coordinator at The Castle Theatre ADAM FOX*•Music and Civic Arts Manager at The Normal Theater

OFF-MIC WITH RYAN LACOSSE•KEYNOTE

5-6:15 PM•SCH 130 Ryan LaCosse believed he could do anything the moment he stepped onto ISU’s campus.

Ten years later and LaCosse is coming back to ISU to share his career path and how he he became a radio and television talent.

RYAN LACOSSE*•Radio / TV Talent

PRSSA PRESENTS: THE CHASE•KEYNOTE

8-9:00 PM•SCH 138 Aaron Schoenherr will share the story of Greentarget Public Relations, its evolution in an ever-changing industry, and his tips for fueling “The Chase,” or, your personal journey to personal growth and fulfillment.

AARON SCHOENHERR*•Founding Partner at Greentarget Global Group

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* = ISU ALUM

wednesday APRIL 19 CLEAR & CONCISE: TIPS AND TRICKS OF EFFECTIVE SPEECH WRITING

9-9:50 AM•FEL 162 Experienced speech writers discuss the benefits of distinct, established, and dynamic oratorical writing.

SCOTT PRESTON*•Council Member for the Town of Normal JAY GROVES*•Chief of Staff at ISU RACHEL MOORE*•Content Marketing Manager at GROWMARK MATT SMEDEROVAC*•Communication Strategist at State Farm Insurance JAMIE FOX*•Senior Public Affairs Manager at Caterpillar, Inc.

PERSONAL TO PROFESSIONAL: CHANGING THE TONE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

10-10:50 AM•FEL 275 - SMACC Social media professionals fit the voice and personality of professional messages to organizational goals. These panelists will share their expertise with managing social media accounts for a corporation and how to effectively represent the voice of the organization.

JULIE MAIO*•Communications Specialist at ISU Office of Admissions TIM BILL*•Digital Marketing Strategist at Heartland Bank PAIGE PREHODA*•Marketing/Assistant Finance Manager at Brad Barker Honda

RADIO PERSONALITIES ON THE AIR

10-10:50 PM•FIRST FLOOR FELL FIREPLACE LOUNGE “You just sit in front of a microphone and talk” is how most people describe what radio personalities do. Hear radio personalities describe the essential preparation, coordination, outreach and teamwork it takes to “just sit … and talk.”

PATTI PENN*•Morning Show Co-Host/Producer/Program Director at WJBC Bloomington MIKE SPAULDING*•Reporter/Anchor at WTMJ Milwaukee SARAH ADDISON•Morning Show Co-Host at WLRW Champaign a

OUTSIDE THE BOX

11-11:50 PM•FEL 176 Don’t know what you want to do after graduation? Neither did these panelists. Hear how they built careers from the unknown.

BRITTNEY MCCOY*•Owner/Founder at Cupcakes and Cocktails ED MARCIN*•VP of Public Affairs & Special Projects at Clear Channel Outdoor NANCY RAINWATER*•VP of Communications at Alzheimer’s Association

HOW WZND LAUNCHED MY CAREER

11-11:50 PM•FIRST FLOOR FELL FIREPLACE LOUNGE Three young SoC alums describe how their engagement in student media paved the way for professional roles they didn’t expect to fill.

LINDSAY COLVIN*•Promotion Coordinator at Cumulus Media Chicago JESSAMYN AMEZQUITA*•Public Relations Specialist in Consumer Brands at Kohl’s Department Stores ZACH DIETMEIER*•Director of Marketing and Communication at Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council * = ISU ALUM

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wednesday APRIL 19 cont.

LET’S TALK TV PRODUCTION

1-1:50 PM•FEL 176 This panel highlights the logistics surrounding television production and will provide students with information about working in the industry. From behind the scenes, these alums will discuss the creativity and challenges of producing television and video content.

COLLEEN CASEY*•Assistant Director at WGN TV DILLON SMITH*•Tech Support and Customer Service at Cube.com STEPHEN BOURQUE*•News Photojournalist at WLS ABC 7

I’M NAIVE AND LACK AMBITION: HOW I CRAFTED MY COM CAREER•KEYNOTE

2-2:50 PM•STV 101 Award-winning documentary filmmaker Griffin Hammond doesn’t have a five-year plan.

He has no idea what career opportunities are available, or what jobs to apply for. But since graduating from ISU in 2009, every position on his resume has arrived through word of mouth, and he’s used “job-crafting” to tailor each job to his skills.

GRIFFIN HAMMOND*•Documentary Filmmaker

DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL

7:00 PM•CVA 147 Sponsored by the ISU Documentary Project, this festival is a venue to present studentmade documentaries. The festival allows students to present films addressing sociopolitical issues in society today. This year, Griffin Hammond, world traveler and maker of different forms of documentaries, will keynote the event. The second part of the program is a showcase of short documentaries from COM 352, Documentary Production. The evening will end with a panel discussion with the student filmmakers moderated by Griffin about the ups and downs of making docs.

GRIFFIN HAMMOND*•Documentary Filmmaker

thursday APRIL 20 THE NAME OF THE GAME: MASTERING THE LANGUAGE OF SPORTS

9:35-10:50 AM•FEL 162 Beat the competition and discover how to effectively communicate to an array of audiences across multiple platforms in this thrilling industry.

TONY ANDRACKI*•Digital Producer at Comcast Sportsnet Chicago SCOTT GLEESON*•Digital Sports Editor/National Writer at USA Today Sports Media Group BLAINE KUMMET*•Sports Photographer/Producer at WAGA-TV Fox 5 Atlanta KIM NELSON-BROWN*•Head Volleyball Coach/Sr. Women Administrator/Associate A.D. at Illinois Wesleyan University

CHALLENGES AND CREATIVITY IN INSURANCE COMMUNICATION 11-12:15 PM•FEL 158 How insurance industry communicators merge corporate message needs with audience expectations.

MASON GOSSARD•Senior Operations Analyst at CNA Financial ADAM HARRIS*•Communication Specialist at COUNTRY Financial KELLY SNYDER CHFC®, CLU®, ALMI®*•Public Affairs Communication Specialist at State Farm Insurance * = ISU ALUM

Meet the panelists TONY ANDRACKI

CHRIS ARVIN

RACHEL BARTER

TIM BILL

LEANNA BORDNER

STEPHEN BOURQUE

COLLEEN CASEY

MIRANDA DAVIS

MARLENE DIETZ

JULIA EVELSIZER

SHERRI FISHMAN

ERIN FLEMING

DONYA FLOHR

ADAM FOX

JAMIE FOX

BRIAHNA GATLIN

SCOTT GLEESON

MASON GOSSARD

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Meet the panelists cont.

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JAY GROVES

ADAM HARRIS

SHAUNA JACKSON

JIM KIRK

BLAINE KUMMET

GINA LAROSE

JULIE MAIO

ED MARCIN

BRITTNEY MCCOY

RACHEL MOORE

KIM NELSONBROWN

ELLIE O’BRIEN

SHANNON O’DONNELL

HOLLY PETROVICH

MIKE POHLMAN

PAIGE PREHODA

WILLIAM PRENEVOST

SCOTT PRESTON

NANCY RAINWATER

NIKITA RICHARDS

MICHAEL RIGSBY

LEILANI SCHEETS

ROBERT SELF

MATT SMEDEROVAC

DILLON SMITH

KELLY SNYDER

JASON WILLIAMS

BRITTNEY WINSETT

CLARE ZELL

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Meet the soc pd team ANNA CACHARES

SENIOR PUBLIC RELATIONS MAJOR Anna Cachares addition to the SoC PD team, she is a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority, where she served as the Public Relations Vice President, and ISU’s Public Relations Student Society of America chapter, where she is a member of the Relations Committee. She previously worked as a public relations intern for Cupcakes and Cocktails, an up and coming business in Chicago.

ANDREA CASALI

SENIOR PUBLIC RELATIONS MAJOR, In addition to interning on the SoC Promotions and Development Team, Andrea Casali found her passion within ISU’s Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), serving on the executive board as the 2016-2017 Firm Director and the 2015-2016 National Liaison. She is also a member of the National Communication Association, Lambda Pi Eta, and a member of the social sorority, Alpha Delta Pi. Andrea also works at Illinois State University Marketing and Communications as an editorial intern and office assistant, an opportunity she began as a freshman and continued over the past four years.

MARY CULLEN

SENIOR JOURNALISM MAJOR As lead intern of the SoC PD, this is Mary Cullen’s second year on the team. After one full year of participating in the most intensive, most rewarding internship the school has to offer, she could not wait to guide a new team of interns down the crazy road towards COM Week.

When she’s not running through the halls of Fell, she spends her time at The Vidette where she works as News Editor and member of the Editorial Board.

MACKENZIE GOSSARD

SENIOR INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION MAJOR MacKenzie Gossard is a senior majoring in Interpersonal Communication. She is also graduating in December 2017, a semester early. Besides being a part of the School of Communication Promotion and Development Team, she spends a lot of her time as a Student Manager for ISU’s Dining Services. In her previous semesters, she has also been an active member of Epsilon Sigma Alpha, a service sorority on campus as well as an intern for Palace Events.

SoC Business Manager Denise Thomas is the guiding hand that has lifted COM Week to the top of Illinois State University’s professional development and networking events for students for the past nine years. The SoC PD intern class of 2016-17 appreciates her inspiration, dedication and professionalism, and is proud to be included among “Denise’s students.”

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MELISSA HENRY

JUNIOR JOURNALISM MAJOR Along with being an intern with the School of Communications Promotion and Development team, Melissa is involved with 103.3 WZND Radio as a news and sports reporter as well as a member of their client services department. Henry is a national award winning persuasive and informative speaker under the Phi Rho Pi National Forensics Organization.

MARIAH RAYHONS

SENIOR INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION AND ADVANCED MARKETING ANALYTICS MAJOR In addition to the SoCPD Team, Mariah Rayhons is a Marketing Assistant for the ISU Student Fitness Center. Last summer, Mariah had an internship opportunity at State Farm which advanced her marketing skills through development and implementation of her own internal communication strategy.

DAINA SAULS

JUNIOR PUBLIC RELATIONS MAJOR In addition to being a member on the SOCPD team, Daina Sauls is also an active member of the Public Relations Student Society of America.

She works part-time for the Alumni association and has individually raised around $4,800 for Illinois State. Before joining the School of Communications Promotions and Development team, she worked as a marketing and events intern for the YWCA of McLean County.

HEATHER TIDWELL

SENIOR PUBLIC RELATIONS MAJOR Heather Tidwell is a senior public relations major with a passion for all things social media, pop culture and coffee. During her freshman year, Tidwell joined the sorority, Delta Delta Delta, where she has been appointed to three leadership positions, one of which being the vice president. Tidwell is actively involved in Public Relations Student Society of America as a Relations Committee Writer, and she is also the Senior Editor for the online magazine, Her Campus. In addition to her role as an intern for the School of Communication Promotion and Development team, she is a lead intern for the Office of Admissions Social Media Team.

JENNIFER WADAS

SOPHOMORE ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATION MAJOR Along with the SoC PD Team, Jennifer Wadas is a lifelong member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and Honor Thespian Society. Wadas was the internal affairs chair, event coordinator, and performer for a non-profit organization in her hometown called “Magical Moments,” in which high school and college students dress as Disney princesses in hopes to bring smiles to hospitalized children. This upcoming fall, Wadas will study abroad in Panama City, PAN as her passion for international travel continues to grow.

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