Meet some of the folks who will be leading the seminars:
Rick Thames is the editor of the Charlotte Observer and its Web site, CharlotteObserver.com, which reach a combined audience of 1 million readers a week. The Observer’s staff of 165 journalists is the largest newsgathering organization in the Carolinas. Thames is a native of Laurinburg, N.C., and has worked in newspapers for 31 years. Nearly half of his career has been in Charlotte, where he has held numerous editing roles, including metro editor, politics editor and Page 1 editor. He has also worked at papers in Florida and Kansas. He is the immediate past president of the North Carolina Press Association, which represents 200 newspapers across the state. Reach Rick at rthames@charlotteobserver.com. Rick is delivering the keynote address in the kickoff session.
Cheryl Carpenter is the managing editor at The Charlotte Observer. She has held several editing positions, including state editor, business editor and page 1 editor. She has spoken at National Writer Workshops, API, the Poynter Institute and the Institute for Advancement in Journalism in Johannesburg, South Africa. She edited a series that was chosen as a Pulitzer Prize finalist in public service. She was a 2005 Nieman fellow at Harvard University and a Pulitzer Prize judge. Reach Cheryl at ccarpenter@charlotteobserver.com. Cheryl will moderate the closing panel, “The Next Big Thing in Social Networking Is …”
Jeff Elder is a longtime Charlotte Observer columnist who studied social media as a Knight fellow at Stanford University last year. While there he worked with social media pioneer Howard Rheingold, and visited both Facebook and Twitter to pull together case studies for Stanford projects. He now works as a social media writer and consultant, and maintains close ties to the Observer. You can follow him on Twitter, @jeffelder, connect with him on LinkedIn, friend him on Facebook, and read his blog at www.jeffelder.net. Jeff will teach Social Media 101, deliver the lunch keynote, “What NOT to do on Facebook and Twitter” and sit on the closing panel, “The Next Big Thing in Social Networking Is …”
Glenn H. Burkins is editor and publisher of Qcitymetro.com, an independent, online news site that provides news and information tailored toward the African American community in the Charlotte region. Reach Glenn at editor@qcitymetro.com. Glenn will participate on the panel for, “In the Community: How to Create a Community Web Site.”
Lisa Hoffmann began exploring social media for marketing and PR during her years working for a small agency catering to small businesses. During that time she discovered that social media is an amazingly powerful networking tool. She began working as a social media strategist for Duke Energy this fall. Reach Lisa at http://newmedialisa.com and twitter.com/LisaHoffmann. Lisa will lead the seminar, “Social Media 101.”
Scott Hepburn is a content marketing specialist and president of Media Emerging, a social media marketing firm. He’s a co-founder of the Social Media Works seminars and has also been a coalition builder for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He blogs about PR, marketing, and new media at MediaEmerging.com. Reach Scott at scotthepburn@mediaemerging.com. Scott will lead “Social Media 101.”
Bill Pitzer is News Graphics Editor at the Charlotte Observer. He also runs his own multimedia studio: infoartz.com. An information designer who creates visuals for print and online, Pitzer holds a masters degree in New Media and Global Education from Appalachian State University. Reach Bill at bpitzer@charlotteobserver.com. Bill will lead the seminar: “Looking Good – How to Make a Visual Impact on the Web”
Crystal Dempsey owns From The Hip Communications and is a communications consultant. She’s also a freelance writer and editor. Her elevator pitch? Connector. Instigator. Social Media Advocate. Story-Teller. Crystal will speak on the closing panel, “”The Next Big Thing in Social Networking Is …” You can follow Crystal at her work blog, From The Hip Communications LLC; Personal site/blog,
The World According To Crystal; on Twitter at @CrystalDempsey, @From_The_Hip; on Facebook at
Facebook for From The Hip; LinkedIn; Foursquare.
Dr. John A. McArthur is an assistant professor and Director of Undergraduate Programs in the School of Communication at Queens University of Charlotte. His current research includes studies of the ways that we produce and distribute information using the various platforms of medium and modality, including digital environments, speeches, print documents, physical space, and social media. Reach Mac on @JAMcArthur; Facebook: www.facebook.com/JAMcArthur; Email: mcarthurj@queens.edu. Mac will speak on the closing panel, “The Next Big Thing in Social Networking Is …”
Penny Sommer is president of Powerful Edge Coaching, LLC and has over 20 years in sales and marketing. She is a certified professional coach trained by the N.C. State Business Coaching Institute and the Colorado-based Newfield Network, both affiliated with the International Coach Federation. She is a certified Hogan Assessment Partner. Reach her at penny@powerfuledge.com, 704.975.5319, www.powerfuledgecoaching.com or http://www.linkedin.com/in/pennysommer . Penny will teach the course, “Connect Your Career: How Social Networking Can Help Your Career.”
Renee DeKemper is a senior professional in human resources with over 20 years experience spanning non-profits, financial services, media, financial services and the utility industry. Certified as a life coach and in the MBTI, Renee is affiliated with International Coach Federation and is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management. Reach Renee at RDeKemper@hngirlscouts.org. Renee will teach the course, “Connect Your Career: How Social Networking Can Help Your Career.”
Andrew Dunn is editor-in-chief of The Daily Tar Heel and a former Charlotte Observer intern. He specializes in using social media for sources and stories. Reach Andrew at twitter.com/andrew_dunn; facebook.com/dunnreporter; linkedin.com/in/andrewmdunn and andrewmdunn@gmail.com Andrew will lead the seminar, “How to Have Fun in Social Networking” and “Social Media 101.”
Sara Gregory is a senior at UNC Chapel Hill and The Daily Tar Heel’s online managing editor. Previously she has interned at The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, The Salisbury Post and The (Southern Pines) Pilot. Reach Sara at sara.e.gregory@gmail.com; on Twitter @saragregory;Sara will lead the seminar, “How to Have Fun in Social Networking” and “Social Media 101.”
Caroline Adams is a marketing specialist and contributing journalist for The Scoop Network. Her background includes working in the commercial development industry managing and creating events, media buying, public relations and so on. She is a member of the Tiffany Circle of Leadership for Women for the American Caroline has been nominated two years in a row by the International Council of Shopping Centers for their international marketing award, winning once. She also received the Humanitarian Award of the year from the American Red Cross in 2009. Reach Caroline at caroline@ballantynescoop.com. Caroline will participate on the panel for, “In the Community: How to Create a Community Web Site.”
Steve Sherron is a longtime Union County resident. After taking an early retirement from Verizon, Steve’s love of shooting video and other forms of multimedia led to the development a network of community based news Web sites, The Scoop Network: ballantynescoop.com, monroescoop.com, indiantrailscoop.com and westernunioncountyscoop.com. Reach Steve at steve@monroescoop.com. Steve will participate on the panel for, “In the Community: How to Create a Community Web Site.”
Ben Ullman is a user-experience designer at Bank of America with an interest in publishing and information design. He created http://tegacaytalk.com, a locally-focused social network, with the aim of improving communication, creativity and community news reporting in his hometown. Reach Ben at bu@budesigns.com. Ben will participate on the panel for, “In the Community: How to Create a Community Web Site.”.
