2017 Conference Speakers
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Dino Baskovic, (@ProfessorDino)
Dino is a digital communication strategist and independent consultant with nearly 20 years of expertise elevating brands in the online space. A technologist at work and play, Dino has counseled Fortune 500 companies, small businesses and nonprofit agencies, nationally and globally, on successful digital trends and techniques. Based in Rockford (Grand Rapids), Mich., Dino regularly presents on enterprise social media strategy, web systems and center-of-excellence design to corporations, agencies and industry groups. Select clients past and present include: AutoBike, Amway, Bank of America, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors and Sears. For 10 years, he taught technical communication at Lawrence Technical University and now teaches public relations and advertising at Grand Valley State University. A native Clevelander, Dino is a 1997 graduate of Kent State University, and proud alumnus of the "PRKent" public relations sequence. |
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Todd Bertsch, @evolvecreative
Creative and passionate about all things web, Todd Bertsch, Owner/President of Evolve Creative Group, is a leader in web design and digital marketing with over 20 years of experience in these fields. Todd is also an award-winning web designer, author, educator and lecturer. He speaks regularly throughout the region on various web-related topics and serves on several nonprofit marketing committees. Todd holds a BFA from The University of Akron in graphic design and is married with two children. When he’s not busy working, you’ll find Todd challenging his son to a ping pong match, lifting weights, grilling out or enjoying a campfire. |
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Amber Gallihar Boyes, @AmberGallihar
Amber Gallihar Boyes is a PR counselor and proud 2008 Kent State alumna. Following a non-traditional background, including a stint in technical writing at NASA Glenn Research Center, Amber has served consumer, commercial and nonprofit clients on the agency side for more than six years. Since joining Marcus Thomas in 2013, Amber has directed award-winning social media efforts for several brands, including Libby’s Pumpkin, Buitoni Pasta, Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk and KeyBank. She also serves as VP on the North Union Farmers Market’s Board of Trustees, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which champions the local foods of Northeast Ohio, and promotes their environmental, economic and health benefits by connecting certified producers with consumers through a network of markets. |
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Juntae DeLane, @JuntaeDeLane - Luncheon Keynote Speaker
Juntae DeLane is the founder of the Digital Branding Institute, a global hub for digital branding resources, education and training. He is the senior digital brand manager for the University of Southern California, where leads a team responsible for developing, managing, and measuring digital marketing initiatives. He also is the principal consultant and strategist for DIGITAL DELANE, a digital branding consultancy that helps organizations build a strong digital brand. Juntae has worked with many brands across various industries such as Coca-Cola, Sony, Verizon, NBCUniversal, Paramount Pictures and many others. He is noted as the Top Social Media Influencer in several publications and has spoken around the country advancing the practice of digital branding. Juntae has delivered talks for events and organizations including Social Media Week, Content Marketing World, Social Fresh, Hootsuite, Brand+Aid and Digital Hollywood to name a few. Juntae not only writes the premier digital branding blog, you can also hear him on his podcast “The Digital Branding Lab.” |
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Chris Hallahan, @challahan
Chris is a user experience designer for Kent State University’s College of Communication and Information. He manages user research, usability and interactive/web projects at IdeaBase, a student-powered design agency, and works with IdeaBase staff members to teach web design, user experience and content strategy techniques. He has worked on projects with clients from the education and non-profit industries, as well as area small businesses. He also teaches courses on responsive web design and serves as a board member for UX Akron, a non-profit user experience community. Chris has a bachelor’s degree in Electronic Media and master’s degree in User Experience Design, both from Kent State University. |
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Greg Josken, @gvjosken - Opening Keynote Speaker
Greg Josken, digital marketing and social media manager for Disney Theatrical Group (DTG), joined The Walt Disney Company in 2009, spending two years at Walt Disney World in Orlando before joining DTG in 2011. For the past five years, Greg has overseen the content marketing strategy for all Broadway and domestic productions including THE LION KING, ALADDIN and NEWSIES. Working with partners across the company, Greg has developed unique online touch points from short form video, to UGC campaigns, to one-of-a-kind Virtual Reality experiences. Greg manages an online community of over 3 million users and produces content for the Disney on Broadway YouTube channel with 100 million views. Growing one of Broadway’s largest online presence, Greg is dedicated to innovating not only within the live entertainment industry, but across The Walt Disney Company. Greg earned a degree in Architecture from Ball State University and a MBA from Baruch College. He is based at the Disney Theatrical Group offices in New York City. |
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Mark Krohn, @KrohnMark
In addition to his roles at Focal Point Social Media and being an accomplished media executive, Mark serves in a variety of visionary and operational roles, such as: founder and managing partner of the Law Firm of Mark E. Krohn, Esq., LLC, a corporate and business growth advisory firm; chairman of Ascension HR, LLC, , a regional human resources consulting firm that assists companies in designing world class culture, alignment and productivity models that uniquely fit their business; and chairman of Accelerant, a not-for-profit consulting company that creates and drives strategic planning, events, fundraisers and previously unforeseen products and services that generate revenue. He has been repeatedly recognized for his leadership and community service with awards such as the Greater Akron Chamber’s Thirty for the Future Award, the YMCA Volunteer of the Year Award (2x), Leadership Akron’s Distinguished Leader/Innovator Award, the United Way of Summit County Young Philanthropist of the Year Award, the Rotary Club of Akron’s Ambassador of Service Award, the Sales and Marketing Executives International Distinguished Sales and Marketing Award and Inside Business’ Top 100 Emerging Power List. Mark is frequently published in periodicals such as Smart Business Magazine and the Akron Legal News and is a well-recognized public speaker having spoken for various Chambers of Commerce, local businesses, the University of Akron, Leadership Akron and TEDx Akron. |
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Marc Majers, @leadinghands
Marc A. Majers is an experienced information architect and digital strategist. His skill-set is centered on the desire to keep learning. He is a speaker, blogger, teacher, DJ emcee, musician, and award-winning user experience professional. Marc has been the recipient of a MarCom award for best redesigned website, NEOSA best interview/application and a Marketing Sherpa Email Award for most dramatic test results. With over twenty years of digital design experience, Marc is focused on web strategy, user-centered design, usability testing and new media. He recently became a certified usability analyst (CUA) from Human Factors International. He is the founder of Leading Hands, a family technology blog, co-founder of the Web Association and has taught Web Design at Cuyahoga Community College. He is Vice President of UXPA CLE. He also is the author of the book Don’t Fear the Forward – The Secret to Building Successful Websites. |
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Bill Myers, @vrbanist
Bill Myers (@vrbanist) is the Virtual Reality Evangelist for Todd Biss Productions, a commercial photo and video studio in Akron. He has dedicated his life to evangelizing and creating immersive content with virtual reality. With experience at both Apple and several startups, Bill has traveled all over the world curating experiences and sharing them through his VR learning platform, vrbanist.com. He grew up in Kent and after graduating from John Carroll University in 2010, moved to Akron. Bill has a passion for sharing virtual and augmented reality with the world. He started the Akron VR Meetup two years ago, as well as the Cleveland VR Meetup this past year. Bill has lectured for computer engineering students at Ohio State University and has spoken at a number of other colleges in Northeast Ohio. His primary focus is to educate and inspire the next generation of creators to use VR/AR technology in order to solve world issues. He enjoys traveling with his wife and recently got back from trips to Norway, Thailand, and the Philippines. He's a Startupbus alum and actively involved with the Crisis Mappers Network. |
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Malinda Shean, @malindashean
Malinda is a proud alumna of Nichols College in Dudley, Massachusetts. Malinda holds a Bachelor’s of Business in Marketing from Nichols, as well as an Associate’s of Science in Graphic Design from Springfield Technical Community College. She brings over 19 years of marketing experience to Evolve and over 10 years of digital marketing expertise. As the PPC Queen, Malinda loves the challenge of optimizing conversions and enjoys all things marketing and design, including traditional and digital marketing. A wife of nearly 18 years, Malinda is also the adoring mom of two little girls, Nora and Claire. In her “spare” time, she enjoys playing ping pong, bike riding and flower arranging, and holds a soft spot for interior design, all while enjoying a cup of tea or an iced coffee. She owns an impressive collection of children’s books, (over 300), as well as an accumulation of magnets from all her travels—too many magnets to count! |
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Chris Sledzik, @csledzik
Chris Sledzik (@csledzik) has spent more than ten years blending public relations and digital marketing strategies to solve business challenges for employers, clients and nonprofits. A constant student of social media, Sledzik has been involved with YouToo since 2011 and is passionate about studying social media’s growth and evolution as the disciple continues to decimate traditional communication and marketing models. Throughout his career, Sledzik has worked in both corporate and agency environments for brands like Goodyear, DIRECTV, John Deere, Sprint, Red Bull, Diebold, Allstate and Farmers Insurance. He’s managed internal and external websites, executed media relations and content marketing programs, developed social media and digital strategies and helped clients, executives and teams adjust to an evolving media landscape using a mix of traditional and digital story-telling techniques. Now at the WPP-owned brand activation agency Geometry Global, Sledzik works closely with corporate brands that sell through dealer organizations and is responsible for leading local digital marketing programs for SEO, web content, social media and digital analytics. Sledzik has an undergraduate degree in technical communication from Miami University and is a proud alumnus of Kent State’s PR master’s program. He also serves as VP of the Writing Council for Minds Matter Cleveland, a volunteer led non-profit that prepares high-performing students from low-income families for success in college and beyond. |
