We are pleased to introduce our lineup of speakers for Heroes of B2B Media, ASBPE’s 2023 National Conference. Learn more about the 2023 conference.
Registration for the 2023 conference is now closed.
KEYNOTE: Nick Chiles
Author & Writer in Residence, Journalism, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Georgia
Session: Keynote: The Power of Story
Nick Chiles is a writer in residence, teaching Feature Writing courses at the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. He is the author or co-author of 21 books. Previously, he was a reporter for the Dallas Morning News, the Star-Ledger of New Jersey and New York Newsday. He also has written for magazines such as The Atlantic, The Christian Science Monitor, Essence and Ebony. Chiles also was a magazine and a website editor-in-chief, and served as a professor at Columbia Journalism School, and at Princeton University. He is a consultant for the William Julius Wilson Institute at the Harlem Children’s Zone. Among his many accolades, Chiles has won nearly 20 major journalism awards, including a 1992 Pulitzer Prize as part of a New York Newsday team. He has won a Green Eyeshade Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, several National Association of Black Journalists awards, an NAACP Image Award, and two National Education Reporting Awards presented by the Education Writers Association. He was the recipient of the Spencer Education Fellowship at Columbia University and the Ferris Fellowship at Princeton.
Brooke Bilyj
Owner & Chief Content Officer, Bantamedia
Session: What Editors Can Learn from Freelancers about Project Management
Brooke Bilyj is a national award-winning journalist, published author and PR/marketing consultant. Since founding her content marketing firm, Bantamedia, in 2013, Bilyj has worked with marketing agencies, trade publications and brands to provide content, PR, SEO and digital marketing for industries ranging from healthcare to horticulture. Her work has been published in more than 40 publications and more than 50 client websites — earning 22 awards (including 17 Azbees).
Michael Castañeda
Audio Engineer & Owner, plasticAudio
Session: Case Study: How We Make a B2B Podcast
Michael Castañeda has been working in the podcast industry since 2016 and enjoys working with podcasters of any experience level. He specializes in recording and post production, but also has experience as a podcast producer and reporter. He writes a bi-monthly audio column for the substack, “Podcast Bestie.” Michael’s current interest is driving up and down California’s coast creating sound libraries of beaches.
Leroy Chapman, Jr.
Editor-in-Chief, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Session: (Heroic) Lessons from Atlanta Journalism History
Leroy Chapman Jr. is editor-in-chief at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where he oversees the newspaper’s print and digital daily news gathering. That includes the South’s largest newspaper’s coverage of local, state and federal government, education, public safety, civil rights, the economy, sports and breaking news. Prior to the AJC, he was the governance editor at The (Columbia, S.C.) State where he managed the newspaper’s politics coverage. Before he began leading news teams and newsrooms, Chapman worked as an award-winning columnist and editorial writer, a business reporter and college sports reporter.
Kevin Davis
Managing Editor, ABA Journal
Session: Celebrating 20 Years of ASBPE’s Stephen Barr Award
Kevin Davis is an award-winning journalist, author, magazine writer and managing editor of the ABA Journal. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago magazine, Reader’s Digest and many other publications. Davis is the author of three non-fiction books, “The Wrong Man,” “Defending the Damned” and, most recently, “The Brain Defense.” He has also authored eight nonfiction children’s books. Davis teaches nonfiction writing at the University of Chicago’s Graham School of Continuing Studies and has taught writing to detainees as part of an art therapy program at the Cook County Jail. He was the 2019 recipient of ASBPE’s Stephen Barr Award for Feature Writing. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Martha Sanders, and son, Jackson, who taught his dad how to ride a unicycle during the pandemic.
Samantha Enslen
President, Dragonfly Editorial
Session: ChatGPT: Hero, Horror Show, or Hogwash?
Samantha Enslen is a leader in the editorial field, with more than 20 years of experience stretching across marketing communications, proposals, and technical content. She founded Dragonfly Editorial in 2005 with a simple goal: take stress off her customers’ shoulders by providing them with a trusted resource for writing, editing, and design. Since that time, Enslen has built Dragonfly into one of the most respected editorial agencies in the country. Her expertise is in B2B copywriting and plain-language editing. She has taught on these topics and more during countless industry conferences and webinars over the past 15 years, often breaking attendance records and having the highest level of presenter ratings. In 2020, Enslen was recognized as a fellow by the Association of Proposal Management Professionals, in recognition of her ongoing contribution to continuing education in this field.
Megan Gates
Senior Editor, Security Management and Editor-in-Chief, Security Technology, ASIS International
Session: Celebrating 20 Years of ASBPE’s Stephen Barr Award
Megan Gates is the senior editor at Security Management covering cybersecurity, cultural properties, executive protection, and banking and financial services. She is also the editor-in-chief of the magazine’s tech supplement, Security Technology, and has received numerous awards for her writing, including ASBPE’s 2022 Stephen Barr Award for Feature Writing and a 2021 APEX Award of Excellence for Technical and Technology Writing. Gates holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Journalism with a minor in Film Studies from Missouri State University.
Roy J. Harris, Jr.
Freelancer and Semi-Retired B2B Journalist, Formerly Senior Editor, CFO Magazine
Session: Celebrating 20 Years of ASBPE’s Stephen Barr Award
Roy Harris spent 24 years with The Wall Street Journal, including six years as deputy Los Angeles bureau chief, before moving to CFO Magazine in Boston as senior editor from 1997 to 2010. He later served for two years as founding editor of CFOWorld, an online publication of International Data Group. Harris was ASBPE national president from 2005 to 2007 and founding president of the ASBPE Educational Foundation. In 2016, he was an ASBPE Lifetime Achievement Award honoree. He is author of “Pulitzer’s Gold: A Century of Public Service Journalism,” the most recent edition of which was from Columbia University Press.
Paul J. Heney
VP, Editorial Director, Design World, WTWH Media LLC
Session: Event Coverage Amid Change
Paul J. Heney, the VP, Editorial Director for Design World magazine, has a B.S. in Engineering Science & Mechanics and minors in Technical Communications and Biomedical Engineering from Georgia Tech. He has written about fluid power, aerospace, robotics, medical and green engineering, as well as hospitality and consumer travel. He currently serves as the president of the ASBPE Educational Foundation and also president of Trade, Association and Business Publications International (TABPI). Heney has won numerous regional and national Azbee Awards. He served as president of ASBPE’s national board of directors from 1999 to 2003 and created the Young Leader Scholarship program. He lives in Cleveland, Ohio, with his husband and two sons.
Brendan Howard
Podcast Host
Session: Case Study: How We Make a B2B Podcast
Brendan Howard is a podcast host for hire. He puts to use more than 20 years in journalism and B2B publishing — and five years in podcasting — to produce fun, insightful interviews with anyone for clients’ podcasts … or his own. Howard has most recently had in-depth conversations on how security professionals work during mass evacuations, what Christianity has to say about animals, whether depression is over-diagnosed, and why David Allen’s Getting Things Done is the best productivity book ever. When he grows up, he wants to be the Huell Howser of podcasting.
Mary Ellen Kuhn
Executive Editor, Food Technology Magazine, Institute of Food Technologists
Session: Bringing New Energy and Purpose to an Aging Brand
An award-winning writer and editor, Mary Ellen Kuhn manages the editorial content of Food Technology. Prior to joining the Food Technology team, she covered the food industry for a variety of trade publications. Kuhn’s professional experience also includes freelance writing and work in academic public relations and on a community newspaper.
Rich Luna
Senior Director, Content, Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI)
Session: (Heroic) Lessons from Atlanta Journalism History and Style Matters: Are You Up-to-Date on the Latest Language that Supports DEI Efforts?
Rich Luna is senior director, content, at Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI). He is an ASAE Diversity Executive Leadership Program (DELP) scholar and serves on the ASBPE board of directors. He also serves on the communications committees for the U.S. Travel Association and Association Latinos. Prior to ALHI, he was in publishing roles for Meeting Professionals International and the Boy Scouts of America, and in reporting, editing and leadership role at newspapers across the country. He received his B.A. from the University of Texas at El Paso.
Brian MacKenzie
Design and Production Manager, Publications, Institute of Food Technologists
Session: Bringing New Energy and Purpose to an Aging Brand
With over 20 years of experience in design and publishing, Brian MacKenzie manages the design and production of Food Technology Magazine in print and online. Before joining the Food Technology team, he worked freelance on various publications for Office Max, Morningstar Financial and other fortune 500 companies. MacKenzie’s expertise also extends to long form data-based publishing and cloud-based magazine production workflow — all with a high attention to detail.
Bill McDowell
Editor-in-Chief and Vice President, Content Strategy, Institute of Food Technologists
Session: Bringing New Energy and Purpose to an Aging Brand
Bill McDowell has spent his entire career as a business journalist, most of it covering various segments of food and hospitality. Most recently, he was vice president/editorial director at MTG Media Group, where he oversaw a suite of print and web publications serving meat and poultry processors, global hoteliers and foodservice professionals. Before this, McDowell was a pioneer in online B2B journalism, as editorial director of the Food, Beverage, and Retail Group at VerticalNet, and as an editor at Cahners Business Information.
Adam Minter
Author and Columnist, Bloomberg Opinion
Session: Celebrating 20 Years of ASBPE’s Stephen Barr Award
Adam Minter is a columnist with Bloomberg Opinion, where he writes about emerging markets, technology, waste and other topics. From 2002 to 2014, he was based in Shanghai, where he covered the trans-Pacific trade in recycling; he continued that coverage from Kuala Lumpur, where was based from 2014 until Covid. Minter’s first book, “Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade,” is an insider’s look at the world of globalized recycling. His most recent book, “Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale” is a deep dive into the secondhand economy that thrives around the world. He was the first recipient of ASBPE’s Stephen Barr Award for Feature Writing in 2004.
Chiriga “Zoe” Moore
Strategic Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Consultant, Grow with Zomo
Session: Style Matters: Are You Up-to-Date on the Latest Language that Supports DEI Efforts?
A strategic equity, diversity and inclusion consultant, Zoe Moore is challenging the status quo across the hospitality, events and tourism industries. She is using her platforms to educate leaders about supplier diversity, inclusive organizational culture and diverse representation in leadership. Following 12 years of service in the United States Army, Moore earned her M.S. in Hospitality, Recreation and Tourism. She spearheaded the formation of an Inclusion & Diversity Committee with Meeting Professionals International’s Northern California chapter and later became co-chair for MPI’s Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advisory Committee. Moore now resides in Smyrna, Ga. with her 18-year-old son, Jourden Moore of JEM Innovations. She loves homemade chocolate chip cookies, photography and traveling.
Meagan Parrish
Lead Editor, PharmaVoice, Industry Dive
Sessions: Celebrating 20 Years of ASBPE’s Stephen Barr Award and You Were a Journalist — Now You’re the Boss
Meagan Parrish is currently the lead editor of PharmaVoice at Industry Dive. Parrish got her professional start at a women’s magazine in her hometown of Madison, Wis. before jumping into B2B reporting. She spent years covering the chemicals, manufacturing, energy and healthcare sectors and then pivoted to becoming a full-time pharma industry editor/writer. During her five years at Pharma Manufacturing, Parrish was the 2020 recipient of ASBPE’s Stephen Barr Award for Feature Writing, a three time Neals finalist, and the publication snagged several Azbees including Magazine of the Year in 2021.
Nicole Racadag
Senior Managing Editor, American College of Radiology
Sessions: What Editors Can Learn from Freelancers about Project Management and Style Matters: Are You Up-to-Date on the Latest Language that Supports DEI Efforts?
Nicole Racadag, MSJ, senior managing editor at the American College of Radiology (ACR), has overseen all aspects of creating and distributing the ACR Bulletin, the ACR’s member magazine, since 2017. Under her direction, the ACR Bulletin has garnered significant recognition, including national and regional awards for writing and design from the ASBPE and Communications Concepts, Inc. Prior to joining the ACR, Racadag served in various publishing and public relations capacities at several healthcare associations in the Washington, D.C. area, including the American Chiropractic Association, the American Industrial Hygiene Association and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. She is an active member of ASBPE and SIIA’s Associations, Media & Publishing (AM&P) Network. She was named an AM&P Network Emerging Leader in 2021.
Danica Tormohlen
Vice President of Content, Tarsus Group
Session: Event Coverage Amid Change
An award-winning journalist who has covered the trade show industry since 1994, Danica Tormohlen is vice president of content for Tarsus Group, which was recently acquired by Informa. In her role, she oversees content for Trade Show News Network, Corporate Event News and Exhibitor News Network. These leading media brands publish websites, newsletters, social media channels, video, podcasts, and online and in-person programming for the trade show, corporate event and exhibition industries. Tormohlen currently serves as a board member for Women in Exhibitions Network North America chapter and was a founding board member of ASBPE’s Kansas City Chapter. She previously served as a national board member for ASBPE. Tormohlen has volunteered her time to serve as a judge for the Azbee Awards and Neal Awards. She has been a speaker at major industry events, including ASBPE, TSNN Awards, IMEX, IAEE, SISO, UFI, Large Show Roundtable and Trade Show Executive Gold 100 and Fastest 50 Summits — to name a few.
Heather Tunstall
President, Tunstall Content LLC and Corporate Content Director, Brand Media & Engagement, Meister Media Worldwide
Session: What Editors Can Learn from Freelancers about Project Management
Heather Tunstall has been a journalist since she tried her hand at Journalism Club in 8th grade many (many) years ago. Professionally, she has been a content creator for magazines, corporations, news outlets, and agencies for more than 17 years. She launched a content creation agency in 2019, and continues to run the business after re-entering the magazine publishing industry in an executive role earlier in 2023.
Brooke Turbyfill
Freelance Writer and Editor, Turbowords Editing
Session: What Editors Can Learn from Freelancers about Project Management
Brooke Turbyfill (@TurbyfillBrooke) is a freelance editor and writer who specializes in the education and nonprofit sectors. She also shares tips with authors at https://brooketurbyfill.
Tess Vismale, CMP, DES
Founder and CEO, iSocialX
Session: Event Coverage Amid Change
Tess Vismale is an award-winning event rescuer and the founder and CEO of iSocialExecution, Inc., a premier event rescue & execution firm; tech whisperer for DAHLIA+ AGENCY, #EventTechPullUp podcast co-host, and featured professional speaker. With 25+ years in the events industry, her mission is to serve humanity and change the world by giving value and leading with collaboration. Vismale was awarded the 2023 inaugural tech Women of Impact Award and the 2022 Smart Woman in Meetings in the Entrepreneur category. She was nominated for the MPIGA 2022 Hall of Fame/Lifetime Achievement Award and named one of the most influential event professionals in the industry by #Eventex100list and #BizBash500 list! As an early technology adopter in the events space and as part of the inaugural class to receive Digital Events Certified (DES), Vismale’s superpowers are thriving virtually and face-to-face, managing events, logistics and tech merged with events big or small!
Janis L. Ware
Publisher, The Atlanta Voice
Session: (Heroic) Lessons from Atlanta Journalism History
Janis L. Ware, a native Atlantan, was one of the first African American females to graduate from the University of Georgia’s prestigious Terry College of Business. A multi-talented and dynamic entrepreneur, she is the publisher of The Atlanta Voice newspaper that has served the Atlanta community since 1966 and provides news and information on matters of concern to the African American community. Ware began working for the paper after college and took over the organization after the death of her father, J. Lowell Ware in 1991. The Atlanta Voice has served Metropolitan Atlanta for over 57 years and has expanded to online coverage, electronic distribution and digital content production.
Marsha “Radiolady” Washington George
Second Vice President, National Board and Atlanta Chapter President, National Black Radio Hall of Fame
Session: (Heroic) Lessons from Atlanta Journalism History
Known in the industry as “Radiolady,” Marsha Washington George is the author of “Black Radio…Winner Takes All: America’s 1st Black DJs.” She is the second vice president of the National Board and president of the Atlanta Chapter for the National Black Radio Hall of Fame. Since 2019, she has spearheaded and hosted the National Black Radio Hall of Fame Annual Induction Program. Her passion for the history of Black radio is deeply rooted — her uncle, Ken Knight, was the program director at WERD, America’s first Black-owned radio station. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s office was on the first floor of the same facility, and he made speeches over those very same airwaves. Washington George was also one of the writers of the AT&T Network Engineering Atlanta, a local publication, and assisted in the editorial presentations of their books. From 2007 to 2012, she launched and worked with a local student club called the Young Readers Book Club. Washington George was recognized for her book at the 20th anniversary of the Jacksonville, Florida Pride Book Club Celebration. She has received two Humanitarian Awards, city and state recognition, and the President’s Volunteer Service Award signed by President Obama.
Registration for the 2023 conference is now closed.