Kevin O’Connell
Senior Vice President of Marketing, Eat’n Park Hospitality Group
Kevin O’Connell is Senior Vice President of Marketing for Eat’n Park Hospitality Group.  Prior to joining Eat’n Park in 2001, Kevin spent 12 years with Accenture and Arthur Andersen as a consultant on business strategy, marketing and information technology.  In his role with Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, Kevin oversees all marketing and public relations for Eat’n Park restaurants and serves as media spokesperson. Kevin earned a BBA with honors from the University of Notre Dame and serves as a board member for the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh and Eastern Area Adult Services.

Connie George
Director of Marketing and Public Relations, Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium
George has been the director of marketing and public relations for the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium for 10 years. In that function, she leads a talented team that is responsible for special themed events, community relations, advertising, public relations, social media, website, publication content, private rentals and corporate group sales. Prior to joining the Zoo, she worked at UPMC Health System as a communications manager, with specific responsibility for marketing, community and employee communications for UPMC South Side and UPMC Beaver Valley during their acquisitions. Prior to UPMC, George worked at MetLife in New York City as community affairs manager, in charge of marketing, public and community relations and employee communications for a 12-state territory. She earned her BA in Communications from the University of Pittsburgh.
 
Jennifer C. Johnson
Associate, Leech Tishman Fuscaldo & Lampl, LLC Business Law Firm
Johnson is a member of the Estate Planning and Administration, Corporate and Real Estate, and Taxation groups. She joined Leech Tishman Fuscaldo & Lampl in 2007 as a law clerk, and as an associate in 2008. Johnson is a 2001 graduate of California State University with a B.S. in Business Administration, major in technology, and graduated J.D., cum laude from Duquesne University in 2008. At Duquesne she was Executive Editor of Duquesne Business Law Journal.   

David J. DelFiandra
Partner, Leech Tishman Fuscaldo & Lampl, LLC Business Law Firm
DelFiandra is a member of the estate planning and administration, taxation and employment groups. He joined Leech Tishman Fuscaldo & Lampl in August 2000, and was named partner in December 2006. David's work spans estate planning and administration, federal and state taxation and employment law. He represents both employers and employees. DelFiandra is a 1996 graduate of The Ohio State University, with a B.S. in Business Administration, major in Accounting and graduated J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law in 2000 where he was a member of Duquesne Law Review. DelFiandra also served as a presenter at the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board Forum with "Aging: It’s not the same old story - Preparing for the next workforce" in October 2007. In 2008 he was awarded the Pennsylvania Rising Star, Law & Politics for Philadelphia Magazine.

 
Chuck Beeler
Director, Social Branding, Eric Mower and Associates
Beeler is director of social branding at independent marketing communications firm Eric Mower and Associates (EMA). EMA is an integrated marketing communications agency with specialized expertise in public relations and public affairs, consumer advertising, brand promotion and business-to-business marketing. In 2008, PRWeek interviewed Beeler for his insights on cause-related marketing initiatives in a tough economy. The article, "Cause initiatives endure despite budget cutbacks," cites the EMA Cause Marketing and the Economy Poll, conducted nationally in November 2008 to gauge how current economic conditions affect the emotional connection created between consumers and brands through cause-related marketing.

 
Brooke M. Fornalczyk
Manager of e-Marketing and Promotions, Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership
Ms. Fornalczyk creates and distributes the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s (PDP) electronic publications, including the weekly and monthly newsletters and event e-blasts; spearheads the PDP’s social media efforts and acts as the “voice” of the PDP; maintains information for PDP's internal databases; acts as the gatekeeper for all content on the Website, and assists with the promotion of PDP-sponsored events.Prior to her role at the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, Ms. Fornalczyk was a Communications Technician with the Corporate Communications department at Allegheny Energy in Greensburg, Pa. A native of Jeannette, Pa., Ms. Fornalczyk earned her B.S. in Communication from Clarion University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Jack Ciak
Assistant Professor of Communication, Seton Hill University
Ciak’s academic areas of interest include corporate communication, organizational communication and media ecology, marketing communication, public speaking, managerial communication, ethical issues in communication and business, photography, music and communication. For decades, public relations practitioners have utilized new media technologies to influence the public opinion process. However, the recent explosion in social media has created entirely new opportunities and challenges for the profession. While social media is forcing public relations practitioners to be more transparent than ever, it also takes away much of the control they have become accustomed to in traditional media.  

His seminar will address the following issues:

•           Can social media be used effectively to build trust between organizations and their publics?

•           Is there such a thing as “ethical behavior” in the usage of social media?

•           If we are living in a social media “Wild West,” who is the sheriff, and do we need one?

•           Is it ethical for a PR professional to adopt an “avatar” and fight in the information/disinformation wars?

 
Dr. Heather Starr Fiedler
Assistant Professor of Digital Media and Founder of pittsburghmom.com
Dr. Heather Starr Fiedler is an assistant professor of digital media. She specializes in new and emerging media technology and especially online journalism. Prior to coming to Point Park in 2000, she taught business and computer science at West Virginia Northern Community College, Communications at Robert Morris University and was the director of training for Gateway Computers in Pittsburgh.  Dr. Fiedler holds a Ph.D. in educational technology from Nova Southeastern University, a master’s in communications from the University of Albany and bachelor’s in business and broadcast journalism from Buffalo State College.

Michael G. Cherenson, APR (Keynote Speaker)
Executive Vice President, Success Communications Group; and 2009 PRSA National Chair & CEO
A 16-year industry veteran and the author of three studies on the impact of reputation, Cherenson is Accredited in Public Relations (APR) by the Universal Accreditation Board and Public Relations Society of America. His expertise extends to all disciplines of public relations including corporate, marketing, internal and crisis communication, government relations, event management and interactive public relations.

At Success Communications, he serves as chief public relations counselor and strategist and oversees all public relations activities for the firms’ diverse clientele.

In 2003 Cherenson was elected to a three-year term on the national Board of Directors of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the world’s largest professional organization for PR professionals, with more than 20,000 members. Cherenson also serves as chair of the PRSA Advocacy Advisory Board, and liaison to the Public Relations Student’s Board of Professional Ethics and Standards.

During his tenure on the Board of Directors, Cherenson co-authored a PRSA study on MBA Programs and their communication curricula. In 2005, Cherenson represented PRSA and the U.S. State Department and its Bureau of International Information Programs on a mission to Croatia where he served as a keynote speaker at the 6th Annual Croatian Public Relations Association Conference.

A member of The Fairleigh Dickinson University Corporate and Organizational Communication Board of Corporate Advisors and the Gibbs College Advisory Board, he is a past President of the NJ Chapter of the PRSA, where he was honored with its Service Award in 2002.

The father of three children – ages 9, 7 and 4 – Cherenson is a graduate of Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY and attended the prestigious Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) at George Washington University, Washington, DC.