Jim Tax leads Client Management for the Enterprise Strategy and Marketing team.  Jim is responsible for planning and executing integrated marketing, sales and service plans for USAA’s insurance, bank and investments unit. 
Before joining USAA in 2010, Jim was Senior Vice President, Strategic Marketing Executive at Bank of America. Prior to Bank of America, he served as Chief Marketing Officer for Countrywide Insurance Group, held several positions at Allstate Insurance Company and began his career in the advertising industry in Chicago.
Jim earned a BS in economics from University of Iowa. He lives in Texas with his wife and two wonderful girls.

Michael Perman is Dean of Global Innovation at Gap, Inc, where he leads innovation programs for new products and consumer experiences across all of Gap’s brands. He leads the “Mindspark” program, which is a multi-sensory team event that addresses key business challenges using creative problem-solving tools.  Michael is also responsible for developing innovation architecture and talent. Prior to joining GAP, Michael was Senior Director of Global Marketing at Levi’s, where he helped reposition the women’s business and introduce Levi’s Curve ID.

As an innovative entrepreneur, Jessica Reinhart has a passion for building brands with staying power. Her experience is far-reaching, from working as a marketing consultant with internationally recognized brands to launching several successful business ventures, including the direct sales company Origami Owl.

During the two and a half years that she served as Chief Marketing Officer for Origami Owl, she helped grow the humble start-up into a $250 million enterprise, and had the opportunity to build an iconic brand and culture from the ground up. Along with her husband, Jeff, she now runs Thinkful Inc., a business incubator that provides funding, mentorship, and strategic planning to young companies that make a positive impact in the world. Thinkful Inc. is the culmination of her vast experience and the continuation of a legacy of giving back. She and Jeff have three young children, splitting their time between Arizona and New Hampshire.

Alison Circle has more than 25 years marketing experience. For 13 years she was National Marketing Director for Garrison Keillor and "A Prairie Home Companion," which included performances, tours, products and international media coverage. Following that she was Account Director at Jack Morton Worldwide, a global branding agency, where her primary client was Target, for whom she managed internal branding, gift card and Target Visa launches. In 2004 she joined CML as Director of Marketing and Strategic Planning. In that capacity she rebranded the organization and won over 20 national and international awards for her work. In 2010 that work was recognized with the Library Journal’s Library of the Year. She blogged about libraries and marketing for Library Journal, titled Bubble Room, and speaks extensively around the nation on the subject. In 2011 Library Journal recognized her work with the Mover & Shaker award. In 2012 she was promoted to Chief Customer Experience Officer where she serves on the Executive Leadership Team and oversees 23 library locations, Marketing and all programs and products. 

As Vice President, Inflight Experience, Rachel is responsible for developing and delivering in-flight Service with the primary objective of maintaining the highest level of customer service being delivered by the 3000+ Inflight Crewmembers at JetBlue.  She has over 25 years of experience within the airline industry, much of it dedicated to the design and implementation of new products and services.

Rachel’s airline career started early -  while she was still at College, interning for Air Canada in the UK and since then she’s spent over 25 years working in the airline world - for Delta in the UK, Germany and Atlanta, then several years with United in Chicago joining JetBlue in July 2009 as Director, Product Development. While born just outside of London and married to an Irishman they are pleased to call New York home! Outside of work Rachel enjoys running – she’s run several marathons and also has a love of travel which is lucky as she has family living across 3 continents – the US, Europe and Asia. 

Maggie joined Kimpton 2.5 years ago with the vision to innovate CRM and Loyalty in the industry. Her responsibilities at Kimpton include Loyalty, CRM, Guest Marketing, Social Media and Restaurant Marketing. Prior to Kimpton, Maggie spent 6 years at United Airlines in a variety of roles spanning Brand Management, Partnership Marketing, Loyalty and Merchandising. At the airline, Maggie launched Travel Options for United and later was responsible for the rebranding as United merged with Continental. Before joining United, Maggie was responsible for Digital Marketing at Walgreens. She got her degree in Economics in her native Sweden.
A true travel family, Maggie’s husband is a pilot for Virgin America and her two kids are travel veterans. When not working, Maggie enjoys Yoga, cooking and running.

As Director of Marketing, 360 & Content, Andy oversees all corporate marketing, content marketing and social media strategies for Cirque du Soleil shows across the globe. Since joining Cirque du Soleil in early 2011, he has developed unique marketing campaigns that have driven awareness, social growth, and revenue. He has also worked extensively with other large brand partners including MGM Resorts, Disney, The Beatles, the Michael Jackson Estate, the Elvis Presley estate, Nerdist, Marvel, Macys, and Paramount Studios.

@andylevey
@cirque

Tony Drummond is Vice President, Customer Experience at Manheim, the world’s leading provider of vehicle remarketing services.  His responsibilities include operationalizing the voice of the customer through experience design, delivery and measurement in a high-touch and increasingly digital B2B auction environment.  Prior to joining Manheim, Tony was Associate Partner, IBM Global Business Services, where he provided customer-centric business transformation advisory services to clients in the Media, Entertainment and Telecommunications industries.

Melinda catalyzes positive social and environmental change through business model innovation, culture and behavior change, brand experience design and storytelling. She has more than 20 years of experience catalyzing social entrepreneurs, mature social enterprises and innovation initiatives for Fortune 500 companies and NGOs.

As the CEO of Change Catalyst, Melinda leads a high-impact innovation firm that empowers leaders in social and environmental change. She is particularly passionate about supporting women leaders of change – through events, workshops, and a new online accelerator and investment platform for early stage female social entrepreneurs.

Melinda is also a writer, speaker and award-winning documentary filmmaker. Her film and television work includes projects that exposed the AIDS crisis in South Africa, explored women’s rights in Turkey, and prepared communities for the effects of climate change. She has also worked on several television shows, including NBC’s The West Wing.

Follow Her @Socialblisscom

David Mingle is the Executive Director, GM North America Customer Experience at General Motors. In this role, he is responsible for leading the execution of global customer experience strategies and processes in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. This includes customer and dealer standards, as well as contact centers.

Prior to joining General Motors, Mingle served as Senior Director, Chief Customer Manager for Nissan North America, where he led Nissan North America’s customer experience activities. In this position, he formed and chaired the organization’s Customer Experience Program Management Office, which coordinated and provided governance for customer-related activities across all of Nissan’s business functions. In addition, he oversaw lead management, owner direct marketing and customer support call center operations across various communication platforms, which included the extension of the organization’s customer support framework to include social media.

Mingle began his diverse Automotive career at Ford Motor Company, where he gained experience as a financial analyst before taking on a role in marketing.

A native of Illinois, Mingle received both his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and his Master of Science Degree in Economics and Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He currently serves as a board member for several personal interest organizations including the Jason Whitfield Foundation, which has provided scholarships to aspiring Olympic athletes in men’s gymnastics. Mingle resides in Oakland Township, Mich., with his wife, Heather, and is the father of three children.

Gina Bhawalkar is AVP of User Experience and Accessibility at Scottrade, Inc. in St. Louis MO, where she oversees a department tasked with designing great customer experiences for traders and investors.   At Scottrade she was hired to establish a User Experience practice within the firm and grow a UX team.  She has grown a team of one to a team of eight UX designers and UX researchers and has integrated user-centered design into the software development process.  In addition to overseeing the UX department Gina leads the firm’s journey mapping efforts and has been thrilled to see this technique embraced and leveraged as a tool to define product strategy from a client-centric standpoint.   Gina is also passionate about ensuring digital products are accessible to all users, regardless of ability, which has led her to oversee Scottrade’s accessibility efforts and educate associates throughout her company on the importance of inclusive design.

Prior to joining Scottrade, Gina was a UX consultant for four years at Perficient, Inc.   Prior to Perficient she worked in the accessibility industry first at the Georgia Tech Research Institute and then at Criterion 508 Solutions.  She has a MS in Human-Computer Interaction from the Georgia Institute of Technology and undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Computer Science from Trinity University.  In her free time Gina is a lover of endurance sports and enjoys competing in marathons.

Sue Martin is the Director of Customer Service at Newegg Inc., the leading electronics-focused e-retailer in the United States. As a 20-year veteran of customer service management, Sue brings a strong background managing large customer service organizations and centers in the airline, wireless, cable and outsourcing and retail industries. Her experience includes center assessments for best practices and standards optimization, agent and management training programs, inter/intra-departmental communications programs and project management. Sue joined Newegg in early 2011 to lead the company’s award-winning customer service division.

John Corrigan is Vice President of Customer Experience at ACT in Iowa City and is responsible for developing new customer-facing solutions designed to better serve millions of students, educators and educational institutions with personalized experiences.  Mr. Corrigan’s CX organization at ACT includes teams focused on user experience, customer journey mapping, new reporting concepts, customer metrics, web-based solutions, social business models, service design and design thinking.  Prior to joining ACT and entering the not-for-profit sector, Mr. Corrigan spent more than 20 years in the technology industry working for a combination of large and small software and consulting services companies ranging from the global consulting firm Accenture to innovative start-ups in Austin, Texas.  Mr. Corrigan has worked with a variety of technology products and services spanning fields such as cloud-based systems, mobile applications, enterprise software and business intelligence.  Mr. Corrigan has been a keynote presenter at Salesforce.com’s Dreamforce conference, served as a panelist at SXSWedu, presented at Social Media Week and has been quoted in major business publications such as Forbes Magazine.  He earned a B.A. degree at Drake University and M.S. degree from Northwestern University. 

Brenda Morris is on the Board of Directors of Boot Barn, a western and work wear retailer, carrying quality products and providing excellent customer experiences.  Brenda has over 30 years of experience in finance, accounting and operations roles, with over 20 years in the consumer products, retail and wholesale sectors. Brenda most recently served as Chief Financial Officer for 5.11 Tactical, a tactical gear and apparel wholesaler and retailer. From 2011 to 2013 Brenda was the Chief Financial Officer for Love Culture, a young women's fashion retailer. From 2009 to 2011 Brenda was the Chief Financial Officer for Icicle Seafoods, a premium seafood processor and distributor. Brenda was also Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of iFloor.com from 2007 to 2009, Chief Financial Officer at Zumiez Inc. from 2003 to 2007, Chief Financial Officer at K2 Corporation from 1999 to 2003, Controller at Unionbay Sportswear from 1995 to 1999, Controller at Bowers Machine from 1992 to 1995 and held various senior accounting roles at UtilX Corporation from 1987 to 1992 and Wilcox Family Farms from 1984 to 1987. Brenda is a graduate of Pacific Lutheran University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting, and she earned her master's degree in business administration from Seattle University. Brenda has served on the Pacific Lutheran University Board of Regents from May 2011 to present and is the current Vice-Chair of that board. Brenda has served on several non-profit boards in various capacities, including Treasurer, Audit Chair and Compensation Chair. Brenda is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive), Certified Management Accountant and Certified Global Management Accountant.  Brenda is passionate about people and relationships and ensuring that engagement drives results!

Mrs. Kallet has served as the Chief Digital Officer, SVP Marketing of BofI Federal Bank – Bank of Internet since February 2014. Prior to joining the Bank, Mrs. Kallet was CMO- Chief Marketing Officer for DrWeil.com and was Senior Director of Marketing at DeVry Inc., heading marketing and lead generation for the Carrington Colleges Group.  Prior she was Vice President of Marketing for SkyMall. Mrs. Kallet began her career with 10 years of bank marketing, where she assumed positions of increasing responsibility, including AVP of Direct Marketing and Sales Promotion at Valley National Bank in Phoenix Arizona. Mrs. Kallet completed her graduate program studies in Digital Marketing and Strategic Marketing Management at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Her undergraduate is from Syracuse University.

Chip Heath is a professor at Stanford Graduate School ofBusiness, teaching courses on business strategy and organizations. He is theco-author (along with his brother, Dan) of three books. Their latest book, Decisive: How to Make BetterDecisions in Life and Work was published in spring of 2013 anddebuted at #1 on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list and #2 on the New YorkTimes. Their 2010 book, Switch:How to Change Things When Change is Hard, hit #1 on both bestsellerlists. Their first book, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die,spent two years on the Business Week bestseller list and was an Amazon Top 10Business Book for both editors and readers. Their books have been translatedinto over 30 languages including Thai, Arabic, and Lithuanian. Chip hasconsulted with clients ranging from Google and Gap to The Nature Conservancyand the American Heart Association.

Jeanne Bliss pioneered the Customer Leadership Executive position, holding the role for twenty years at Lands’ End, Allstate, Coldwell Banker, Mazda and Microsoft Corporations. Since 2002 she has led CustomerBliss, a preeminent customer experience transformation company where she helps companies achieve customer-driven growth. She is a worldwide keynote speaker, and sought frequently by major media for her point of view.  Jeanne is the co-founder of the Customer Experience Professionals Association, established to advance the worldwide discipline of customer experience and customer experience practitioners.  She is also the best-selling author of Chief Customer Officer: Getting Past Lip Service to Passionate Action (2006), and I Love You More than My Dog: Five Decisions to Drive Extreme Customer Loyalty in Good Times and Bad (2011).

Kevin Gibson is the Director of Consumer Experience for Humana’s under 65 direct to consumer business.  He is responsible for creating dialogue around and defining the culture, systems and processes that allow Humana to better understand the consumer, help the consumer achieve his/her best health and make things easy for the consumer.  He is also responsible for enhancing consumer communications to drive trust, build confidence, and lead to positive behavior changes with the consumer’s health. He is a seasoned consultant and process improvement leader with experience managing the implementation of complex process, technology and consumer experience initiatives within the health insurance industry. He joined Humana in 2000 and has held a variety of positions focused on improving how Humana operates.  Most recently he designed and implemented the end to end experience for all consumer who enrolled in individual health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, also known as Healthcare Reform.

Started professional career as a Business Analyst for EDS.
Chevrolet Marketing Team.
GM Customer Service and Incentive Team.
Comcast Sales Manager
Apple, Inc. – Business Team, Store Launch Team, Apple Steps of Service Trainer, and Customer Experience Specialist for retail stores.
Ford Motor Company – Lincoln Specialist, and currently Customer Experience Specialist

I am passionate about Zappos.  Passionate to the extent that I often say, “I’m in love.”  This is my third incarnation of self.  I had my own business in my 20’s, became a stay at home mom in my 30’s and went back to work in my 40’s.  I came to Zappos not expecting anything but a possible job and found myself in the most engaging, driven, emotionally connecting workplace I could have imagined.  It rivals my own business in terms of my engagement level. 

Kate has always been fascinated by people–and enjoys asking questions & observing the marketplace through market research. Those questions have been pointed in different areas (from financial services to social gaming) but the cheerful roar of sports games & concerts currently has her attention. Kate is focused on improving the mobile experience at StubHub.

Carlos is the Global Cloud Software Services Program Manager for Thermo Fisher – Life Sciences Group, which is one of the largest providers of biological products and services for research and applied markets.    He is passionate about technology and how it can become a key enabler to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer.

He received his M.S. Degree in Technology Management from The Wharton School and The School of Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania.  He graduated with a B.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ.

Kerry Bodine believes that happy customers lead to happy shareholders. Her book, Outside In: The Power of Putting Customers at the Center of Your Business, helps business leaders understand the financial benefits of great customer experiences — and how their organizations must change in order to deliver them.

Kerry is a customer experience consultant whose ideas, analysis, and opinions have appeared on sites like The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Forbes, and USA Today. She holds a master’s degree in human-computer interaction from Carnegie Mellon University and has designed interfaces for websites, mobile apps, wearable devices, and robots.

Jennifer Maldonado has served in dedicated Voice of the Customer and Customer Experience roles for 7 years.  She recently launched Activision’s Voice of the Gamer program and manages the company’s Customer Service Analytics team.  Previously she held titles of Sr. Program Manager, Global Client Experience for Cornerstone OnDemand, and Customer Experience Program Manager for the Business of Law Software Solutions division of LexisNexis.   Her expertise is in organization-wide Enterprise Feedback Management efforts  including CSAT, Net Promoter, Customer Effort Score, Closed Loop Feedback, and Client Advisory Board programs. Jennifer places a heavy focus on process redesign and foundational work enabling trustworthy data and actionable insights, as well as on fostering a client-centric culture by way of storytelling and socializing the Voice of the Customer.

Heather Gjerde is a social media marketing professional committed to adapting in the evolving digital landscape while remaining grounded in tried-and-true marketing strategy. She began her career at a full-service marketing and brand development firm in Madison, Wisconsin where she practiced public relations and social media for a variety of regional and national consumer brands.
 
Since 2012, Heather has managed the social media program for Scripps Health, a not-for-profit health care organization in San Diego, California. She manages everything from social media strategy to the daily engagement throughout more than a dozen social channels. Scripps treats a half-million patients annually through the dedication of 2,600 affiliated physicians and 13,500+ employees.

When she’s not on the clock, you can find Heather walking her dog Izzie along the beach, globetrotting or Instagramming her latest food obsession.

Connect with her just about everywhere social: @LilMsSociable.

Susan Fabry is Director of Customer Innovation and Insights for Sun Life Financial U.S. She is responsible for making connections between Sun Life’s products and the company’s broad customer base. Susan approaches her work through holistic creative problem solving and systems logic, as well as with a human needs point of view. She draws upon her more than 15 years of experience using emotional, physical and environmental influences to design solutions that meet the needs of different people. She was named to this position in May 2013.  

Prior to joining Sun Life, Susan worked as a Senior Strategist for Continuum, a design innovation consultancy, where she collaborated with clients to develop programs that helped them achieve their design and innovation goals. She also led a thought leadership program for Continuum that focused on women and children as a global driver of consumer decisions. She has worked in Munich, Germany for Siemens, designing a range of phones for TMobile and in New York City for Smart Design.

In addition, Susan has been a guest speaker at several conferences, a guest lecturer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Tufts University, Bentley University, and Simmons College, and has been published in Fast Company and Quartz.

Susan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Oberlin College and a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design.

Cassie started with Mrs. Fields in the summer of 1999 while she finished her last semester of college pent nearly 16 years with the Catalog division of Mrs. Fields Cookies. She grew within the organization from an administrative assistant to ultimately running the division as the Vice president and General Manager from 2012-2014. During her tenure, Cassie has held various rolls in Sales, Marketing & Merchandising. She also developed the Customer Experience team withing the Mrs. Fields organization. 

Since leaving Mrs. Fields in November, she has been consulting in Salt Lake on both customer experience as well as business development for several technology start ups in the valley.

Geriel Thornburg May is a Customer Experience leader in the financial services marketplace with over 20 years’ experience leading successful organizational transformations.  Geriel leverages previous results from the energy, telecom, and non-profit sectors to bring creative solutions to Fortune 500 companies.   She has also served as adjunct faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Geriel is currently the Director of Customer Experience and Market Segmentation for Genworth US Mortgage Insurance. 

Barbie Fink works with teams and leaders across Adobe to champion customer experience innovation and advocacy on a cross-functional basis. In her current role within Adobe’s Digital Media business unit, she is an agent for change, focused on creating and delivering innovative experiences for customers of many of Adobe’s leading products and solutions, including Adobe Creative Cloud. 

Barbie is first and foremost a customer champion and a relentless advocate for great end-to-end experiences across the customer lifecycle. During her tenure with Adobe, Barbie has been a leader in the creation and implementation of a company-wide customer “top issues” process with a set of related best practices, including root cause analysis, issue triage and prioritization, customer storyboarding, experiential improvement strategies and measurement. She was also critical to the introduction of customer experience reviews to Adobe, allowing a broader set of teams to better anticipate customer needs based on product, audience, or location, and establishing new best practice for multiple teams to leverage as part of their go-to-market processes. Barbie is an engaging storyteller, using customer stories together with measurable data and analysis, to raise visibility around the issues customers face – creating urgency and inspiring meaningful change in the way leaders and teams incorporate customer experience in their planning and execution.
 
With over two decades of direct customer engagement and learning, Barbie has applied her passion for the customer experience in many areas of Adobe’s customer-focused operations, including Customer Care, Technical Support, Operations, Knowledge Management & Self-Help, and Online Experience.

She has a Green Belt in Lean Six Sigma, and is a Net Promoter Certified Associate. Barbie is an active member of the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA) and is deeply engaged in supporting knowledge sharing and best practice evolution. She is a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) and is a member of the CCXP Board. Barbie received a BA in Psychology from the University of Maryland.
 
Find Barbie online at:
LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/barbiefink

Adobe is the global leader in digital marketing and digital media solutions. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.

Currently the Customer Experience Manager at Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield, Janna C. Kimel has been practicing design and design research since 1991.  Her current role ensures that the organization puts customers first when designing new products and services. Prior to that, Janna was the principal of a small consultancy, third brain studio, llc, where she focused on healthcare and technology and partnered with innovative agencies such as Ziba, IDEO, Lunar, and health care companies including EnteroMedics, Providence.

In addition, Janna spent several years working with Intel’s Digital Health Group where she developed technology to help seniors stay in their homes as long as possible. Projects included medication reminders and the Intel Health Guide 6000, a telehealth device for seniors with chronic disease. In the 1990’s Janna could be found in theatrical costume shops and running a business making adaptive apparel for seniors and people with special needs. She has published and presented on motivation, behavior change, user research and wearable technology. She is a ramblin’ wreck with a master’s degree in industrial design from Georgia Tech.

Leigh-Anne has worked at the American Cancer Society, a $900M cancer fighting organization, since 2005.  As Senior Director of Customer Experience and Integration, she has played a key role in the transformation of the Society’s CRM strategy team into a full-service Customer Insight and Experience department. The Society’s customer experience strategy is defined by four main components – overall customer strategy, customer insight (including a robust Voice of the Customer program and online analytics), mapping and design and continuous improvement.

Olivia Duane Adams is the Chief Customer Officer and a founding partner of Alteryx. In this role, Libby is responsible for overseeing and maximizing the complete Alteryx customer experience, from engagement to on-boarding, communications, performance, and retention. She has interacted with nearly every Alteryx customer, giving her a holistic perspective of the overall experience from implementation to adoption success.

Kathryn(Katy) is currently the manager for American Family Insurance’s Customer Experience team. An accomplished professional that has spanned across industries and business disciplines, Katy has developed a strong understanding of the customer through a sales, service and marketing lens.  Katy also has experience in care center operations leadership, financial services business development and talent sourcing/management.  Her education includes from a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, previously held insurance licenses and a Pathways to Leadership alum. 

Jeannie Walters is the CEO and Founder of 360Connext, a global customer experience consulting firm dedicated to creating fewer ruined days for customers- improving loyalty, customer retention, and overall customer experience.
Jeannie is a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP), a TEDx Speaker, the Chicagoland Ambassador for the Customer Experience Professionals Association, and a member of the global Editorial Team for Social Media Club. She currently co-hosts a popular business podcast called Crack the Customer Code with Adam Toporek, a global customer service expert.
She was named one of the Huffington Post's “Top 100 Most Social Customer Service Pros On Twitter" and the Online Marketing Institute's "Top 20 Digital Marketing Strategists for 2015."

Carol Buehrens has been constructing extraordinary customer experiences for over 30 years for major companies, including Liberty Mutual, Northrop, McDonnell-Douglas, Bechtel, General Electric, Mercury Marine, and ICW Group Insurance Companies. She has authored over 20 books through McGraw-Hill and multiple software vendors. Carol’s passion for improving customer experience has resulted in numerous awards, including the prestigious “2012 CX Innovation Award” from the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA), ICW Group CEO Award, and the Liberty Mutual Star Award. A Founding Member and Expert Panel Member of the international Customer Experience Professional Association (CXPA), Carol is also a Board Member of the San Diego Software Industry Council’s User Experience Business Interest Group (SDSIC-UX BIG), an active member of the San Diego Customer Experience Special Interest Group (CX SIG), and Adjunct Professor at California State University Fullerton.

Colby entered the eCommerce world through the doors of Coremetrics, as a Senior Trainer for the Digital Marketing Optimization suite of products. In 2011, she joined The Estée Lauder Companies as an Online Analyst for the UK region. Originally from Texas, Colby spent nearly 7 years in Europe and returned to the US in 2014 as an independent Online Marketing and Analytics Consultant. Monitoring behavioral trends across a wide variety of audiences and industries, Colby is passionate about harnessing the power of data to turn ideas into results and finding creative ways to engage decision-makers in the process.

As Director, Customer Experience Design & Analytics, Ram heads Customer Analytics and Continuous Process Improvement strategies for Discover’s credit card operations. He is responsible for providing data driven business insights by leading teams focused on Voice of the Customer Analytics, Demand Management, Predictive Analytics and Web Analytics. Before joining Discover in 2013, Ram held several leadership positions in Customer Planning and Strategy at US Airways. Prior to US Airways, Ram worked as a Consultant & Professional Engineer for ESG Engineering for several years in the fields of Computational Engineering Analysis and Lean Six Sigma. Ram holds a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Delhi, M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University, and, Master of Business Administration from Arizona State University.

Dan Zucker is Sr. Manager of Social Media at Autodesk, a maker of professional 3D design software and consumer applications. Dan joined Autodesk in 2009 and currently leads Autodesk's social media strategy and social media marketing activities.

Dan has cultivated a group of 300 Autodesk employees who participate in the companies Social Web Council, a group that meets on a regular basis to align activities and best practices for engaging with customers via social media. He also oversees an initiative to strategically inject Autodesk into conversations about relevant trending topics and events. These efforts (and amazing customer stories) helped to land Autodesk on Fortune Magazine's 2014 Social Media Superstars list.

Prior to joining Autodesk, Dan worked with Sun Microsystems where he worked on executive influencer, cause marketing, and Sun Microsystem Foundation programs.

Miguel Quiroga is Executive Director of Customer Experience for Verizon Communications’ Video/Broadband Division. In this role, he is responsible for establishing and leading the business integration strategy and execution of cross channel customer engagement efforts for both contact center and digital channels including TV, online, mobile, social, and voice. He leads a team focused on creating and implementing customer engagement practices to balance both customer experience and profitability.

Miguel was previously Director of Employee Experience and Customer Business Intelligence Systems where he was accountable for the user experience design strategy and technology operations of Verizon’s self-service intranet that reached 200000 employees in 50 countries as well as capabilities such as Voice of the Customer analytics, Voice of the Employee ideation, and social business collaboration. Earlier, he served in various technology director roles in CRM and sales operations, capital planning, and program management functions.

Miguel holds an MBA from Columbia University and a BS in Computer Science from The University of Texas at Dallas. He serves on the National Advisory Council of DonorsChoose.org, a non-profit that allows individuals to donate directly to public school classroom projects and was listed in the top 10 Most Innovative companies in 2014 by Fast Company. Miguel is an advisor for the Parental Readiness & Empowerment Program (PREP), a program of the Educational Opportunities Project of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which focuses on improving student performance and equitable educational opportunities. He is also a member of HITEC, a global leadership organization of Hispanic business and technology executives.

Eric works with product, delivery, sales and marketing teams to ensure Answers Cloud Services brings innovation and operational excellence to its offerings. Since joining ForeSee by Answers in 2004, he has contributed to the organization’s strategic growth, particularly providing leadership around mobile solutions.

Eric is an elected board member of the Digital Analytics Association (DAA) and an adjunct professor of mobile marketing at the University of California, Irvine Extension. Previously, he worked as a web analyst, multichannel strategy consultant, usability specialist and focus group moderator.

Eric is a graduate of the University of Michigan.

Bridget is the Managing Director of Root’s Bright Spots practice, which uses proven research methods to uncover the critical, yet non-obvious, drivers of performance with organizations. She is passionate about harnessing the tacit practices of those most successful at their jobs and replicating that success with the average employee to drive overall business results.

Bridget joined Root in 2006 and has worked with clients in industries as varied as retail and hospitality to banking to home-building to uncover the tangible, replicable practices that produce exceptional customer experiences. Her recent clients include Hilton Worldwide, PulteGroup and H&R Block.

Bridget has a BA in Sociology from Tulane University, and an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. She lives in Chicago with her husband and two daughters.

       Fred Brown is the Founder and CEO of Next IT Corporation—a company changing the way people interact with technology. Prior to Next IT, Fred was founder, president and CEO of LineSoft Corporation. At LineSoft, the calf-roper turned entrepreneur broke new ground in the energy industry with the development of software systems that are now considered industry standard worldwide. With Next IT, Fred continues to revolutionize technology's impact on business with his newest vision–personalizing and humanizing user interactions with technology. Fred is also actively involved in organizations serving the northwest educational and scientific communities, serving on the Board of Trustees at Gonzaga University as well as founding WIN Partners LLC, a private investment fund for aspiring technology entrepreneurs in Spokane, Washington.

David Jackson is one of the original founders and CEO of Clicktools, the world’s leader in the field of customer feedback integrated with CRM. He developed the Excellence in Customer Experience assessment framework and is widely recognized as an expert in the area of customer focused organizations. Much of his time is spent with clients, working with senior managers to design and implement effective feedback measurement and management strategies to build organizations that can continually adapt to meet changing customer needs. David is a popular speaker around the world.  He has had many articles published and is the author of several books, including “Dynamic Organizations: The Challenge of Change” and “Becoming Dynamic.”  When not working, he enjoys listening to an eclectic selection of music and water color painting, at which he needs much practice!

Ron’s professional passion is grounded in understanding the needs and motivations of today’s families and working with brands/organizations to create emotional connections with this target customer group. His client experience has covered a wide variety of retail channels including Quick Service Restaurants, Home Improvement, Financial Services, Mobile Devices, Mass Merchandise, Consumer Electronics to name a few.

The recent proprietary study/white paper that he co-authored (From Me, Me, Me to Mommy: The Shifting Story of Millennial Motherhood) has inspired new strategic directions for Strottman clients to better emotionally connect with Millennial families and ultimately drive revenue and loyalty.

With an innate curiosity for people and culture, Katie’s passions have always been focused on understanding why people tick and how brands can strategically fulfill the needs of their target consumer. A Millennial Mother herself, she spends her time immersed in the complicated and hectic world of motherhood. Together with this, her background in psychology and brand planning is a perfect combination to understand what truly drives Millennial Families and how brands can win with them today. Katie is in the process of working on The Story of Millennial Families.

At Strottman, Katie is leading the charge in understanding the unique Millennial Family with research and insights that inspire consumer connected strategies for our clients. You can take a look at some of these insights on our blog Millennial Family Marketer: www.millennialfamilies.com. Before Strottman, Katie has worked with full service advertising agencies such as The Richards Group and 22squared and on a variety of brands including Buffalo Wild Wings, Warner Bros, Florida’s Natural Orange Juice, Chick-fil-A, Patron, Baskin Robbins, Lowe’s, Wendy’s, Southeast Toyota and Lincoln Financial.

Jim Haudan is a different kind of CEO, with a passion that goes beyond leading Root to success. For more than 20 years, he has been helping organizations unleash hidden potential by fully engaging their people to deliver on the strategies of the business. With his background as a coach, it’s not a stretch that the company Jim co-founded focuses on tapping employees’ discretionary efforts – the kind that produces winning results.

From its headquarters in Sylvania, Ohio, and office in Chicago, Root partners with senior teams at major companies worldwide to build creative ways to execute strategy. A unique blend of 150 business experts, analysts, artists, writers, and educators, the Root team draws an organization’s people into the business by appealing to basic human curiosity and intelligence and by combining insights, art, visualization, and dialogue in innovative ways.

Jim believes that business results don’t come from creating a great strategy, but by meaningfully connecting it to all of the people in the company to bring it to life. And the Root team agrees, resulting in eight straight years on the Great Place to Work® Institute’s 25 Best Small and Medium Workplaces and being among the 2009 Top Small Workplaces according to the Wall Street Journal and Winning Workplaces Inc.

Root’s clients include some of the biggest names in business, such as Gap Inc., Petco, Dow Chemical, Pepsi, Novartis, Taco Bell, and Hilton Hotels – more than 500 companies and tens of millions of people. The impact of Root’s approach on so many people and organizations over two decades is captured in Jim’s national best-selling book, The Art of Engagement: Bridging the Gap Between People and Possibilities (McGraw-Hill, 2008).

Jim is a frequent speaker on leadership alignment, strategy execution, employee engagement, business transformation, change management, and accelerated learning. He has spoken at TEDx BGSU, Tampa TEDx, the Conference Board events, and numerous client meetings. He also contributes regularly to business publications and blogs, including Switch & Shift, where he was on the list of Top 75 Guest Posts of 2014.

He lives in Sylvania with his wife, Michelle. They have three children, Brad, Brooke, and Blake. When he’s not traveling the globe visiting clients, he enjoys relaxing with his family at their lake cottage, golfing, fishing, sailing, photography, and attending Jimmy Buffett concerts.

Matt Cohen, Vice President of Global Strategic Accounts at Clarabridge, has been helping Global 1000 brands improve their consumers' experience for nearly 10 years. As one of Clarabridge's first employees, Matt has pioneered and evangelized the use of text and sentiment analytics to drive Customer Experience Management (CEM) programs that increase consumer satisfaction, top-line and bottom-line revenue. By focusing on CEM maturity and Voice of the Customer analytics from all feedback channels (social media, surveys, call center recordings, review sites, and more), Matt helps leading brands evolve and differentiate themselves in a consumer-driven marketplace.

Stacey Nevel is a seasoned Engagement Management professional with 18 years of experience managing employee and customer loyalty programs from both the client and vendor sides of the business. Stacey is an expert in the linkages between VoC, VoE and operational metrics to positively impact customer loyalty and product usability.

Brian Snader is the Vice President of Client Development for Integrity Solutions®,  a 45-year old performance improvement organization that focuses on developing organizations to achieve measurable business results — increasing sales, improving customer loyalty, employee engagement and retention. 

As a senior business consultant, Brian’s strengths revolve around his consultative and relationship building approaches when addressing the issues impacting sales/employee effectiveness.  Brian works with clients from around the world, including Delta Faucet/MASCO, Bosch, Allstate, Rust-Oleum, Ace Hardware, RE/MAX, numerous life-science companies and some of the largest credit unions in the nation. 

Brian is a published author and contributor to various industry associations. He is degreed in Marketing from the University of Iowa, and a 4 year Varsity Letterman in Baseball.  Brian now spends his summer nights behind the plate as a travel ball umpire. Brian resides in Libertyville, IL with his wife Linda and has three children.

 
Dave leads the Expert Services team for MaritzCX.  With more than 20 years of applied experience in both organizational and consumer contexts, he is well versed in all aspects of customer experience (CX) and consumer research.  He has held several positions at Maritz Research over the past 12 years, most recently running Client Solutions and the Automotive Sector.  Previously, Dave was Director of Proprietary Research for J.D. Power and Associates and held various management positions at Toyota Motor Sales and American Savings Bank. 
 
Dave earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Applied Psychology from Claremont Graduate University, and earned his undergraduate degree at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania.  He has extensive experience in product, advertising, social trend, and CX research, and regularly writes and presents on those topics.  Dave also served as Adjunct Professor of Marketing at California State University, Dominguez Hills, and worked in the Drucker School of Management.  He resides in the foothills of the Ozarks with his wife and two daughters in Rogers, Arkansas.

A seasoned emerging high tech start-up executive, Tom launched, operated, and expanded many successful businesses, including Applied Digital Access (ADAX Public 1994), Pathfire Inc. (sold to DG Systems 2005), Alopa Networks, (sold to Arris 2004), and Radiance Technologies (sold to Comcast 2008). 

Karen Konkel is a digital customer engagement specialist from LivePerson. For over 20 years Karen has been helping executives evolve their customer experience strategies to provide measurable business value. Today’s consumer is more in control than ever before, creating new challenges for brands. They want more choices, with less effort and have higher expectations for service. Karen is a strategic resource in planning and sharing ideas to better manage the digital-first consumer.

Chris Travell is the Vice President, Strategic Consulting for MaritzCX where he is responsible for coordinating efforts amongst MaritzCX global offices to understand and interpret more fully the important trends facing automakers in North America, Europe, and Asia –Pacific. Chris joined Maritz in 1996 and has primarily been responsible for the company’s Canadian automotive operations. He began his career with Mazda and Toyota way back in 1986. He worked in a variety of field and head office positions. At Mazda Chris managed the vehicle distribution area and at Toyota he worked in the market representation department which involved locating new dealers and upgrading existing.  He has also held senior positions at R.L. Polk and JD Power & Associates.

Janet has worked in the web solutions space for 14 years.   She has consulted with many companies on their journey to a omni-channel experience for B2C. B2B and B2E.

Her career has included working with 3M, CAT, CNA, several BCBS companies, Large Telco, retail and many others.    She has helped customers explore how technology and packaged portals and web-content management can benefit marketing, service, contact centers and sales.  Janet worked for the IBM CIO's office developing ROI models and business case recommendations for tools and technology deployment inside IBM.  Prior to this, Janet worked as a Baldrige Examiner to help companies develop and improve their customer sales and service processes.

With over 15 years in practice, Scott’s a leading strategist with expertise in planning and implementing customer intelligence solutions. As Vice President and Executive Business Strategist at Market Force He has worked with prominent restaurant, retail, telecom and financial services brands in the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia; and currently leads a cross functional team supporting an extensive portfolio of clients.  Scott’s work is focused on providing analytics, strategy, and solutions designed to help clients grow sales and profits.  Prior to Joining Market Force Scott Co-Founded a Customer Intelligence Software firm in Canada that was acquired by Market Force in 2011.  He holds an honors Commerce degree from U of M, with emphasis in mathematics.