Integrated Marketing Communications Convocation
December 14, 2024
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Program
Land Acknowledgement
Samantha Leibow
Welcome
Dean Charles Whitaker (BSJ80, MSJ81)
Vijay Viswanathan
IMC Full-Time Student Speakers
Ariana Wu & Laila Sofia Garza Kamar
IMC Professional Student Speaker
Austyn Smith
Introduction of Keynote Speaker
Shunshun Yao
Keynote Speaker
Carlos Zepeda (IMC98)
Presentation of Degrees
Jacqueline Babb (IMC09)
IMC Full-Time Teacher of the Year Presenter
Andrew James Fox
IMC Professional Teacher of the Year Presenter
Brittany Trevick
Closing Remarks
Yuki Ratna
Medill Administration
Charles Whitaker (BSJ80, MSJ81)
Medill Dean
Vijay Viswanathan
Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani Professor of Integrated Marketing Communications and Associate Dean of IMC
Tim Franklin
John M. Mutz Chair in Local News and Senior Associate Dean
Beth Bennett (MSJ97)
Professor and Associate Dean of Journalism
Stephanie Edgerly
Professor and Associate Dean of Research
Dorina Aguilar Rasmussen
Associate Dean of Administration and Student Affairs
Jacqueline Babb (IMC09)
Senior Lecturer and Director of IMC Full-Time Program
Danielle Robinson Bell (BSJ99, MBA07)
Assistant Professor and Director of IMC Professional Program
Speaker Biographies
Carlos Zepeda (IMC98) has been a member of the Medill Hall of Achievement since 2024.
Zepeda is senior vice president of Strategy, Marketing Capability and Chief of Staff for Moët Hennessy USA. He joined Moet Hennessy as vice president for Belvedere Vodka in 2014, and subsequently held some strategy and transformation roles both in marketing and enterprise-wide focused embedding the 2030 Strategy for the US market.
Prior to Moet Hennessy, he was vice president of Marketing for Havaianas, leading the expansion of this Brazilian brand in the US. He previously held several marketing roles at PepsiCo over a span of 10 years where he led marketing for Diet Pepsi, Starbucks Frappuccino Ready-to-Drink, and customer marketing for the Foodservice division. He served as chair of Adelante, PepsiCo’s LatinX employee resource group in the US.
Earlier in his career, Zepeda held consulting positions at Ernst & Young’s Customer Connections practice and at Peppers and Rogers Group.
Zepeda is co-chair for ANA’s Educational Foundation Talent Forward Committee and an advisory board member of Fashion Institute of Technology’s global marketing program.
Speaker Biographies
Carlos Zepeda (IMC98) has been a member of the Medill Hall of Achievement since 2024.
Zepeda is senior vice president of Strategy, Marketing Capability and Chief of Staff for Moët Hennessy USA. He joined Moet Hennessy as vice president for Belvedere Vodka in 2014, and subsequently held some strategy and transformation roles both in marketing and enterprise-wide focused embedding the 2030 Strategy for the US market.
Prior to Moet Hennessy, he was vice president of Marketing for Havaianas, leading the expansion of this Brazilian brand in the US. He previously held several marketing roles at PepsiCo over a span of 10 years where he led marketing for Diet Pepsi, Starbucks Frappuccino Ready-to-Drink, and customer marketing for the Foodservice division. He served as chair of Adelante, PepsiCo’s LatinX employee resource group in the US.
Earlier in his career, Zepeda held consulting positions at Ernst & Young’s Customer Connections practice and at Peppers and Rogers Group.
Zepeda is co-chair for ANA’s Educational Foundation Talent Forward Committee and an advisory board member of Fashion Institute of Technology’s global marketing program.
IMC Full-Time Student Speaker
Ariana Wu (IMC24) is an IMC full-time student, with two years of experience in product development and supply chain, and served as Project Manager Director on the executive board of Medill’s Cause Marketing Initiative. IMC Full-Time Student Speaker
Ariana Wu (IMC24) is an IMC full-time student, with two years of experience in product development and supply chain, and served as Project Manager Director on the executive board of Medill’s Cause Marketing Initiative. IMC Full-Time Student Speaker
Laila Sofia Garza Kamar (IMC24) is an IMC full-time student, with two years of experience in Business Development and CRM, and served as External Communications Director on the executive board of Medill’s Cause Marketing Initiative.
IMC Full-Time Student Speaker
Laila Sofia Garza Kamar (IMC24) is an IMC full-time student, with two years of experience in Business Development and CRM, and served as External Communications Director on the executive board of Medill’s Cause Marketing Initiative. IMC Professional Student Speaker
Austyn Smith (IMC24) is an IMC Professional graduate student ambassador and TA for Financial Accounting. She is a digital marketing professional living in Portland, Oregon. IMC Professional Student Speaker
Austyn Smith (IMC24) is an IMC Professional graduate student ambassador and TA for Financial Accounting. She is a digital marketing professional living in Portland, Oregon. WiFi and Closed Captioning
WiFi: Guest-Northwestern
Social Media: #MyMedillStory
Northwestern Alma Mater
Hail to Alma Mater!
We will sing thy praise forever;
All thy sons and daughters
Pledge thee victory and honor.
Alma Mater, praise be thine,
May thy name forever shine!
Hail to Purple! Hail to White!
Hail to thee, Northwestern!