7:30 – 8:00 AM
Networking
02 — Agenda
Friday,July 17, 2026.
Day Two. John Deere's TikTok influencer. A former White House Press Secretary. We recognize the great Wendy Clark and much more.
Day 01 · July 16Day 02 · July 17
8:00 AM – 8:50 AM
VIBE CODE
Vibe Code Jam: From Problem to Product in 45 Minutes
AI is collapsing the distance between idea and execution — and dismantling the technical barriers that once determined who got to create and build. In this fast-paced, highly interactive session, you’ll roll up your sleeves and vibe code a real-world brand transformation alongside your peers and you will leave with a fresh perspective on why creativity, judgment, and human ingenuity may be the new competitive advantage.
Session Leader
Paddy Dhanda
Product & Agiles Practice Director
QA
8:55 AM
Transition Break
9:00 AM
Opening Keynote
Brand Is a Team Sport — The Expanding Remit and Influence of the Modern CMO
Driving business growth remains the core responsibility of the modern marketing leader — but the levers of growth have become far more interconnected. Today's CMOs increasingly operate across brand, communications, customer experience, culture and enterprise strategy as organizations look for stronger alignment between what companies say, build and deliver. This conversation explores why modern marketing leadership has become less about managing campaigns and more about creating organizational clarity, alignment and momentum across increasingly complex businesses.
Danielle Robinson Bell
Associate Clinical Professor & Academic Director, Medill Executive Education
Northwestern University
Sherina Smith
Chief Marketing Officer
American Family Insurance
9:30 AM
Profiles in Courage: Adjust The Narrative & Double Down on the Mission
In an era of cultural flashpoints, political polarization, and AI-driven misinformation, the modern leader must balance conviction with communication. This session explores how executives can uphold values, sustain trust and integrity, and guide their organizations through moments of external pressure — reframing narratives, protecting culture, and doubling down on purpose when the public square turns volatile.
Allison England
Head of Global Markets Communications
GE Healthcare
Renetta McCann
Chief Inclusion Experiences Officer
Publicis Groupe
Steve Silver
VP, Executive Communications
SAP
Bradley Akubuiro
Partner, Bully Pulpit Int'l & Author, “Faster. Messier. Tougher.: Crisis Communication Strategies in an Era of Populism, AI & Distrust”
10:05 AM
Dancing With Machines
What is the future of creativity? How will we know what is genuine? How will we define authenticity? This session explores the emerging tension between speed and soul — and why the real risk isn't that AI replaces creativity but that it dilutes it. AI can generate content at scale, but it can't originate taste, judgment, or instinct. So how do we reclaim originality, protect the brand soul, and learn how to work with machines without becoming one?
Jeff Brecker
Partner, Growth & Innovation
Siberia
David Hernandez
Chief Creative Officer
Allstate
Myra Nussbaum
VP, Global Brand, Moen & House of Rohl
Fortune Brands
Anthony Vitagliano
Founder & Creative Director
TONOS
10:40 AM
Break
10:50 AM
How John Deere's Creator Strategy Engages the Next Generation of Brand Loyalists
What does a 188-year-old tractor company have to teach marketers about the future of influence? This session explores how John Deere is incorporating creator-led storytelling into its brand strategy to build relevance and affinity with a new generation of customers and fans. It's a case study in how influence is evolving from a marketing tactic into a strategic brand capability.
Meghan Anhalt
Global Social Media Lead
John Deere
Rex Curtiss
Chief Tractor Officer
John Deere
The State of Influence
Influencer marketing has become one of the fastest-growing and most influential forces in modern marketing. Yet behind the explosive growth lies a more complicated reality: fragmented measurement, inconsistent attribution, questions around authenticity and increasing pressure to balance short-term performance with long-term brand equity. This session examines the evolving creator ecosystem through a wider strategic lens.
Meghan Anhalt
Global Social Media Lead
John Deere
Sheena Rubin
Head of Social & Earned Media
The United States Army
David Freeman
Founder & CEO
Kynetic Ventures & Former Head of Digital Media & Talent, CAA
11:30 AM
The Trust Deficit: The New Demands of Communications Leadership
In an environment shaped by AI-generated content, fragmented media ecosystems, collapsing attention spans and growing public skepticism, the challenge facing modern communications leaders is no longer simply breaking through the noise — it's building credibility, trust and institutional confidence in the first place. This conversation explores the rapidly evolving role of communications leadership at the intersection of business, media, politics and culture.
Bradley Akubuiro
Partner, Bully Pulpit Int'l & Author, “Faster. Messier. Tougher.: Crisis Communication Strategies in an Era of Populism, AI & Distrust”
Robert Gibbs
Chief Communications & Public Affairs Officer
Warner Bros. Discovery
12:05 PM
Leadership and Longevity: A Conversation with Helen Lin & Tara Walpert Levy
Few industries have evolved as rapidly — or as relentlessly — as digital media and marketing. Through multiple waves of technological, platform and consumer transformation, Helen Lin and Tara Walpert Levy have not only remained relevant and resilient — they've helped shape the industry and move it forward. Join us for this candid fireside conversation on leadership, reinvention and staying ahead of constant change.
Helen Lin
Chief Digital Officer
Publicis Groupe
Tara Walpert Levy
VP, Americas
YouTube
12:30 PM
THE DON SCHULTZ AWARD
The Don Schultz Award & Keynote Luncheon
Presented to Wendy Clark
Charles Whitaker
Dean and Professor, Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, Northwestern University
Wendy Clark
President
The Consello Group
2:00 PM
Conference Adjournment & Post-Conference Networking