The social media summit sponsored by Scripps PRSSA and Scripp College of Communication will be held this Friday, November 4th at Central Venue. The summit consists of a keynote address and day-of competition. Below you can find information on the keynote speaker and each of the four faculty panelists who will be judging the day-of competition.
Meet the Keynote: Kent Landers by Erica Stonehill
We are excited to welcome Kent Landers, APR of Coca-Cola as the keynote speaker for our Opening Up Innovation with Coca-Cola Summit this coming Friday. He currently serves as the Group Director of Corporate Media Relations for the Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, GA.
Prior to joining the Coca-Cola team, Landers represented Delta Air Lines first as the General Manager for Corporate Communications, then as Director of External Communications. As a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin, he served as the 1998-99 PRSSA National President. He continued his involvement with PRSA after graduation as a member of the Board of Directors for Georgia’s Chapter, as well as the PRSA Foundation.
Landers will kick off our Summit with a keynote address regarding innovation in communication. Following lunch, he will then present our attendees with a real-world problem related to his presentation. Teams will work to solve this problem in an innovative and appropriate way. Our panel of faculty members will judge these solutions and choose a winner.
Meet the Panel: Parul Jain by Erica Stonehill
Parul Jain is an assistant professor at the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, focusing in strategic media and health communication research. Through her research she explores how traditional and new media platforms can be used for “behavior promotion, disease prevention and management and to reduce health disparities.” Her work has been published in various journals including, but not limited to Journal of Communication, Journal of Health Communication, Health Communication and Patient Education.
Jain received an honors B.S. in Botany from the University of Delhi in New Delhi, India, as well as her MBA in Marketing from the Fore School of Management, New Delhi. In 2011 she received her doctorate of philosophy in communication from the Ohio State University.
Prior to becoming a member of the bobcat family, Jain worked as an assistant professor at Washington State University.
Meet the Panel: Julie Agnone by Erica Stonehill
Julie Agnone is a Scripps Howard Visiting Professional at the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism where she teaches various classes such as magazine feature writing.
Before coming to Ohio University Agnone served as the Vice President of Operations for Education and Children’s Media at the National Geographic Society, as well as the departments editor, managing editor and executive editor for National Geographic Kids magazine. She knows both ends of the journalism spectrum, as she has written, edited and managed books, marketing materials and more, while also having a hand in branding initiatives and strategic partnerships. She is a member of the American Society of Magazine Editors, the Association of Educational publishers and the Society of American Travel Writers.
Agnone received her B.A. in English from Schiller International University in London, England and her Master’s in Writing from Johns Hopkins University.
Meet the Panel: Dan Farkas by Jacob Sherer
Dan Farkas is an instructor of Strategic Communication at Ohio University specializing in: public relations, media relations, social media, and journalism on the web. Farkas is the faculty advisor of the Hugh M. Culbertson chapter of PRSSA and during his tenure, the chapter has won three national awards, hosted a national PRSSA conference and organized a social media summit. Farkas graduated summa cum laude from Ohio University with his B.S.J. in 1998. Throughout his 18 years, he gained experience in a variety of different fields from being a reporter at WOI TV covering the 1998 Governor’s race, to being an account director for The Milenthal Group; a strategic marketing firm that helps deliver socially responsible messaging for today’s new economy. In 2009, Farkas founded Dan Farkas Interactive, an interactive communications firm in Columbus, OH that markets client’s stories through digital storytelling. Farkas, an avid lover of Ohio University, recently became a father and says his daughter will also graduate from Ohio University in 2033.
Meet the Panel: Jennifer Kirksey by Schuyler Morris
Meet Jennifer Kirksey, Chief of Staff to President Roderick McDavis
Jennifer Kirksey started working at Ohio University in 2000. She worked as a media specialist for the university for five years before joining the Office of the President. In her current position as Chief of Staff and Special Assistant to the President, her duties include “managing the Office of the President, serving as a liaison to students, faculty, staff, and other members of our community and working with the Ohio University community to move its strategic initiatives forward.”
In her role as a media specialist for Ohio University, Jennifer Handled media relations, managed projects and created and implemented strategic communication and marketing plans. Prior to working for the university she worked for Morgen-Walke Associates in New York, New York as an account executive. She also worked for Edward Howard and Co. in Akron, Ohio. She holds a B.S.J. and a M.A. in Organizational Communication, both from Ohio University.
