SoCA Day 2020: Communication By Design
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
The School of Communication and the Arts (SoCA) invites you to an afternoon at the crossroads of communication and design - where an ever-changing media landscape demands new strategies and methods in digital storytelling and creative problem-solving. Hear from thought-leaders and rising-star alumni in a series of talks and panels.
Schedule of Events - de Witt Hall
| 12:45 p.m. | Registration & Welcome |
| 1:00 p.m. | Keynote: Jason Tuohey, Managing Editor for Digital, The Boston Globe on "Engaging Audiences in a Post-Social World" |
| 2:00 p.m. | Panel 1: Mission-Driven Branding & PR. Christian Merfeld, Director of Communications, Boston Harbor Now; Aaron Pickering, Director of Brand Strategy, FIRST |
| 2:50 p.m | Coffee Break : Sponsored by Lasell Graduate and Professional Studies |
| 3:00 p.m. | Distinguished Speaker: Vanessa Wojtusiak '07, VP of Marketing, iHeartRadio Connecticut on "Evolving Traditional Media into the Digital Age" |
| 4:00 p.m. | Panel 2: Creativity on Demand. Roland Atema, Creative Director, Merryfield Inc.; Yvette Perullo, Freelance Designer and Assistant Professor, Mass College of Art; Michelle Selinger, Senior User Experience Designer @ VitalSource & Design Education |
| 5:00p.m. | Life After Lasell Alumni Panel with rising-star COM and GRAP alumni |
| 6:15 p.m. | Alumni Reception : Sponsored by Lasell Office of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving |
Event Flyer
Keynote Speaker:
Jason Tuohey, Managing Editor for Digital, The Boston Globe
"Engaging Audiences in a Post-Social World"
Jason Tuohey oversees publishing on BostonGlobe.com and its associated channels, as well as the newsroom strategies used to drive readership growth and subscriber engagement. Jason managed the launch of BostonGlobe.com, the Globe's flagship website, in 2011, and since then has helped shepherd its growth into one of the most successful regional news publications in the country. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, Jason has been with the Globe for the past 15 years, driving digital coverage of everything from presidential elections to underinflated footballs.
Distinguished Speaker:
Vanessa Wojtusiak '07, VP of Marketing, iHeartRadio Connecticut
"Evolving Traditional Media into the Digital Age" 
Vanessa Wojtusiak '07 has been an innovator and leader in the media space for nearly 20-years. Her passion is working to transform traditional media companies into the digital world. Vanessa's career spans marketing and promotions roles at stations in New York and Boston, including New York's Z100, the country's number one station. At iHeartRadio, she helped launch the iHeartRadio app, worked on iconic events like the iHeartRadio Music Festival, and led social media for the iHeartRadio brand and over 850+ stations. After a stint in television, she recently returned to iHeartMedia Connecticut as the Vice President of Marketing for 11 stations in the state.