Speakers

Barbara Rozgonyi

Panel Moderator & Speaker: Session I – Building Brand & Blogger Relationships

A mother of three, a published author, an accomplished marketing strategist and a PR pro for almost two decades, Barbara Rozgonyi knows what it takes to bring brands, PR agencies, and bloggers together as digital marketing partners. Founder of CoryWest Media, Barbara is a sought-after consultant to PR agencies whose mission is to convey clients’ messages to bloggers and targeted communities in way that makes the message relevant, personable and worth sharing. As the founder of Social Media Club Chicago and publisher of the popular blog Wired PR Works, Barbara is a renowned personality in the digital media world – locally and internationally. In 2010, Barbara contributed the LinkedIn chapter to “Success Secrets of the Social Media Marketing Superstars.” Barbara’s W.I.R.E.D. social media marketing system engineers social media plans in higher education, luxury markets, small businesses, syndicated blogs, publishing houses and at global PR firms. Follow Barbara @wiredprworks on twitter or check out what’s new right now with the Wired PR Works iPhone app.

BLOGGERS PANEL:

Stephanie Precourt, Duong Sheahan, Wendy Piersall, Dwana DeLaCerna, Meagan Francis, & Beth Rosen

BRANDS PANEL:

Connie Burke of GMC, Nicole Grenenbaum of Flat Out Bread, Sheila Dowd of Ubisoft

Sarah Evans

Speaker: Session II -FTC Guidelines Overview and How it Impacted the PR and Blogger World

@PRsarahevans is the Creator of #journchat , the weekly live chat for PR professionals, journalists and bloggers on Twitter. She is the owner of Sevans Strategy, a public relations and new media consultancy. It’s her personal mission to engage and employ the use of emerging technologies in all communication that connects her with a rapidly growing base of more than 45,000 people.

Sarah was in the February 2010 edition of Vanity Fair’s America’s Tweethearts, Forbes’ 14 Power Women to Follow on Twitter and Entrepreneur’s Top 10 Hot Startups of 2010.

Nancy Loo

Panel Moderator & Speaker:  Session III - Catching the Traditional Media’s Airwaves: Beyond the Press Releases

Nancy Loo is an Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist who’s the newest member of the WGN-TV news team, working mainly on WGN Morning News and WGN Midday News.  Prior to joining “Chicago’s Very Own” as a Reporter/Fill-in Anchor in June of 2010, Nancy was an Anchor/Reporter at Fox Chicago after working previously in New York City, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Oregon.

When she isn’t blogging for Chicago Now, Nancy also posts for the TheChicagoMoms.com and serves as Managing Editor of YoungChicagonista.com – a website that encourages an appreciation for writing and technology among young girls.  She was also among the first broadcast journalists to launch her own blog site, NancyLoo.net.

Nancy was nicknamed “Big Tiny” by a Chicago cameraman.  Her first ChicagoNow blog explains why.  Many have come to know her as Big Tiny or even, B.T.  Check her out at Big Tiny World!

Miss Lori

Speaker: Session IV - Taking the Stage

@MissLori burst onto the National scene when she was chosen, out of a pool of 1500 candidates Nationwide, to be the first ever live host for the PBS Kids Preschool Block. From there she has continued to rise releasing a CD, a DVD, producing live shows, tours and television interstitials, and launching her blogsite, MissLori.TV. However, Miss Lori didn’t just start on PBS, she has enjoyed a 30 year career in the performing arts, including work on stage, radio, television and in print. Classically trained in dance, music and theatre, Miss Lori holds a BFA from the Boston Conservatory, but has also studied at Carnegie Mellon, and The University of Milwaukee’s Professional Theatre Training Program. Throughout her illustrious career Miss Lori has had the pleasure of working with such talents as Barry Manilow, Bea Arthur, Liz Calloway, Debra Byrd, Harry Lennix, Mark Harmon, Michael Beach, and Dick Van Patten, to name a few. Off stage Miss Lori has worked with women and children at risk, using role play to examine alternative choices for prior acts, also as a coping mechanism to deal with issues such as violence, sexual and drug abuse, and bullying, Through her company, Miss Lori’s CAMPUS, Miss Lori uniquely applies her theatre skills to promote life skills, helping her students young and old to “Take the Stage of Life.” Whether on stage, screen, recording, computer or live in person Miss Lori is adept at drawing an audience in, communicating her intent, and inspiring action.