Award Judges

Gina Balarin is the Director of Verballistics and an inspirational TEDx and keynote speaker, storyteller, content marketer and B2B marketing leader. An FAMI FCIM Chartered Marketer with an MEd in management communication, she is the author of The Secret Army: Leadership, Marketing and the Power of People. She sits on the boards of Project Displaced and The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and is a member of the Professional Speaking Association. When she’s not telling stories, Gina loves hiking, doing Zumba and drinking tea.

Amy Balliett is a known thought leader, award-winning author, and keynote speaker in the fields of visual communication, visual content marketing, visual strategy, and agency building. Following her tenure as the founder and CEO of Killer Visual Strategies, she became the Senior Fellow of Visual Strategy for Material, an agency collective of 12 world class firms that includes Killer. Balliett serves as the Chief Visual Strategist to several boards, is the co-Founder of Agency GrowLab, a guest lecturer at several colleges and universities and a LinkedIn Learning instructor.

Jackie Bebenroth believes in the power of the pen. As a brand advisor and content strategist, Jackie helps clients find their brand voice, and shout it from the rooftops with clarity and purpose. As principal of Muse Content Group, she leads a team of editors and writers who work alongside entrepreneurs and executives to elevate brand value through powerful positioning and messaging. Her work, ranging from local restaurant branding to six-figure global initiatives, has flown her around the country to speak on the fine art of content marketing. She’s picked up a few accolades along the way, most notably a 2011 SXSW Interactive finalist award, CMI’s 2012 Content Marketing Leader of the Year and 2016 American Advertising Federation 40 Under 40 Award.

Jeremy Bednarski is a content strategist for Salesforce who lives and breathes content marketing. He also marries his love of rock music and content marketing with Rockified Marketing where he develops marketing strategies to help companies grow their brands and build audiences. As an avid writer, he has a voracious curiosity for knowledge and enjoys implementing the information he learns to create success stories for companies. @jeremybednarski

Manick Bhan is the founder and CTO of LinkGraph -“an award-winning mission-driven SEO and digital marketing agency“ and the creator of the SearchAtlas Software Suite. As a growth hacker, data scientist, and skilled programmer, SEO is Bhan’s greatest passion and his life’s work. With 10+ years of experience in Search Engine Optimization from the in-house and agency side, Bhan has taught both startups and Fortune 500 companies how to scale their brands with a data-driven SEO strategy that can break into any market with ease and outrank even the biggest of competitors.

Matthias Bill, a certified PR editor is Head Content & Publishing at SIX. The operator of the Swiss and Spanish financial market infrastructure is Europe’s third largest exchange group. After graduating in media studies and before joining SIX in 2016, he spent ten years at various Swiss agencies managing internal and external publishing projects. At SIX, in addition to various content outlets he is responsible for corporate wording. In 2018, the CMA jury named the Tone of Voice of SIX the best internal publication. At the 2021 CMAs, RED, the magazine of SIX, was named best financial publication.

Linda Poscic Borovac is creator of CMA awarded book “DISASTER – A Diagnosis of Modern Business”, mother, wife, friend and leader of Crocon d.o.o., a company that has been successful worldwide for 30 years in marine business. Writer, movie producer, songwriter, founder of Happy ThinGS Academy association, businesswoman, creative force – Linda believes that designing and creating healthy environments filled with healthy relationships is the only normal thing in life. Should such organizations be filled with respect, positive attitudes, inspiration, gratitude and readiness to see the best in others, everyone will have an honest desire to be excellent in whatever they do.

Melissa Breker is a facilitator, communications and change management consultant with over 15 years of experience applying strategic thinking to content and digital projects. Her specialty is working with UX teams, creative agencies, product developers, and content folks to inspire new ways of working, thinking, and communicating.She is a certified change management consultant and international speaker. She has facilitated workshops and projects with Samsung, Teck Resources, TELUS, Experian and Wells Fargo Retirement Banking Group.Melissa works closely with teams to support change leadership and help organizations deliver customer and employee experiences during times of transformation.

Joe Braue is VP Marketing and Content Solutions for ALM a leading B2B media and intelligence company serving professionals in the legal, financial services, insurance and commercial real estate industries. Joe has founded two media content studios, won numerous B2B content marketing awards, and has worked as an editor, publisher, and group media company managing director. Contact Joe on LinkedIn.

Michael Brenner is the former VP of Digital Marketing at SAP, he’s been a CMO of multiple high-growth startups, is a top Content Marketing influencer, and now runs one of the highest ranked content marketing agencies in the world, Marketing Insider Group. He is also the author of The Content Formula, and Mean People Suck.

Peter Cannizzaro, Creative Director for Arrow Electronics & AspenCore, is passionate about cutting-edge experience in web design, UI/UX, branding, and marketing. Peter instills his strong design sense into work that transforms how people and companies interact. With more than 17 years in the field, Peter unites teams by creating immersive and accessible experiences. Peter has accumulated awards from Best of Long Island and Min’s Best of Web awards. Most recently, taking home a 2022 Eddie & Ozzie award for Best Interactive Experience. Before working with AspenCore, Peter was Creative Director for UBM Americas, North America’s largest events company.

Jacquie Chakirelis is an award-winning marketing professional with experience successfully leading the digital strategy and agencies of the largest media brands in the country. Named one of the top 50 Influential Women in Content Marketing, Chakirelis is a proven leader with a track record of delivering multifaceted, digitally driven campaigns from strategy through execution for B2B and B2C organizations. As a national public speaker, she engages audiences with keynotes, workshops, and breakout sessions on marketing topics to help them grow their brand in today’s consumer-centric world.

Meg Coffey is originally from Texas and now proudly Australian, the “Texstralian” is all about hard work, calculated risks and has a great “gift of the gab”.  She is MD of Coffey & Tea, a digital-focused agency; the founder of State of Social, Australia’s favorite social media conference; #SMPerth, a community for those to learn and share; and a regular contributor to media. In 2017 Meg was named as one of Australia’s Top 50 Small Business Leaders and in 2021 a finalist for Campaign Brief’s Ad Person of the Year. Meg serves on the boards of Australia’s North West and Australia Day Council WA.

Bridgett Colling is the Director of Marketing & Communications at Figo Pet Insurance, where her team connects pet parents to inspiration and resources that help pets live longer, happier lives. Throughout her career, Bridgett has worked almost exclusively with mission-driven organizations, including Make-A-Wish, Chicago Ideas, and NPR Detroit. Bridgett is passionate about creating content that provides audiences with real value and using marketing’s organizational influence to improve employee experience. Outside of work, you can find her cuddled up on the couch with her rescue pets: Honey (a super sweet cattle dog mix) and Mushroom (a cranky but loveable tabby).

Paula Connor is Chief Content Marketing Officer at 256, a multi-award-winning content agency based in Ireland. She has more than 15 years of experience in digital and traditional marketing working for a variety of Irish and international brands in B2C and B2B companies. Her passion is content strategy development, creation and content marketing. Paula leads a talented team of content strategists, creatives and marketers to create engaging and truly useful content to achieve client business objectives and grow their brands online.

Taylor Cote is the Senior Director of Marketing for Media Cause, a nonprofit marketing agency, where she leads the marketing strategy for the agency. Taylor brings years of experience building and growing online communities through targeted content marketing strategies. When she’s not working, you can find her spending time with her golden retriever, exploring the Boston food scene, or spending time out on the ocean.

Karla Courtney is an award-winning editor, digital strategist and author. She is a multi-skilled creative with extensive experience across writing, photography, website production, EDM production, social media marketing and SEO. She has worked closely with some of Australia’s leading brands, including: Qantas, Coles, Telstra, David Jones and Foxtel.

Tora Dahlström is a multitalented journalist who left Swedish Television three years ago to start working with content at the most prize-winning agency in the Nordic countries, OTW.

Melanie Deziel is a keynote speaker and award-winning branded content creator who is passionate about helping individuals, teams, and organizations unlock their creative potential and organize their creative efforts. She is the author of both  “The Content Fuel Framework: How to Generate Unlimited Story Ideas” and “Prove It: Exactly How Modern Marketers Earn Trust,” and was the first-ever editor of branded content at The New York Times.

Diane di Costanzo is the Chief Content Officer at Foundry 360, the branded content division at Dotdash Meredith. For this work, she was named the 2022 Content Marketer of the Year by the Content Marketing Institute. Diane is also the Editor in Chief of Millie magazine, all about women and money, and has worked as an editor, writer, and reporter for more than 25 years. Diane started her career at Esquire magazine and has held staff positions at Self, Martha Stewart Living and Hearst’s Healthy Living magazines.

Lisa Dougherty I’ve managed the editorial process, calendar, and contributors for the award-winning CMI blog since 2014. The title for my role is senior blog and community manager, which means I get to work with every one of our fabulous contributors, including those who work directly for CMI and those who generously share their insights with our readers. I’m passionate about providing the best experience for our writers “they’re key to making CMI a success!” I’ve worked in marketing for over 25 years, amassing experience in everything from marketing communications to creative services project management to social media to brand strategy and development. In my spare time, I serve on the Royal Oak Children’s Choir and Helen Keller Elementary PTA Executive Boards and am known as “Coach Lisa” to my freshman cheer squad. Connect with me on Twitter @brandlovellc and LinkedIn.

Nico Fell, has a passion for a story well told and creating engaging campaigns. He brings over 20 years of B2B/B2C, digital, social, and content marketing experience to 256. A multi-disciplinary marketing expert, Nico has created high-impact campaigns for some of the biggest names on and off the island of Ireland, including Tourism NI, Fáilte Ireland, easyJet, Ryanair, Bank of Ireland, the Rory McIlroy Foundation, Norton and the European Tour.??

Ellen Forsberg is a project leader and content creator at the award-winning Swedish content agency OTW. She’s leading projects from the first idea to production to delivery. Her heart beats a little extra for what she herself call “ATM-content”, which is meant topical content where the user gets, or at least get the feeling of viewing, content posted at the moment. To trend scout, value check and dare to take quick actions is her every day life. When she’s not producing content for clients you’ll most likely find her on a mountain snowboarding.

Amanda Gant is the Director of Marketing at Orbit Media, an award-winning 50-person web design company in Chicago. Her passion is to help people get better results from the web by sharing her expertise in analytics and web marketing. Amanda is the producer of Content Jam, Chicago’s largest content marketing conference, editor of the Orbit blog, and as a Certified B Corp, is dedicated to growing the B Corp community. Outside of work, you’ll find her hiking in the Colorado mountains.

Jenna Gardner works as an Account Director at Imprint and is an experienced end-to-end digital marketing specialist. Her deep expertise includes developing, implementing, and managing digital content strategies, creative direction, paid and organic media campaigns, and integrated multi-platform programs. Jenna has managed marketing programs for clients such as Visa, Wells Fargo, Northern Trust, and Humana.

Khalil Garriott is an award-winning, seasoned content professional. He is equal parts newsroom leader, sharp marketer and detail-oriented content strategist for multiple channels. Per the DiSC personal assessment tool, Khalil’s highest dimension is Conscientiousness (C). People who are “High Cs” are generally described by these adjectives: Perfectionist, Accurate, Fact-finder, Diplomatic, Systematic and Conventional. Also per DiSC, his classical profile pattern is the Objective Thinker pattern. Khalil’s top 5 strengths/themes per the StrengthsFinder assessment are: 1) Harmony, 2) Discipline, 3) Consistency, 4) Responsibility, 5) Includer. He is @khalilgarriott across all platforms.

Penny Gralewski is a software marketer who turns complicated technical features into clear audience messages. She creates end-to-end marketing content from brand awareness to contract renewal. With a long career in technology marketing, she has worked with customers from SMB to Fortune 10 enterprises, plus managed service providers, global systems integrators, and the largest cloud companies in the world. She is an award-winning journalist, experienced all around marketer, and frequent speaker on marketing topics. Her volunteer marketing activities include raising the visibility of women in tech, local non-profit fundraising campaigns, and job readiness education for college communication majors.

Jill Grozalsky Roberson is an award-winning digital marketer with an expertise in personalization, user segmentation, testing, and comprehensive marketing strategies. As a Director of DX Product Marketing & Evangelism, Jill combines product marketing expertise with an extensive background in communications and a passion for thought leadership that build awareness, differentiation, and demand. She is responsible for helping to bring products from concept to commercialization – communicating benefits, product highlights, feature value and use cases for Sitecore’s digital experience solutions.

Ikram Guerd is B2B Healthcare marketing leader with over 18 years of experience both in Europe (France, Switzerland, Denmark) and in the USA. Award-winner and passionate about marketing, she led product management and MarCom strategy in healthcare companies. From product management, through MarCom/ MarTech and digital marketing, she is a proven marketing leader with a full set of experience in leading successful teams, collaborating with partners, getting things done, and driving growth and culture. Passionate about marketing and connecting with people, she enjoys giving back to the community sharing her experience as a women leader with a multicultural experience.

Katie Hammel is the Director of Content Marketing at Going (formerly known as Scott’s Cheap Flights). She previously worked in content marketing and editorial at eBay, Airbnb, TripCreator, AAA, and TripAdvisor, and has contributed freelance travel articles to Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Maxim, and The New York Daily News.

Tim Hanse, the principal consultant at Crossphase, the leading content management agency in the Netherlands, is one of the few global specialists in web content migrations and how to effectively organize those migration projects with the latest software. With over 10 years of experience in planning and managing successful content migrations for Fortune 500 brands, Tim has a proven track records in making the impossible possible.

Jodi Harris is Director of Content Strategy at Informa Connect. She describes her role as a combination of a strategic alchemist, a process architect, and a creative explorer, which is a fancy way of saying she determines what a brand’s greatest content needs, abilities, and opportunities are, then finds ways to bring those ambitious ideals to life. Prior to this role, Jodi spent the past decade developing and managing content initiatives as a consultant, working with clients in the entertainment, CPG, health care, technology, and biotech industries, as well as agencies and media brands. Follow Jodi on Twitter at @Joderama..

Dan Hatch is a life long storyteller. He’s a founder at Typeset, a specialist editorial and content marketing company based in Australia and the UK. A career journalist with a background in print and radio in Australia and the UK, he spent nearly a decade at a daily newspaper, The West Australian, including four years as marketing and media editor. In the line of duty he’s covered everything from notorious criminal trials to horrific global tragedies. He’s been a CMA winner, a finalist and a judge for several years.

Erika Heald has spent 20+ years helping companies define and document content processes to drive lead generation, employee engagement, and customer loyalty through compelling, shareable, and targeted content. As a consultant, she helps teams define and document a content marketing strategy and trains employees on social media and digital communications best practices. She is also an executive ghostwriter, partnering with subject matter experts to bring their unique perspective to thought leadership content. Before founding her agency, Erika led and grew high-performance content marketing teams at tech PR agency Highwire PR, business planning tech unicorn Anaplan, and employee engagement platform Achievers.

Kristin Hege is the CEO & founder of Convey Communications, a strategic public relations and communications firm founded to serve B2B technology and service-based businesses. Convey Communications puts strategy first before layering on thoughtfully crafted PR, media relations, content and communications strategies. Kristin is also an Adjunct Professor at Arizona State University where she is currently teaching a course on PR writing. She is a long standing board member for the Public Relations Society of America’s Phoenix chapter, and has become known as a trusted speaker on topics around PR and technology.

Karen Hesse is the founder and CEO of 256, a Content Marketing Institute Agency of the year. Based in Dublin Ireland, 256 services a growing roster of global clients leveraging content to fuel digital transformation. With a 25+ year career in journalism, publishing and content marketing, Karen oversees the development of 256’s proprietary technology Siteseeer to help brands sort their content chaos.

Amy Higgins is known for being able to craft a well-oiled content marketing machine, Amy Higgins excels at creating memorable content that increases brand awareness and generates quality leads. With over a decade in the tech industry, Amy specializes in content strategy including community growth and social media optimization. Currently, Amy works with Salesforce as the Director of Content Strategy. When she’s not online, you can find her at the opera, hiking the tallest mountain, diving the bluest waters, or on the hunt for the latest foodie craze.

Carmen Hill is founder and principal strategist for Chill Content, an independent consultancy that helps marketers connect brand to demand through strategic storytelling and customer-focused content. In a career spanning more than two decades, Carmen has worked as a TV journalist, content strategist, copywriter and marketing director on both the agency and client side. She helped build an award-winning content marketing practice at a leading B2B agency, working on campaigns for global clients such as Adobe, Google and Xerox. Her work has contributed to multiple Content Marketing Awards, and she has been recognized as an industry leader.

Cor Hospes is owner and founder of Merkjournalisten. An Amsterdam-based content marketing agency that makes stories worth sharing for multinationals, government, SME’s and comprehensive schools. Cor wrote several content marketing and storytelling bestsellers. He’s an well-known international speaker, consultant and trainer. Cor lives en works in Amsterdam with this wife Hanneke and two daughters.

Zontee Hou is a passionate digital marketing expert and speaker. She’s the founder of digital marketing agency Media Volery and head of strategy for Jay Baer’s consultancy Convince & Convert. Her 15+ years of marketing industry experience includes work for the IMF, the UN FAO, Allstate Insurance, and Indiana University. She is one of TopRank’s 50 most influential content marketers, and her work has garnered recognition including several PR News Platinum Awards and a Forrester Groundswell Award. She is based in New York City. Learn more at: zonteehou.com or find her on social @ZonteeHou.

Aly Jamison, APR is Sr. Public Relations Manager at RAIN Group, a global sales training company, where she drives media coverage, secures national business and industry awards, and produces client success stories with organizations such as Toyota, BDO, Covetrus, Bright Horizons, and others. With 14+ years of agency and in-house experience, Aly has been featured on Forbes, CommPRO, American Express, PR Daily, PR News, PRSA Tactics, and others. In 2020, Aly won Bronze for Communications Professional of the Year in the Stevie American Business Awards.

Maureen Jann is a veteran B2B marketer who is dedicated to helping organizations find more amazing and magical customers. She is currently the Co-Conspirator + Chief Strategist of Neoluxe Marketing, a strategy and content. Maureen has a Bachelor of Art from San Jose State University and her projects have earned her an MBA from the School of Failed Startups. In her carefully-guarded free time, Maureen loves to roller skate with her daughter and hang out with her husband and two small doggos.

Meredyth Jensen, Founder & CEO, The Eight Agency, is an award-winning brand marketer and strategic communications leader. Meredyth has a 20-year track record of helping publicly-traded global enterprises as well as founder-led startups develop category-creating strategies that build brands, deliver exceptional customer and employee experiences, generate demand and fuel growth.When she’s not collaborating with clients to solve pressing brand and business challenges, she serves as a Board Director with the Branch Museum of Architecture & Design, practices yoga, and collects midcentury modern art and furnishings.

Amanda Jerome is the senior director of content and communications at Fuze, responsible for defining the global content strategy for the company. Throughout her career, she has worked with fast-growing startups, tech companies with $100+M revenue, and VCs.

Joseph Kalinowski I oversee all of the creative and art direction of all CMI/CMW projects. I have worked as an art director for 20 years both in advertising and the publishing industry. My role as creative director is truly an exciting (and fun) one. To be a part of great CMI/CMW initiatives from the earliest ideation to their final release is something very special. I am very fortunate to have such a great team to work with that has a keen sense of creative vision and allows me to lead the charge. @jkkalinowski

Beth Kapes, with the overall mission of developing and delivering a powerful message, I’ve been “Moving Words Into Action” for over 20 years. My clients have varied greatly, but the focus is the same: tell the story that makes a difference. With extensive B2B experience, I’ve collaborated with and empowered national corporate and not-for-profit institutions throughout the country. A firm believer in “strategy first,” I’m always excited to research, learn, define and execute each client’s brand message, not only for their success, but more importantly their audience!

Sharda Kumari is an accomplished Global Business Technology leader with over 15 years of experience in CRM and Enterprise Architecture. She has led enterprise applications engineering, developed technology roadmaps, and excelled at change management, adoption, and business process improvement. Her expertise in cloud computing has driven transformation, growth, and customer satisfaction, while her mentorship and community work for women and underrepresented groups in tech have been remarkable. As a founding member of the WomenTech Network, Sharda has inspired others and positively impacted many lives with her technical expertise and dedication to social responsibility.

Jesper Laursen is passionate about building business through storytelling. He was originally a journalist but has now been working with content marketing and native advertising for more than a decade, both as an international speaker and as a consultant through his businesses. He is the founder of the international think tank, the Native Advertising Institute, the content marketing agency, Brand Movers, and the journalistic production company Media Movers.

Ahava Leibtag, a 2020 inductee into the Healthcare Internet Hall of Fame as an Innovative Individual, has 20+ years of experience in content. She has consulted with some of the world’s largest firms to attract and grow their audiences. Ahava is the president and owner of Aha Media Group, LLC, a copywriting, content strategy and content marketing consultancy. She is also the author of The Digital Crown: Winning at Content on the Web and loves a great logic puzzle, a long game of Apples to Apples and anything that has chocolate.

Tiffany N. Lewis of More Meaningful Marketing is a mother, avid coffee drinker, business owner, and self-proclaimed rebel with a lot of meaningful causes. She believes your brand story becomes the reason people do business and continue doing business with you. Tiffany is wildly passionate about helping women merge their personal attributes with their professional offerings in a way that boosts both confidence and business.is a mother, avid coffee drinker, business owner, and self-proclaimed rebel with a lot of meaningful causes. She believes your brand story becomes the reason people do business and continue doing business with you. Tiffany is wildly passionate about helping women merge their personal attributes with their professional offerings in a way that boosts both confidence and business.

Martin Lieberman has managed content marketing programs for big businesses and small ones, as well as B2B and B2C businesses (nonprofit organizations, too), and his work has covered a wide range of industries. Martin started his career in traditional media at Advertising Age, and later, served as the senior managing editor for Continental Airlines’ inflight magazine and Western Union’s Professional Collector magazine, among other publications. Martin has also worked as an in-house content marketer for Constant Contact, Staples, IBM, and the RepTrak Company. He is currently the Director of Content and Programs for RAIN Group, in Boston. @martinlieberman

Michele Linn is the founder of Mantis Research where she helps content and community managers conduct surveys so they can learn about their audience and publish compelling, original research findings. Prior to Mantis, Michele was head of editorial at Content Marketing Institute, where she led the company’s editorial strategy, helped build the 200,000+ audience and published hundreds of articles. She has been cited as a content marketing influencer and was named one of Folio’s Top Women in Media (Corporate Visionary).

Jacqueline Loch is a content strategy and media executive specializing in content solutions across social, digital, video, print, SEO, research and e-commerce, Jacquie is a branded content/revenue generation expert driving engagement, results, and cultivating C-level relationships. Previously as VP Group Publisher SJC Media and TC Media she oversaw brands including FASHION, ELLE Canada, Canadian Living, and Style at Home, and was formerly VP Content Solutions Rogers Media. She’s a recognized thought leader in marketing solutions and media innovation, Chair of The Content Council (NYC), Board Member for the National Media Awards Foundation (Canada) and a frequent speaker across North America and Europe.

Andrés Lopez-Varela is a senior marketing leader and the head of Storyation, one of Australia’s best regarded content agencies. He’s developed strategies and content targeting audiences in Australia and around the world with more than 15 years experience working for brands like Blackmores, Commonwealth Bank, Nespresso, NRMA, Pfizer, PlayStation, Symantec, and more. Andrés also led the content program for Tourism Australia from 2014 to 2017 where he revamped the tourism body’s content; Australia.com was named among the 25 best tourism websites in the world by travel industry publisher Skift.

Jenny Magic brings almost 20 years of marketing transformation experience to her change management and team performance practice, Better Way to Say It. One of her clients deemed her a “marketing therapist” years ago for her ability to get a dysfunctional team back on track, and the label stuck. She relies on facilitation skills to build consensus around the tactical areas (processes, workflows and technology) that allow change to actually stick. She is a certified professional coach as well as an external practitioner for the Fearless Organization, using the Psychological Safety Index as a team performance benchmark.

Rachel Mann is Assistant Vice President & Manager of Marketing & Customer Experience at American Fidelity Assurance Company, a national B2B2C insurance and benefits administration company headquartered in Oklahoma City. She is responsible for leading the strategy for all customer-facing experiences and marketing materials including all company websites, online portal, print materials, video content, email marketing, social media and more.

Tim Marshall has led marketing communications efforts for organizations across a variety of industries, including higher education, healthcare, consumer packaged goods and manufacturing. His areas of focus are social media, content marketing, brand strategy and integrated marketing communications. Within the Baldwin Wallace University School of Business, Marshall directs the Digital Marketing Clinic, an experiential learning program that connects groups of talented students to local small businesses and nonprofit organizations in need of affordable marketing services. He also teaches digital marketing courses and advises students. Previously, Marshall was Chief Brand Strategist for an integrated marketing communications consultancy; Senior Digital Communications Specialist for a regional healthcare system; and Director of Marketing at a prominent research university. @timlmarshall

Kerry McCarthy is the content director at Ubiquity Lab, a data-led content and communications agency. She helps organisations deliver ubiquitous marketing – understanding the customer mindset and seamlessly integrating owned and earned activity with paid to increase market share and profitability.After two decades in print media, Kerry moved into content marketing. Combining journalistic skills with a keen commercial lens, Kerry specialises in creating content strategies across myriad sectors and for all business sizes and styles. Using storytelling to build brand awareness and commercial outcomes, Kerry creates content that is engaging for the reader and success driven for the brand.

Beth McCluskey, has over 12 years of experience in marketing and is a self-proclaimed Jane of All Trades, using every tool in her belt—copywriting, design, strategy, web development, SEO, branding, and more—to drive visibility and mission in the market and attract new customers. Her specialty is at the intersection of design and brand, creating compelling stories that resonate visually. Beth’s work has been recognized over the years, picking up accolades from the Stevie Awards, B2B Innovator Awards, and Killer Content Awards. Beth is a military spouse and dog mom and currently lives in Virginia.

Nina McCollum is a content marketing writer with over 29 years of experience in B2B and B2C writing. As a personal essayist, her work has been seen in outlets including The Huffington Post, AARP’s The Ethel, USA Today, Shondaland, and Good Houskeeping. Find her online at NinaWriteNow.com

Cathy McPhillips is Chief Growth Officer at the Marketing AI Institute, overseeing marketing, growth, and customer experience, including MAICON and AI Academy for Marketers. Previously, Cathy led marketing at Content Marketing Institute and Content Marketing World, managed community growth for Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, and owned her own strategic digital marketing business focused on restaurants and the service sector. She started her career at two Cleveland advertising agencies. Cathy was a Ohio University Jerry L. Sloan Visiting Professional in Public Relations, is a Folio: Top Women in Media, and a MarTechExec Woman You Need to Know in Martech.

Natalie Mendes is the Senior Brand Content Lead at Atlassian, the leading provider of teamwork productivity software such as Jira, Trello, and Confluence. Natalie is passionate about digital content strategy, and creating powerful, mission-driven content products that delight audiences and win over hearts and minds. Natalie is based out of the Bay Area in California and spends as much free time as she can surfing, biking, skiing, and backpacking.

Josh Miles is a brand consultant & fractional CMO for B2B & software startups. As a past TEDx presenter, Josh speaks coast-to-coast, including hosting the design podcast, Obsessed Show. Josh is the author of “Bold Brand 2.0 – How to Leverage Brand Strategy to Reposition, Differentiate and Market your Professional Services Firm.” And is an advisory board member of the Purdue University Lamb School of Communication. Josh is a long-standing advocate for bacon, loves to cook keto, hit the gym, and photograph new places in his travels. Josh lives in Carmel, Indiana with his two ridiculously cute kiddos.

Jason Miller is an award-winning photographer and digital marketer working with some of the biggest artists and brands in the world. Best selling author. Slayer of mediocrity. Creativity evangelist. Lover of all things rock n roll and heavy metal.

Sarah Mitchell  Typeset and Global Copywriting founder, loves helping customers convert their content initiatives into long-term business assets. When she’s not immersed in strategy or consulting, Sarah conducts messaging and writing workshops to help make the world a better place for readers everywhere. In 2020, Typeset launched the inaugural State of Writing research report. Sarah’s work has won or been a finalist for the Content Marketing Awards in multiple categories over several years. Something of a professional vagabond, she lives on the west coast of Australia, preferring sunshine and sandy beaches to the snow and ice of her native Michigan. @SarahMitchellOz

Kim Moutsos joined the team at the Content Marketing Institute as vice president of editorial in September 2017. After working in content marketing for enterprises and startups for more than 20 years, she’s looking forward to exchanging ideas and lessons learned with other content marketing practitioners. You can follow her on Twitter at @KMoutsos or connect with her on LinkedIn

Adam Mullett brings his background as a news journalist, years as a B2B marketer and expertise on implementing and using marketing automation platforms to bear in how he decides to use content to impact on brand, acquisition and retention outcomes. Is there ever a time in life when a story doesn’t make the message clearer, stronger and more likely to spur action?

Lisa Murton Beets is the research director at Content Marketing Institute (CMI). Since 2012, she has been managing all aspects of CMI’s annual content marketing survey and custom research projects. These include custom surveys for brands including LinkedIn, Adobe Connect, PRNewswire, GoAnimate, and Ion Interactive. Lisa works closely with CMI’s executive, strategic, editorial, business development, and marketing/PR teams to deliver valuable insights to content marketers. A former B2B journalist/managing editor, she also has extensive experience as an editorial director/chief editor for a wide range of custom publishing projects and has edited numerous books about marketing. @LisaBeets

Mike Myers  leads a team responsible for change management and communication at Nationwide, supporting the brand’s after-the-sale service area for business, home and auto insurance, which includes 5,000 associates in call centers and processing centers across the country. Prior to that, he led a creative team responsible for developing collateral and campaigns supporting the life insurance, annuity, retirement plans and mutual fund business lines that was also the most efficient team in creative services (ask him, he has the data). Mike is proud to be the inaugural winner of the CMWorld Community Champion award from the Content Marketing Institute and likes to think he’s a marketer by trade and a writer by choice.

Irina Nica is a marketer, blogger, and international keynote speaker based in Dublin, Ireland. She’s currently working at HubSpot where she is focused on Product Marketing for the company’s CRM platform.

Kate O’Neill, widely known as the “Tech Humanist,” is founder and CEO of KO Insights, a strategic advisory firm committed to improving human experience at scale. Her prior roles include creating the first content management role at Netflix and founding [meta]marketer, a digital strategy and analytics agency. Kate regularly keynotes industry events, advocating for humanity’s future in an increasingly tech-driven world. Her insights have been featured in outlets like WIRED, and she has appeared as an expert tech commentator on BBC, NPR, and a wide variety of international media. Kate’s latest books include “A Future So Bright” and “Tech Humanist.”

Susi O’Neill is the Head of B2B Brand Content for Kaspersky, the world’s largest privately-owned cybersecurity firm. For its Brand Activation Studio, a storytelling centre of excellence, she crafts video, podcast, documentary and thought leadership awareness content that turns heads and wins awards. She is Editor-in-Chief of Secure Futures magazine for business leaders, and Tomorrow Unlocked cyberculture channel. She’s a seasoned creative who’s led business content programs for brands including EY, GSK and Unilever. Off the clock, she’s a musician and performer who gives international performances playing theremin, the world’s first electronic instrument.

Cassio Politi is founder of Tracto, works as a consultant and content creator of important brands in Brazil, which include banks, software manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, automotive companies, and more. He is the author of both the first book about content marketing written in Portuguese, Content Marketing O Conte que Gera Resultados (2013), and also the most recent one, Content Marketing Masterclass (2020). Currently, Cassio shares his expertise in content marketing by teaching classes in MBA programs at relevant universities in his native country, Brazil. Cassio won the “Brazilian Content Marketer of the Year” award by Digitalks in 2015.

Lauren Quaintance is one of Australia’s most high profile journalists-turned-content-marketers. She is the co-founder of Storyation, a content marketing agency that counts Tourism Australia,Microsoft and IAG among its clients. The agency was an Australian Financial Review “Fast Starter” – one of the 100 fastest- growing businesses in Australia – and AdNews Small Agency of the Year as well as a two-time finalist for Agency of the Year at the Content Marketing Awards. Lauren was Entrepreneur of the Year at the B&T Women in Media Awards. Lauren was previously an award-winning journalist and has a MSc from Columbia University in New York.

Nadia Reckmann is a Senior Content Marketing Manager at 256 and a storyteller with a soft spot for B2B and technology companies. With over 12 years of experience working with companies in the American, European, and Asian markets, Nadia had a chance to shape the brand voices of established tech giants like Wrike, global tech accelerators, and up-and-coming startups. From project management to CRM to water technology to copyright infringement protection, Nadia believes there are no “boring” industries — only lazy storytelling.

Andi Robinson is a content strategist who lives south of Indianapolis, Indiana. She has worked in the digital marketing space for more than fifteen years in a wide variety of industries. She owns Hijinx Marketing, a small business consultancy that provides marketing strategy and support to small businesses in the Indianapolis area. Andi is the author of The Content Puzzle…and the Missing Piece. She was the 2021 CMI Community Champion award winner and a multi-year Content Marketing World speaker. She is also an Adjunct Faculty member at the Lacy School of Business at Butler University, teaching MBA-level marketing courses.

Robert Rose is the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of The Content Advisory – the education and advisory group of The Content Marketing Institute. As a strategist, Robert has worked with more than 500 companies including global brands such as Capital One, Dell, Ernst & Young, Hewlett Packard, and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Robert is the author of three books. His latest is Killing Marketing, with co-author Joe Pulizzi and is how marketing can truly be transformed into a profit center for the business. His last book, Experiences: The 7th Era of Marketing, was called a treatise, and a call to arms for marketers to lead business innovation in the 21st century. Robert is also an early-stage investor and advisor to a number of technology startups, serving on the advisory boards for a number of companies, including DivvyHQ. @Robert_Rose

Dan Rubin is a 25+ year veteran of digital and content marketing bringing expertise from working with Fortune 500 clients across industry verticals. Dan is responsible for strategic and marketing solutions for Foundry 360 and Targeted Media Health. Additionally, he oversees the Awards and Accolades business. Prior to Meredith’s acquisition of Time, Inc. Dan was the founder and led Studio M, Meredith Digital’s native content studio. Dan has judged at award shows for the ANA, Digiday and the Content Marketing Institute. He is also a frequent speaker including at Content Marketing World, Mediapost’s Content Marketing Insider Summit, Digiday, and others.

Buddy Scalera is a content strategist and digital pioneer with over 15 years of pharmaceutical multichannel marketing experience. He is an innovative team leader delivering excellence in digital marketing strategy, content engineering, website development, social media, distance learning, mobile marketing strategy, content creation, and content governance. Buddy is a respected thought leader in the strategic and technical aspects of component content management systems (CCMS). He has developed enterprise-level CCMS platforms for web, social, and mobile content delivery. He is currently working at IQVIA as Director, Commercial Content Product Management.

Michiel Schoonhoven is founder of Next Level Impact (NXTLI), a purpose driven Content Marketing Agency based in the country of “orange”, The Netherlands. Michiel works with a broad variety of (inter)national clients to develop and execute content marketing programs with impact. He’s using data and leading edge technologies to increase audiences, engagement and profits. Responsible for reaching tens of millions of people globally each month, Next Level’s client list includes entertainment, sports and other organizations. Michiel helps his clients by using content marketing, social media, YouTube, Spotify, messaging, chatbots, e-mail and websites. Michiel has over 10 years of experience in content marketing and is a lifetime member of the Content Marketing World attendees club. He’s attended all Content Marketing Worlds to-date. @schoonhoven

Eli Schwartz is the author of Product Led SEO, and he is an SEO expert and consultant with more than a decade of experience driving successful SEO and growth programs for leading B2B and B2C companies. He helps clients like WordPress, Shutterstock, BlueNile, Quora, Getaround, Mixpanel, and Zendesk build and execute Global SEO strategies that dramatically increase their organic visibility at scale.

Mark Scully is 256’s Head of Digital Innovation and Strategy leading the development of the agency’s proprietary technology to support client work bringing insights to data. Mark is a former Digital Marketing Manager, an SEO Specialist and founder of the Learn Inbound community. Mark has extensive knowledge of the Google suite of tools required to unlock digital insights and uses his experience to produce award-winning data-driven digital ecosystems. He is well-versed in content distribution, amplification strategies and data analytics. He has advanced knowledge of customer behaviour evolves and the importance of digital content in relation to brand engagement and audience growth.

Andrew Seibert founded Imprint as a full-service content marketing agency in early 2013. His experience at American Express, GE Capital, Time, Inc., and Hearst and Dow Jones (as President and Publisher of the SmartMoney joint venture) provides him both a client and publisher perspective on content marketing. Just nine years old, Imprint has received 15 nominated for Content Marketing Agency of the Year by four different organizations, winning four times. Andy served for a decade on the Board of The Content Council and is one of the founders of Global Voices, a content marketing collective.

Nenad Senic from Slovenia is a Brand Editor at the 2018 Content Marketing Agency of the Year, PM. He has created and edited more than 50 (some award-winning) customer magazines and other digital brand media. In 2021, he was one of the nominees for the UK Editor of the Year award (for the second time). He’s given presentations on content marketing in the USA, Australia, Poland, Turkey, Serbia, and in his native country Slovenia. He has judged the US, the UK and Slovenian content marketing and advertising awards.

Dennis Shiao is an independent marketing consultant who works with brands on content marketing, product messaging, and social media marketing. Formerly, Dennis led the content marketing function at DNN Software. Dennis curates an email newsletter called Content Corner and publishes marketing-related content on Medium. Feel free to reach out to Dennis on Twitter @dshiao.

Emily Silber is an Executive Editor for Foundry 360 at Dotdash Meredith. She has more than eight years’ experience producing branded content for clients across all formats and industry sectors, specializing in health, science and personal finance. Most recently, she was the editor of Millie and Proto. She uses analytics, SEO, her background in marketing services and her artistic bent to help brands tell stories that are smart, engaging and trustworthy.

Stephanie Stahl, As General Manager of CMI, I lead the brand’s event and digital operations and get to work with the best team on the planet! Previously, I served as VP of Content Marketing for UBM’s Technology portfolio, providing strategic guidance on content development, content optimization, audience engagement, and go-to-market platforms for our technology clients. I’ve worked for UBM, which is now owned by Informa, for more than two decades, helping shape new multimedia content and event offerings. I live in the Washington, DC area with my husband and we enjoy spending time taking care of our many pets and visiting our two daughters on their college campuses.

Russell Stearns has been with the Center for Homeland Defense and Security since 2017 and started as an operations coordinator and transitioned to Strategic Communications in 2018. Russell works in mobile outreach for Strategic Communications and represents CHDS at conferences, symposiums, and expos throughout the United States. Russell is also the outreach lead for UAPP and CHDS’s self-study courses. Before CHDS, Russell worked as West Coast Operations Manager for Education First. Russell holds a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies from California State University, Monterey Bay, and a Master of Public Administration from California State University, Bakersfield.

Frank Strong is the founder and president of Sword and the Script Media, LLC, a veteran-owned business focused on content marketing, PR and social media for B2B tech. The consultancy grew out of a blog he started more than a decade ago in the interest of professional development. Strong worked in-house and for agencies for nearly 20 years prior to starting his consultancy. At his last corporate position with LexisNexis, he built an industry-leading blog on legal tech that was directly attributed to driving awareness and sales.

James Tennant is a copywriter and content marketer with over 10 years experience. He has written copy and content strategies for hundreds of businesses, including the likes of eBay, Gumtree, UK Gov, and Universal Studios. Now he runs Converge – helping businesses amplify their content to more of the right people, every day.

Christoph Trappe is a globally recognized content marketing expert and author of “Is marketing a good career?” He leads content strategy at Voxpopme, a market research software company, and has helped companies create better content for their target audiences throughout his career. He blogs at christophtrappe.com.

Bert van Loon (Netherlands) grew up in publishing, experiencing the industry’s open-heart surgery called “switching business from print-only to cross media” from the operation theater. Over the last years he has been delivering modern marketing communication strategies to brands, using his publishers’ experience to help them building an audience, starting a dialogue and turning eyeballs into business leads. Bert is a in-demand keynote speaker at events around the globe. His motto: “I believe #ContentMarketing is to today, what advertising was to the 60s! Mad Men become Meaningful Men!”

Jenn VandeZande is an experienced writer, editor, and content strategist. She’s the Editor in Chief of The Future of Commerce, an industry award-winning site. Her strengths lie in crafting emotionally engaging, human-first content that grows loyal subscribers who become customers. To the dismay of her developer and managing editor, she also loves playing an SEO expert on the internet, and drilling down into the details that make content work – or not.

Carol Lin Vieira is a seasoned public relations and marketing professional with a strong track record of securing appearances, awards, and placing articles, expert quotes, and other thought leadership content in top-tier news outlets. She has worked across numerous sectors including healthcare, blockchain, consumer goods, non-profits, science, tech, and tax, and has created multiple award-winning PR and Content Marketing campaigns. She graduated from the University of Virginia and resides in Rhode Island.

Rob Walch was inducted into the Podcasting Hall of Fame in 2016 and is the VP Enterprise/Pro and Platform Partnerships for Libsyn (LSYN) He is Co-Author of the book “Tricks of the Podcasting Masters” – Que 2006, an editors pick Top10 Reference book for 2006 by Amazon. Rob started podcasting in 2004 as host of the podCast411 podcast. He has consulted on podcasting for Jack Welch, eBay and Tim Ferriss to name just a few.

Jasmine Williams is an award-winning writer, content marketing expert, and the founder of Jasmine Williams Media, a boutique content marketing consultancy serving a global roster of industry-leading companies and visionaries. She’s also the founder of Click-worthy Creatives, an education hub and community for freelance creatives. Jasmine helps creative entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants, and growth-stage startups scale their businesses with strategic storytelling.

Fleur Willemijn is an experienced Content Director, Head of Marketing, bringing content and social to the next level. From strategy to implementation whilst content becomes accountable. With almost 25 years of experience with 40+ top-notch brands, as a devil’s advocate, I help brands to create content and social that have impact. Happy to share my knowledge and lessons learned to raise the content bar.

Ashley Zeckman is the Vice President Strategy and Customer Success for Onalytica. In addition to finding innovative ways to showcase the exceptional work of her team, she drives strategy for influencer and content programs for mid-size and enterprise B2B clients.