Marketing Research
In this session, we'll discuss how to build an agile approach to turning data into actionable insights, including how to harness the power of data to drive business outcomes and deliver value to customers.
Priyanka possesses more than a decade of progressive experience in consulting and teaching core marketing subjects, research, and data analytics. She is dedicated to the dissemination of knowledge, mentorship, and student success. Priyanka enjoys working with diverse student populations and enjoys developing optimal educational practices. She has published empirical papers in leading international journals based on modeling and analysis of primary data; developed strategies; and consulted companies on customer relationship management.
Priyanka is a passionate teacher who has won awards for excellence in experiential teaching. Her research interests include the integrated world of social media and digital environments, as well as sustainability. Priyanka is a professor of marketing and analytics at Hult International Business School in San Francisco.
Educating the next generation of social media managers requires a special emphasis on several important concepts. First, students must learn to manage negative customer communication towards brands; second, they need to understand how to communicate with diverse audiences with a range of backgrounds and experiences; and third, they should establish personal support systems and mental health guardrails for a job that demands constant creativity and availability.
Jana Thomas has spent nearly 20 years in marketing, advertising, and communications with expertise in multimedia campaign development, search engine marketing, and social media. She also owns a social media consulting company that specializes in film and family entertainment brands and employee training in social media strategy and content development.
Jana is a professor of practice in the A.Q. Miller School of Media and Communication at Kansas State University. She conducts research in the areas of adolescent media use, digital citizenship, and social media manager health and well-being.
11:00 - 11:45 p.m.
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Teaching Marketing
In this session, you'll learn how to stack the deck so that students do their very best work in your classes. From creative content that lands jobs to industry-quality client consulting and award-winning case competitions, you'll learn about the principles and approaches that get great results (thanks to plenty of trial-and-error).
Dr. Scott Cowley (@scottcowley) is an associate professor of marketing at Western Michigan University. Cowley has a track record of innovation — he’s currently the director of WMU’s digital marketing and e-commerce program, and he recently won the business school’s Faculty Teaching Award. Cowley created award-winning projects adopted by universities worldwide, published award-winning research to help schools modernize their digital marketing curricula, and coached multiple student teams to the top of international case competitions. He is also the coauthor of Stukent’s “SEO: Strategy & Skills.”
In this session, Joie Hain will discuss how to convert a simulation into a High Impact Practice. High Impact Practices increase student engagement, which results in more robust learning and better student retention. Hain will present High Impact Practice definitions and examples of ways to implement them with simulations.
Joie Hain is a 2015 graduate of Kennesaw State University with a DBA in marketing. She joined Clayton State University in 2018 after 20 years in commission-based sales, consistently receiving industry awards for superior sales volume. Joie teaches asynchronous online undergraduate professional selling courses and graduate and undergraduate digital marketing and social media marketing classes. Upon joining Clayton State, she developed an online MBA concentration in digital marketing for her university.
In 2021, Joie was honored with Stukent’s Professor of the Year Award. Joie is highly engaged in her community, has two daughters, a son-in-law and a grandson, with whom she spends all her available time.
9:00 - 9:45 a.m.
The pandemic tripled the e-commerce industry's website traffic and competitiveness. Today’s e-commerce marketer needs to ensure the fundamentals of convenience, connection, and customer service are up to par with the change in online consumer demands and expectations. The value of providing a humanistic connection in e-commerce marketing and experiences is what sets some e-commerce businesses over others. This presentation will provide industry best practices and show how they can be used in the classroom.
Dr. Kyle Allison is a senior executive in the e-commerce and digital marketing spaces. With close to two decades of experience, he has worked for major retail corporations such as Best Buy and Dick’s Sporting Goods. He is currently the vice president of e-commerce and digital marketing for The Exchange. He leads digital marketing teams over e-commerce, analytics, digital marketing, and more. His passion is focusing on data-driven and consumer-centric digital strategies.
In addition, Kyle has taught at schools such as the University of Florida, the University of Wyoming, Wake Forest University, and others. Lastly, he has authored several publications and books in the field, and is currently authoring the upcoming e-commerce courseware for Stukent!
In this session, you'll learn how to apply service marketing principles to pedagogy to improve student outcomes, unite marketing theory with best practices in online and immersion education, and take away actionable ideas for your classroom.
Kate Eaton, Ph.D., is an award-winning teacher and administrator, serving as the assistant dean for MBA programs and a clinical associate professor of marketing in the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. Kate works with faculty, staff, and students to guide innovations in undergraduate and graduate teaching; help navigate the changing landscape of higher education; and consistently drive quality improvements and excellence. Kate has developed several online and immersion classes, implementing flipped classrooms, experiential learning, new assessment techniques, and conceptual framework teaching strategies to maximize student learning.
In this session, Kristy will discuss the activities she uses to supplement the "Modern Marketing Principles" courseware by Kinda Wilson and Jerry Rackley and the Stukent Marketing Principles Simternship™. Kristy will also share how she uses a variety of classroom responsive technologies — such as Jamboards, Google Sheets, Google Docs, Kahoots! — to facilitate an interactive, engaging classroom experience.
Kristen (Kristy) Weidman has worked in the marketing field for over 20 years. After building experience in broadcast journalism, video production, graphic design, sales, project management, and public affairs, Kristy joined Oregon Tech in 2007 and spent many years as an adjunct instructor.
Fast forward to 2023. Kristy is now an associate professor of marketing in the business management department at Oregon Tech. She is also the marketing program director. In addition to advising students, managing the student ambassador program, and running the business and innovation student club, Kristy teaches a wide variety of business and marketing courses, including digital marketing, business presentations, new product development, marketing plan development, marketing special topics, entrepreneurship II, integrated marketing communications, social media marketing, consumer behavior, principles of marketing, and applied student internships.
The popularity and demand for education in professional sales has skyrocketed. Thousands of students want to take sales classes, and companies are donating millions of dollars to universities’ sales programs in hopes of recruiting top talent. However, despite its popularity, sales education is still emergent — about 50% of universities with a full sales curriculum have launched their programs within the last 10 years! We are still learning much about how to build a sales program. How can professors capitalize on this growing movement, excite students, gain administration support, and increase funding from outside companies? This presentation will talk about how professors can jump on the sales bandwagon by covering three topics: one, where does sales education fit within a business school? Two, how can professors develop partnerships with outside companies? And three, what are the up-and-coming trends that companies want students to learn from a sales education?
BJ Allen is an assistant professor of marketing at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Prior to moving to Brigham Young University, BJ worked as an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Arkansas. BJ earned his bachelor's in business management from Brigham Young University and his Ph.D. in marketing from the University of Texas-San Antonio. His research interests include marketing strategy, new product innovation, professional selling, and marketing strategies in networked markets. His research has been published in leading academic journals such as the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Product Innovation Management, and Journal of Cultural Economics. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Product Innovation Management.
BJ currently teaches or has taught new product innovation, marketing strategy, and professional selling. He was a finalist for the Matthew Joseph Emerging Scholar Award and the Journal of Marketing Best Paper Award. BJ also received the PDMA (Product Development Management Association) Best Dissertation Award. In 2020, BJ was awarded the Walton College of Business Outstanding Teacher of the Year. He loves sports, being outdoors, and spending time with his awesome family. He resides in Provo, Utah with his wife Angie and their five children.
In most universities, the entry-level marketing course is a foundation, intro, or principles course with a mixed population of students and degrees. Most students take the course out of obligation rather than desire. However, every student can benefit from learning how to properly tell the story (advertising) to the right people (target market) at the right time (needs-based). So, how do you create a course that students see as beneficial? Join this session to learn more, including how to have your students say that group work was their favorite part of the class!
Dr. Shelly Zaldivar is the department chair and graduate coordinator for the business department of Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU). She also teaches business and marketing courses and enjoys speaking opportunities within and outside the university. Additionally, Shelley is the program coordinator for the marketing program at SAGU. When available, she consults with businesses and church, ministry, and nonprofits on their marketing and leadership growth.
How do we tell a data-driven story that excites and drives innovation in the classroom and the conference room? In this session, Melissa will share what 20 years as a Disney cast member taught her about the art of storytelling and how to use it to present ideas, data, and results. While testing, research, and analytics are critical to business decisions, creating a data-driven story is essential to drive transformation. Let Melissa show you she integrated this art into her classroom to enhance presentation skills and prepare the next generation of marketers to drive innovation.
Dr. Melissa Dennis is an assistant professor of marketing in the School of Business and Education at Gwynedd Mercy University. She earned her DBA from the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College.
Before entering higher education, Melissa worked in customer relationship and customer experience marketing for Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products supporting integrated messaging across digital touchpoints.
Melissa’s research activities include customer journey mapping and personalized targeting for
message relevancy across phases. She is also passionate about marketing metrics and analytics and how to communicate results to tell a story and drive marketing innovation.
In this session, you'll learn the top 10 proven ways to create and sustain student interest semester after semester, including active learning, and exceptional work.
Dr. Maribeth Kuzmeski is the president of Red Zone Marketing, an award-winning marketing consulting firm with clients throughout the financial services industry. Red Zone Marketing's primary focus is designing innovative marketing and business growth initiatives. Maribeth has written nine books on marketing and is also a professor at Oklahoma State University teaching marketing and personal branding, including name, image, and likeness (NIL) for student-athletes. She founded the OSU Brand Squad to assist student-athletes. She has a bachelor’s degree from the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, an MBA from The George Washington University, and a Ph.D. in business administration from Oklahoma State University.
In this session, we'll discuss using social media in the classroom as a way to increase retention, participation, and foster a much stronger connection between students and the instructor. In a post-COVID-19 world, university students are searching for the community that dominated their final years of high school or freshman year of college — we'll discuss ways to help alleviate that need.
Sophia Zaft is a Grand Canyon University professor, busy mom, and Boston Terrier lover who resides in Phoenix. Since joining GCU in 2013, Zaft has led the undergraduate program in social media. She loves experimenting with social media as a teaching tool in the classroom. After working in strategic social media for 15 years, her favorite things are community management, trying new apps, and watching all student’s first "aha!" moments.
Student agencies are nothing new for marketing and communication programs — they provide students with exceptional experiential learning opportunities and real-world experiences with clients in the industry. However, how does one build a student agency that aligns with university goals, industry trends, and student and professional expectations? How can a student agency bring brand recognition and donations to a program and university? This presentation will discuss these points while highlighting these strategies, best practices, and insights from building the University of Louisville’s new student agency, The Bird’s Nest.
Karen Freberg (@kfreberg) is a professor in strategic communications at the University of Louisville, where she teaches, researches, and consults in social media strategy, public relations, and crisis communication. She is also the new director of The Bird’s Nest, a full-service student agency focused on strategic communication and social media at the University of Louisville. Freberg is also an award-winning author and has written several books, including "Social Media for Strategic Communications: Creative Strategies and Research Based Applications" and "Discovering Public Relations: An Introduction to Creative and Strategic Practices." She is also an adjunct instructor at West Virginia University and NYU.
Karen also has worked on several consulting opportunities with General Motors, NATO, Churchill Downs, Adidas, Adobe, Facebook, Chipotle, HubSpot, Sun Tan City, Brown-Forman, The Breeders’ Cup, DHS, CDC, Hootsuite, Colorado Ski Association, and Firestorm Solutions. Freberg has coordinated and advised various companies on the areas of social media pedagogy and certification programs, such as Cannes Lions (cochair of the Cannes Lions Educator Summit), Hootsuite (Advanced Social Media Certification and #HootAmb), Meltwater (certification program and contributor), Adobe (EDUMax Thought Leader and Adobe Education Leader), Facebook Blueprint (Subject Matter Expert), and HubSpot (Education Founding Member).
In this session, we will explore strategies for active learning in the online marketing classroom. Specifically, we will learn how to leverage simulations, writing exercises, and peer feedback to help students get involved, practice essential marketing skills, and make real connections between course concepts and practical skills.
Pam Estell holds bachelor’s degrees in business administration and management and organizational communication; a master’s degree in communication with an emphasis in
organizational communication; and a Ph.D. in communication and information sciences. Pam's professional background includes positions in corporate marketing, higher education recruiting and marketing, higher education training and development, instructional design, and teaching.
She has extensive experience developing and teaching courses in online, in-person, and
hybrid modalities and enjoys interacting with students. She also enjoys researching the intersection of technology and communication, with specific emphasis on its
impacts to employee engagement dynamics.
Western Governors University (WGU) pioneered career-relevant, competency-based education. This session will discuss marketable skills research and how that can be applied to course and program development. Skills research sources will be presented and the mapping of skills to course competencies will be explored. The goal of this session is to expand skills-based education to enhance student marketability and employability.
Dr. Sandra Sjoberg is the associate dean and director of Marketing & Innovation Programs at Western Governors University. She has redeveloped the undergraduate marketing program and recently launched two new graduate marketing programs at WGU. Sandra has twelve years of classroom experience teaching at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland, where she developed an international marketing program that included team-teaching and short-term study abroad programs with South Ural State University in Chelyabinsk, Russia. She authored a Fulbright grant and brought the first Fulbright Scholar to Mount St. Mary’s University Bolte School of Business. Prior to academia, Sandra had over sixteen years of consumer product industry experience with Newell Rubbermaid, The Coca-Cola Company, Kraft Foods, Nabisco Foods Group, and Pepsi-Cola. She has a Ph.D. in applied management and decision sciences from Walden University, holds an MBA in marketing from Vanderbilt University, and a bachelor's degree in marketing and finance from the University of Baltimore.
This session will focus on what students want and need to know in an ever-changing work environment. There is often a gap between what instructors think students should know and what they really need to know — and much goes far beyond hard marketing skills. We'll explore strategy, execution, and management from the perspectives of instructors, students, employers, and clients.
Terry Sullivan has 30 years of business experience as an entrepreneur and corporate employee. As a marketing consultant and small-business coach, Terry has worked with hundreds of businesses of all sizes over the course of his career. With 12 years of experience as an assistant professor and adjunct professor at Webster University’s School of Business and School of Communications in St. Louis, Missouri, Terry has taught and developed courses in a variety of subjects including advertising research, analytics for strategic communications, digital marketing, and more. He is also the author of “Six To Fix: Six Strategic Areas of Marketing to Grow a More Valuable Small Business.”
Coming soon!
Larson is a professor of marketing at Brigham Young University, where he has taught courses in Marketing Research and Internet Marketing since 2007. He received a Master’s Degree in Applied Economics and a Ph.D. in Marketing from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business.
As academics, we work to teach principles, but are your students prepared to shine in the marketplace? In this session, we'll discuss how to teach application along with principles, create great teaching moments, keep your curriculum fresh, and provide students with situational marketing assignments.
Lisa has a unique perspective on the Millennial generation, which she gained through her work as a marketing professor and coffee bar owner. Lisa has developed strategy for a variety of products and services, and she finds her greatest joy in the "ah-ha!" moment when her research and strategy collide and products and services succeed.
To relieve stress, she spends time with her two active children, runs as fast and as far as time will allow, does CrossFit with some of her former students, and rolls on the mats with a great coach for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. She loves learning new things, and the more active they are, the better!
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Marketing & Industry
Along with determining a target audience and identifying their pain points, choosing the right message for a product or service is the foundation of marketing. Students can create all the brilliant marketing ideas in the world, but if they can’t pitch those ideas with confidence and purpose, there's no point!
How can we help students be more confident in sharing their content? In this session, Tara L. Williams will discuss presentation anxiety, provide strategies to help students identify it, and discuss tools and strategies that you, as an instructor, can use to help build confidence in your students so they can pitch with confidence and purpose.
Developing public speaking skills isn't just for public speaking classes, but an interdisciplinary responsibility.
Tara L. Williams is the author of "Public Speaking: Learning to Share with Confidence & Purpose," and has been
teaching at the Medicine Hat College in Alberta, Canada for 15 years. In teaching public speaking, she loves creating a challenging environment where students can grow in their abilities, embrace their uniqueness while delivering, and increase their comfort when sharing with an audience.
Along with being a college instructor, Tara is also a business transformation specialist at the City of Medicine Hat. In this role, she facilitates change through project management, plans and implements training, conducts research, creates business cases, and more. She holds a master's in interdisciplinary studies and a bachelor's in commerce, both from the University of Saskatchewan. Her degrees help her understand the impact of ideas and innovation on an organization and the resulting community.
A dynamic and dedicated community leader, Tara also works to eliminate period poverty in her city and is the momma to two bright littles.
Lora currently resides in Sylvania, Ohio with her husband and two children.
Coming soon!
Timothy is a seasoned marketing executive with two decades of experience at global brands such as Live Nation/Ticketmaster, Jerry Bruckheimer Films and TV, Fortune 500 companies, and various celebrity clients. As vice president of marketing at Live Nation, Tim's marketing team drove millions in ticket sales and grew a social audience to more than 16 million followers. Timothy is adjunct faculty at San Diego University for Integrative Studies, and he is head of marketing for mission-oriented edutainment company Million Stories, a project of the Singleton Foundation for Financial Literacy. Timothy is a graduate of Boston University and an MBA candidate at Quantic School of Business.
10:00 -10:45 a.m.
In this session, we'll discuss how to build a winning GTM strategy with a focus on being a product marketer. We'll also cover other industry roles that are strategic and go beyond digital marketing, branding, or sales.
Wynona Benson is a senior director of product marketing for SAP, a top multinational technology company. Her focus at SAP is the flagship line of products S/4HANA Cloud, which is one of the biggest and most complex cloud products in the technology industry.
Prior to SAP, Wynona spent over a decade in various marketing and corporate strategy roles, from small seed-stage startups to some of the biggest companies in the world. She helps companies find their product market fit, craft go-to-market strategy, and help launch new products and penetrate new markets, including international expansions. Wynona taught marketing management at Brigham Young University - Idaho, and is currently teaching strategy and economics as an adjunct professor at Brigham Young University. She holds an MBA from Texas A&M University and a bachelor's from Brigham Young University - Idaho.
Are you ready for the shift to Google Analytics 4 (GA4)? On July 1, 2023, Google will sunset Universal Analytics (the Google Analytics most instructors know) and divert all users to GA4, their new standard for web analytics data collection. Whether you are ready or not, Google is forcing our immediate transition to GA4. Nathan David, an industry professional, professor, and author of Stukent's "Digital Marketing Analytics: Strategic Decision-making" courseware, has created an Instructor survival guide and resources to ease your transition.
Nathan David has over 10 years of marketing experience, and he has driven results for a range of businesses from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses. He is passionate about teaching and serves as an instructor at Cleveland State University. In addition, Nathan is the author of "Digital Marketing Analytics: Strategic Decision-making," which is taught at over 75 different universities.
Reflecting on his career, the marketing skills that fueled his success were initially cultivated through agency work. Outside of the office and classroom, you will likely find Nathan spinning. Participating in and instructing indoor cycling rides at Everybody Cycle is his favorite.
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Michelle Charello, author of the "Essentials of Social Media Marketing" courseware, currently serves as vice president of marketing at an innovative Energy-as-a-Service organization. In this capacity, Michelle is responsible for leading the marketing strategies to help energy-intensive private- and public-sector organizations unlock ambitious energy transformations.
Prior to this role, Michelle spent over a decade in various global and North American marketing and communication roles for a Fortune 500 company, where she was known as a marketing expert, strategic thinker, and self-starter. Her professional highlights include holding a leadership role in an integrated marketing transformation, growing a global top 60 CEO’s social media followers by more than 260,000 followers, and managing an international online education program with 800,000 users. Michelle taught digital marketing at Bryant University as an adjunct faculty member and holds an MBA from Texas A&M University and a B.S. from Bryant University.
Coming soon!
Writer, scientist, professor, and practitioner of search optimization, Steve Wiideman lives, breathes, and eats SEO, SEM, and inbound marketing. He is the author of "SEO Strategy & Skills," a college courseware published by Stukent. When Steve isn't leading his team of SEO consultants for franchise, multi-location, and e-commerce brands, he's a cheeseball romantic, entertaining dad, and world traveler with a passion for life and embracing culture and diversity. While serving as an adjunct professor at UCSD and CSUF, Steve is building the Academy of Search. He also volunteers his time to help improve transparency and industry standards as an agency trainer.
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Specialized Breakout Rooms
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ProfCon 2021 Keynote Speakers
Personal Branding: How to Set Yourself Apart as an Educator Using Social Media Strategy, Brand Partnerships, and More
Karen Freberg | University of Louisville
Tee Up Your Students for Success: Creating T-shaped Marketers
Scott K. Wilder | Global Head of Customer Engagement and Community at HubSpot
The Missing Pieces of Marketing Management
Terry Sullivan | Strategic Glue | Webster University
Enhancing the Mimic Social Experience: Building Case Studies for Your Students
Jack LaBaugh | Brigham Young University - Idaho
COVID and Client-based Projects: Using Digitial Marketing Concepts to Turn Pandemic Problems into Opportunities
Kristen Schiele | Cal Poly Pomona
Effortless Engagement: Using Tips and Technology to Create Interaction in Online Courses
Kinda Wilson | Oklahoma State University
5 Reasons Why Every Business Student Should Consider Taking A Professional Sales Course
Donald Cecil Kelly | The Sales Evangelist
ProfCon 2021 Breakout Sessions
Learn to Teach SEO: The Lightning Workshop
Scott Cowley | Western Michigan University
"What Do I Ask?" Teaching Core Components of Market Research Surveys
Steven Stromp | Davenport University
Top 10 Social Media Marketing Skills Employers Value
Michelle Charello | Bryant University
How the Advertising Business Caught COVID-19
Edward Russell | Syracuse University
Preparing Students for Jobs: Insights from 100K Entry-level Job Postings
Nathan David | John Carroll University
Not a Sprint: Using the P.A.C.E. Model to Craft Strategic PR Plans
Alisa Agozzino | Ohio Northern University
How the Advertising Business Caught COVID-19
Brian Sheehan | Syracuse University
Digital Advertising Attribution: The Final Frontier
Jeff Larson | Brigham Young University
From Classroom to Conference Room: Teaching Consumer Behavior with a Focus on Real-World Applications
Radhika Duggal | NYU Stern School of Business
Using Improv as an Engagement Strategy to Teach Soft Skills
Jen Riley | Kansas State University
Strategies for Personally Engaging Students in Any Size Class — Online and In Person
Maribeth Kuzmeski | Oklahoma State University
How to Teach and Learn Better Using Cases in Digital Marketing
Mary Beth McCabe | National University
Avoiding Burnout: Guiding Students Through the Challenges of Social Media Marketing
Rafic Sinno | University of Dubuque
The Content Marketing Mindset: Turning Students Into Titans of Creativity
Nicholas O. Mattar | Wayne State University
From Idea to Invoice: Launching a Fee-for-service Campus Consultancy
Tim Marshall | Baldwin Wallace University
Scalable Digital Marketing: Program Architecture for Undergraduates and Graduates
Joie Hain | Clayton State University
From Education to Automation: Project-based Learning that Builds Digital Skills and Competencies
Bryan Adams | Nazareth College
Life Outside the Classroom: How Professors Can Connect With Industry Opportunities
Ryan Russell | University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
To Smile or Not to Smile: Emojis--the New Frontier in Consumer Engagement Across Digital Platforms
Sajna Razi | University of Illinois at Chicago
Social Media Cartography: Create a Course Map for Improved Instruction
Kay Beckermann | Minnesota State University Moorhead
Graduate Perspectives on Social Media Education and the Real-world Experience Spectrum
Dr. Karen Sutherland | University of the Sunshine Coast
Hairy Arms and the Psychology, Practice, and Rigor of Design and Problem Solving in and out of the Classroom
Ursula M. Bryant | University of Lynchburg
Flip Your Digital Marketing Course to HyFlex, Online, or Any Modality You Need!
Richard Hanna | Babson College