The second annual COMDay was held on March 11, 2014 at de Witt Hall.
2014 Schedule of Events
Registration & Light Breakfast
9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Check in and mingle with guests, faculty and students
Welcome & Introduction
9:30 a.m. - 9:35 a.m.
Welcome message by Dr. Janice Barrett, Chair of the Department of Communication
Outside the Lines: Communication & Sports
9:35 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Panelists: Larry Bean, Robb Report Magazine; Stacey Gigante, Boston Children's Hospital; Todd Montana, Lasell College
Reviewing the Reviewer
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Speaker: Matthew Gilbert, Boston Globe
Lunch
12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Eat and mingle with guests, faculty and students
The Strategic Role of Communication: Today and Tomorrow
12:45 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.
Keynote Speaker: Craig Rothenberg, Johnson & Johnson
PR: Advocating for the Press
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Speaker: Megan Sherman, Special Events and PR, New England Newspaper and Press Association (NENPA)
Coffee Break
3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Sponsored by Lasell Graduate and Professional Studies
Speed Networking: Find out what Employers are Looking for in New Hires
3:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Meet communication professionals and learn how to stand out during the job search
Life After Lasell: Communication Alumni Panel
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Meet recent successful alumni working in the communication field and learn about their lives after Lasell
Reception
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sponsored by the Office of Alumni Relations (in Glow Lounge)
Biographies
Keynote Speaker: Craig Rothenberg
Communication executive for Johnson & Johnson
Craig Rothenberg is an an unusually accomplished Communication executive who provides strategic counsel and support to a number of Johnson & Johnson senior leaders and their enterprise functions. Craig leads functional communications, directly supporting Johnson & Johnson’s Chief Information Officer, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Diversity Officer and Chief Marketing Officer. Craig joined Johnson & Johnson in 1995 and spent more than 14 years in the Pharmaceuticals Group where, in his last position, he led a communication team that supported an $18 billion global business unit.
Craig also oversees professional development for the Communication function. In this role, he led the development of ACCEL– the Academy for Communication Excellence and Leadership – the company’s first professional development program for its Communication professionals.
Craig is an Adjunct Professor of Communication in the graduate program at New York University, where he teaches courses on Strategic and Organizational Communications.
Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Craig started the Public Relations group at Organon Inc., and, before that, was a Vice President in the Healthcare Unit at Burson-Marsteller. He began his career with the American Cancer Society.
Larry Bean
Executive Editor for Robb Report Magazine
Larry Bean is a former newspaper sports editor and sports writer. He has been teaching sports communication at Boston University since 2011 and has taught sports communication and sports writing at Lasell. He also coached football for two years at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire. He is currently the executive editor for Robb Report magazine.
Stacey Gigante
Project Coordinator, Boston Children's Hospital
Stacey Gigante holds her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Arts from Framingham State University. She began working for the Division of Sports Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital in June 2007. Her current position as Executive Assistant to the chief of Sports Medicine and Project Coordinator encompasses planning and traveling for international meetings, overseeing 4 social media pages, ordering promotional items and print collateral, arranging medical coverage for major ballet performances in Boston and planning sports medicine conferences. Her interests outside of work and school include traveling, cheering for the Boston Bruins and enjoying Greek food.
Matthew Gilbert
TV critic for the Boston Globe
Matthew Gilbert is the Boston Globe’s TV critic. He has also written about books, movies, and music, as well as countless author and actor profiles, for the Globe. He has published pieces on Slate, appeared on NPR, and been managing editor of the Boston Review. He is a law school dropout. Among the shrines he has worshiped at: “Breaking Bad,” “The Sopranos,” “Freaks and Geeks,” “The Twilight Zone,” and “Arrested Development.” His first book, “Off the Leash: A Year at the Dog Park,” will be released in July by St. Martin’s Press.
Megan Sherman
Special Events and PR, New England Newspaper and Press Association (NENPA)
Prior to the position as PR & Events Coordinator for the New England Newspaper and Press Association, Megan Sherman served as the Boston Team Manager for 5-hour Sample, LLC, where she managed and mentored a team of over 20 brand ambassadors. A graduate of Nichols College, Sherman was the Captain of the Varsity Cheerleading team as well as the President of the Criminal Justice Club. Today, she is an integral component to the NENPA staff, planning event logistics, contests, annual conventions, promoting and overseeing training seminars, and working with affiliate groups on a daily basis.
Todd Montana
Director of Sports Information and Event Manager, Lasell College
Todd Montana joined the Lasell College Athletic Department in January 2012, as the Director of Sports Information and Event Manager. Prior to coming to Lasell he held the same position at Green Mountain College in Poultney, VT.
Montana graduated from Ithaca College with a B.S. in Sport Management, and began his career in athletics on the coaching side. He spent two years as an assistant men's basketball coach at Union College in Schenectady, NY and two years as an assistant men's basketball coach at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, NY before moving to Green Mountain as the head men's basketball coach. During his time at GMC, he served as the head men's basketball coach for six seasons and the women's volleyball coach for three seasons before deciding to move to the administrative side of intercollegiate athletics.
Speed Networking Session
Find out what employers are looking for in new hires
Roundtable Facilators:
Deanna Belletti, Wellesley Information Services
Laura Hunter, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority
Kate Matheson, Kronos
Angus McQuilken, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
Dawn Morton, Viewpoint Creative
Lisa Nickerson, Nickerson PR
Jason Rossi, Radio 92.9
Life After Lasell: Communication Alumni Panel
Meet successful alumni working in the Communication field
Panelists:
Ryan Bows '13, 98.5 Radio
Sara Brown '10, Lawrence Eagle Tribune
Brandon Chase '13, MassLive
Alexander Dixon '13, Staples Corporation
Mary Kate Dunphy '13, Questex Media
Brianna Nestor '12, Graduate student, Emerson College
Mary Pavlu '13, Xtra, Xtra and The Boston Globe
Tiffany Potter '12, Clear Channel Communication
Kayleigh Robertson '10, N.H. Red Cross
Allison Stein '11, Davis Advertising Agency