IMC Connect! 2022 A Roundtable experience

IMC Connect! Event Page

The purpose of this page is to provide a synopsis of all of the events that will be included at the first ever IMC Connect!: A Roundtable Experience hosted by the University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media. This agenda provides a full agenda for IMC Connect! which includes workshops, topical panel sessions stemming from the leading trends in IMC, meals, breaks, and more!

Following the schedule of events, you will find a line up of our honored guests for IMC Connect! 2022, including some of the foremost experts in integrated marketing communications (IMC). We are thrilled to facilitate collaborations and connections among both academic researchers and industry practitioners at this event. We will welcome communication leaders from well-known household brands including The Home Depot, FedEx, Chick-fil-A, and Carnival Cruise Line, agency representation from KQ Communications, and researchers from four peer institutions who will provide critical insights related to crisis communication, social media and big data, social justice in public relations, and advertising.

Please note that this event is pre-registration only and is open to a limited number of faculty, staff, and students in the School of Journalism and New Media. Please reserve your spot for various sessions below.

IMC Students: Pre-register for the event here.

IMC Faculty and Staff: Pre-register for the event here.

IMC Connect! Schedule

Thursday, March 31st

2:00 p.m. | Private Tour of Rowan Oak available for the guests who arrive early.

4:00-4:45 p.m. | Optional Campus Walking Tour available for those who are interested.

5:00-6:30 p.m. | Q&A Job Prep Panel: The Connection Between Research and Practice hosted by PRSSA in The Overby Center Auditorium

All invited speakers will come together in this informal conversational panel to share their words of wisdom and best career advice with interested students. This event will be hosted by the University of Mississippi Public Relations Student Society of America.

Moderator: Professor Scott Fiene

*This session will be live streamed to allow our students at satellite locations (Southaven and Tupelo) or who cannot attend in person (e.g., COVID-19 exposure) to be able to tune in.

7:00 p.m. | Dinner for invited guests, leadership, and select faculty at The Isom Place | 1003 Jefferson Ave, Oxford, MS 38655

*Students from the IMC 580 Event Planning and Management class and/or faculty will transport invited guests to the dinner.

IMC Connect! 2022 Speakers

Chris Chiames, Chief Communications Officer, Carnival Cruise Line

Chris Chiames joined the world’s largest cruise line in 2018 and brings a strong track record of accomplishment in communications leadership across travel and technology. Prior to joining Carnival, Chris held executive leadership positions in aviation (Airlines4America, American Airlines, US Airways), and travel technology and distribution (Orbitz Worldwide and Sabre). He also led the travel and tourism public affairs practice at Burson-Marsteller (now BCW) during the travel industry’s critical response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and subsequent financial crisis. His assignments have included financial restructurings, IPOs, and mergers & acquisitions, major product and service rollouts, industrial accidents, terrorism and technology security events, government investigations and regulatory scrutiny, and labor negotiations and work disruptions. His scope of duties has included public relations, government affairs, employee communications, community affairs, investor relations and customer relations. Chris holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from California State University, Fresno, a Master of Arts in journalism from the University of Maryland, and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He has been honored by the Public Relations Society of America and the California State University, Fresno School of Media, Communications & Journalism, among others. He is a member of the Arthur Page Society for senior communications executives and has served on the academic advisory board for both the Southern Methodist University Department of Corporate Communications & Public Affairs and the University of Florida Department of Public Relations. Chris is also the co-host of the popular podcast “Airlines Confidential,” which airs weekly on all major podcast platforms.

Steve Holmes, VP of Corporate Communications and External Affairs, The Home Depot

As comms chief, Holmes’ responsibilities include managing internal and external communications for the company, digital communications, an internal broadcast team (HDTV) and a content creation team called "Story Lab." He is also responsible for the company’s multi-million dollar branded merchandise program and events management, and he serves as president and a trustee of The Home Depot Foundation, the charitable arm of the company comprised of more than $200 million in assets.

"One of the biggest comms efforts we have is around our $11.1 billion in investments over the next three to four years," said Holmes, who oversees 100-plus staffers.

Holmes joined The Home Depot in 2007 as a senior manager and moved into his most recent role as vice president of corporate communications and external affairs in November 2018.

Earlier in his career, he worked as a PR manager for UPS for nearly nine years. The Home Depot had more than $151 billion in revenues and ranked No. 18 on the Fortune 500 list in 2018.

Reade Tidwell, Vice President of Corporate Communications, Chick-fil-A

Reade Tidwell oversees the communication of company vision and direction to all internal stakeholders. Her role includes Strategic Projects, Executive Office, which focuses on supporting the CEO and President in strategic projects and coordination across the business. She also leads Chick-fil-A’s Corporate Communications team, which serves as a group of strategic communication advisors inside the company.

Renee Malone, President & Founding Partner KQ Communications

Renee Malone is the founding partner and president of KQ Communications. Known as the organization’s guru of strategic communications planning and crisis media, she is Accredited in Public Relations and certified in Crisis Communication. Malone is an Illinois native with an undergraduate degree in Communications and an MBA with a concentration in Marketing.

Before co-founding the agency, she worked as a broadcast news reporter, anchor and as a public information officer for a school district. In her role at KQ, Renee has spent more than 12 years leading award-winning projects for nonprofit, business and government clients. She’s received awards from the Associated Press, PR News, Public Relations Society of America-Memphis and Georgia Chapters, and the National School Public Relations Association. Renee was most recently named the 2019 Executive of the Year by the Public Relations Society of America, Memphis Chapter.

Amy Rosenberg, Digital Media Director, KQ Communications

Amy Rosenberg is the Digital Media Director for KQ Communications. Amy is a passionate storyteller - something she picked up during her nine years as an award-winning television reporter, anchor, and producer. At KQ, she leads a team of creatives as they use research and strategy to find unique ways to tell clients’ stories through social platforms and other digital mediums. She has successfully led some of the company’s top projects and earned honors from the Memphis and Atlanta Chapters of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) as well as the Associated Press. The Wisconsin native lived in Texas, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Tennessee before making her home in Atlanta, Georgia.

Jenny D. Robertson, SVP, Integrated Marketing & Communications, FedEx Services

Jenny Robertson is the Senior Vice President of Integrated Marketing and Communications at FedEx Services. In this role, she is responsible for managing the global FedEx brand and reputation as well as driving revenue growth through strategic communications, customer engagement marketing, public affairs, citizenship, sponsorships, media relations, social media, and advertising.

Since joining FedEx in 2004, Robertson has held a number of positions throughout the company, including Vice President of Corporate Communications and Director of Global Citizenship and Reputation Management for FedEx Services. She also served as Manager of Global Media Relations for FedEx Services and Senior Manager of Marketplace Communications for FedEx Office in Dallas. Her work in these roles has helped shape the reputation of FedEx as one of the 20 most admired companies in the world as ranked by FORTUNE Magazine. Prior to FedEx, Robertson worked in public relations and advertising for Memphis-based marketing firm Archer Malmo.

Robertson is a three-time winner of the company’s prestigious Five Star Award and has won numerous industry awards for public relations, including being named a PRWeek Hall of Femme 2021 honoree. She is involved in various civic activities, including serving on the boards of the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, Regional One Health Foundation and the Levitt Shell. A graduate of the University of Mississippi, Robertson resides in downtown Memphis with her husband and two children.

Dr. Timothy Coombs, Texas A&M University

Dr. Cooms received his Ph.D. in Public Affairs and Issues Management from Purdue University. Coombs is a full professor in the Department of Communication at Texas A&M University and holds the Abell Endowed Professorship in Liberal Arts. He is the recipient of the 2002 Jackson, Jackson & Wagner Behavioral Science Prize from the Public Relations Society of America, the 2013 Pathfinder Award from the Institute of Public Relations in recognition of his research contributions to the field and to the practice, and the 2014 Business Impact Award from the Association for Business Communication and USC Marshall School of Business, Center for Management Communication. Dr. Coombs has won multiple PRIDE awards from the Public Relations Division of the National Communication Association for both books and research articles. He is also a member of the prestigious Arthur W. Page Society.

Dr. Coombs was a Fulbright Scholar in Estonia in the Spring of 2013. In the Fall of 2013, he was the named NEMO Professor at Lund University, Helsingborg Campus. In 2015 he was invited to lecture at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. In 2015 he was designated an honorary professor in the Department of Business Communication at Aarhus University. He is the past editor for Corporation Communication: An International Journal.

Dr. W. Timothy Coombs’ primary research focuses on crisis communication. In 1995, he published the first article that would lead to the articulation of the Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT). SCCT is recognized as one of the most influential theories in crisis communication. His work has been at the forefront of establishing crisis communication as an identifiable research field within corporate communication. The recognition of his expertise is reflected in the variety of speaking engagements in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

Dr. Rebecca Britt, The University of Alabama

Dr. Britt focuses on the use of large-scale web data and computational methods to inform health communication campaigns and chronic illness. Current projects include work on health disparities in Alabama, online communities of practice, and social media discourses of health, among other topics. Additional research lines include examining health narrative influences and social dynamics in online subcultures. Dr. Britt's work has been funded through university, state, and federal organizations. She serves on several editorial boards.

Dr. Candice Edrington, The University of South Carolina

Dr. Candice Edrington identifies herself as a scholar-activist. Her teaching and research focus on public relations, social movements, visual rhetoric, and social media. Before earning her Ph.D. in Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media from NC State, Dr. Edrington gained professional experience in the communication and public relations field via capacities such as: Adjunct Instructor, Independent Public Relations Consultant, Coordinator of Communications, and Director of Engagement.

Having over seven years of teaching experience, she has taught a variety of core communication and public relations courses. As an instructor, her goal is to not only prepare students for careers in Public Relations and Strategic Communication, but to facilitate the co-creation of knowledge through critical thinking, relationship building, and hands-on experience. In the classroom, she aims to foster a positive learning space where diversity and inclusion of all, and their ideas, are welcomed.

Much like her academic and professional experience, her research agenda is interdisciplinary in nature. Having experience in both quantitative and qualitative methods, she explores the intersections of social movements, strategic communication, and social media through a public relations lens. Her passion for social justice and change fuels the desire to uncover both visual and textual messaging strategies that promote action and build effective relationships. Her research is published in the Journal of Public Interest Communications and Visual Communication Quarterly.

Dr. Debbie Treise, The University of Florida

Dr. Debbie Treise is a professor in the Department of Advertising and the coordinator of the Science/Health Master’s track in the College of Journalism and Communications (CJC) at the University of Florida. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the American Academy of Advertising.

Treise received her Ph.D. in 1992 from the University of Tennessee. She has raised more than $1.2 million in grants from NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center to study science communications. She has received grant funding from UF’s CTSI and serves as a member of the CTSI’s Executive Operations Committee for Health Communications Research. She was the CJC's first recipient of the University of Florida’s Research Faculty Fellowship in 1998, based on her research in science and health communication. She is the author of several book chapters, journal articles, conference presentations and national and international invited talks on science and health communications. She serves on the editorial board of several journals and serves on numerous industry, university, college and department committees.

Dr. Treise's community service includes serving with the Hippodrome’s H.I.T.T program for at-risk youths and as an Angel Flight volunteer pilot. Professional affiliations include: the National Association of Science Writers, American Academy of Advertising, Association for Consumer Research, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, International Communications Association, Society for Consumer Psychology, Advances in Marketing and Health Care Research (treasurer), American Academy for the Advancement of Science, Association of Health Care Journalists, Association of Environmental Journalists.

Dr. Marquita Smith, The University of Mississippi

Before joining the University of Mississippi’s School of Journalism and New Media as assistant dean for graduate programs, Dr. Marquita Smith served as the Communication and Fine Arts Division Chair and Coordinator of Diversity Relations at John Brown University.

Smith’s 16 years of professional experience includes work in various newsrooms. She worked as an assistant metro editor at the Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser. She also has worked as a reporter at the Lexington-Herald Leader, the (Biloxi) Sun Herald and in Knight Ridder’s Washington bureau. Her last newsroom assignment was as Virginia Beach bureau chief at The Virginian-Pilot. Smith joined The Pilot as a local government editor in 2001.

In 2008, Smith went on leave from The Pilot to complete a Knight International Journalism Fellowship in Liberia. During her time in West Africa, she created a judicial and justice reporting network and continues to help journalists develop skills to cover the post-war nation’s poverty reduction efforts. Ghanaians elected a new president in 2008, and she created several training models to help reporters and editors prepare for covering that event. Smith was named to the list journalismdegree.org publication entitled Top 50 Journalism Professors in 2012. A native of Jackson, Tennessee, Smith was a Fulbright Scholar for the 2016-2017 academic year at the University of Ghana, Legon. Her research interests focus on media development, digital media leadership, public health communications and topics on diversity and inclusion.

Dr. Ike Brunner, The University of Mississippi

Dr. Ike Brunner is part of the IMC faculty at the University of Mississippi specializing in social media, data analytics, and influencer marketing. He has over a decade of industry experience in market research and digital/social media marketing and has worked with all types of businesses, from local SMBs to top international global companies. He has expertise in digital marketing & social media training, strategy, research, and evaluation.

Ike received his Ph.D. in Communication Studies from Bowling Green State University and previously taught at Wright State University and Texas Tech University.