Harnessing AI
Valorie Luther has been building the future of digital marketing since 2003. As the founder of Creative Concepts, she is a practitioner-academic who bridges the gap between high-level strategy and operational reality. A recognized digital pioneer, Valorie founded and produced the groundbreaking Business Smart Tools Conference in 2006, one of the first events in the nation dedicated to the business application of Web 2.0. Digital marketing, communications, AI visibility, and consumer behavior insights are at the core of her work. Valorie brings over 20 years of experience transforming B2C, B2B, and D2C brands through integrated, data driven strategies that drive measurable growth across digital, social, search, and AI engines. She has guided emerging startups and established brands including Bigelow Tea, Ouidad, Ecover, and Bulldog Skincare for Men to stand out in competitive markets. Through the Creative Concepts Neuromarketing Insights Lab, Valorie uses AI driven attention and emotion analysis to reveal how audiences truly respond to content. Her current work helps brands achieve AI visibility—ensuring they show up in the search engines and generative AI results where decisions now begin. She uses enterprise-grade analytics to map citation networks and structure websites, creating high authority content strategies that draw in present and potential consumers. Valorie serves on the faculty at Boston University Metropolitan College, where she instructs the next generation of marketers on how to move beyond the hype and implement strategies that ultimately increase revenue.
Brandi Boatner is an award-winning, senior digital communications leader and a public relations industry powerhouse. With over 16 years of experience in corporate communications, Brandi is currently in IBM's Corporate Affairs function in Global Influencer Marketing on the social media and influence team. In this strategic role, she is responsible for architecting IBM’s global reputation and narrative surrounding Artificial Intelligence, driving brand consideration and awareness across the enterprise for external audiences working with B2B tech influencers and content creators.
A trailblazer in the industry, Brandi is the Immediate Past President of New York Women in Communications (NYWICI) and a two-time Hall of Famer. Her leadership spans boards for the PRSA Tri-State District, the Better Business Bureau of NYC, Poster House and the University of South Carolina. Recognized by PR Week and PR News for her prolific contributions to the field, Brandi is a sought-after global speaker. A New Orleans native currently based in NYC, she balances her high-tech career with a passion for travel, music, and the perfect pair of shoes.
Tackling Mis- and Disinformation
I am currently an Assistant Professor of Journalism and Emerging Media Studies in the College of Communications at Boston University. I am the founder of The Critical Internet Studies Institute, a non-profit that develops cutting-edge research and educational programs advancing public knowledge of emerging technologies and the paradoxes of innovation. In 2023, I blew the whistle on corporate influence over my research program at Harvard Kennedy School.In 2022, I coauthored a book called, Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America, which analyzes how meme culture became an important political communication strategy bridging social movements with contemporary political parties from Occupy to the insurrection. I am the co-creator of the beaver emoji. Formerly, I was the Research Director of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on Media Politics and Public Policy, where I directed the Technology and Social Change Research Project. Our team researched media manipulation, disinformation, and adversarial media movements. I was previously the Research Lead for Data & Society’s Media Manipulation Initiative, which mapped how interest groups, governments, political operatives, corporations, and others use the internet and media to disrupt social institutions. I completed my PhD in Sociology and Science Studies at the University of California San Diego, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the UCLA Institute for Society and Genetics, where I studied white supremacists’ use of DNA ancestry tests, social movements, and technology. I am available for lectures, workshops, board meetings, and any other consulting activities. Just reach out: Joan@PublicInterestInter.net
Social Impact
Theonide Pierre is the General Manager of the Boston Scoop Shops, including the Seaport location, where she has been a dedicated leader with Ben & Jerry’s for the past four years. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology with a minor in Science and Medicine, bringing a people-centered and socially conscious perspective to her leadership. Throughout her time with Ben & Jerry’s, Theonide has been deeply committed to advancing the company’s social mission alongside franchisee operator Jason Sweeney. She was the visionary behind the first Haitian Heritage Night at Fenway Park in 2023 and has served on the Boston Race Amity Art & Music Festival planning committee. She also volunteers at Pine Street Inn, providing customer service training to job training cohorts, and tutors reading weekly at her local church. Passionate about community impact, Theonide strives to be a beacon of light in every space she enters, working to help make the world a better place. In her spare time, she enjoys crocheting, spending time with friends, and caring for her four cats.
Fostering Meaningful In-Person Connections
Orianna Tate is a Senior Vice President with 617MediaGroup, specializing in strategic communications for labor unions, advocacy organizations, and other mission-driven clients. Since joining the agency in 2018 as an intern, she has advanced to senior leadership, directing high-impact campaigns that span media relations, digital and print communications, and large-scale events and partnerships. Her work is rooted in a deep commitment to social and economic justice. Over the years, she has helped shape and execute campaigns supporting rideshare drivers organizing for fairness, strengthening wage theft protections, advancing local electoral and ballot initiative efforts, and mobilizing communities through major rallies and public actions across Boston. Orianna holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Bentley University.
Sherrod Blakely is an Associate Professor of the Practice of Sports Journalism at Boston University's College of Communication with a concentration in multi-media reporting, podcasting, and in-depth reporting. Prof. Blakely is also the Graduate School and Internship Coordinator for Journalism at BU as well as the 2024 Lyndon B. Johnson Faculty Advisor of the Year.