The COM Dept. will be hosting our fifth annual COM Day on Tuesday March 7, 2017. This year's theme is "Streaming Cultures."

Our Keyonote Speaker is Alan Ives, Vice President of ABC News.

COMDay is a way to engage our students with the world of media, communication and professional pathways in communication. The COM Dept created this exciting day - long event that highlights speakers, panels, networking sessions, all of whom are from the communication field. All of our students attend the main speaker event during common hours, and faculty bring their classes to the other events. COM Day is open to the entire campus, so many faculty and students from other programs also attend.

For more information about our speakers, click here.

2017 Schedule of Events

Keynote Speaker: Alan Ives

Vice President of ABCNews

Alan Ives has headed up ABCNews Marketing & Creative since April 1999. Ives directs "all things" marketing & creative for the ABCNews brand, Good Morning America, ABC's World News Tonight With David Muir, 20/20, Nightline, This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Diane Sawyer Specials, The View, Lincoln Square Productions - all ABCNews programs/products & special events. All broadcast graphics, music, show positioning/messaging and design also fall under the leadership and direction of Ives.

Ives has lead the way in creating and executing some of the most innovative and wildly successful network campaigns - from conception and strategy, to creative execution. His creative vision and unique marketing strategies have helped distinguish ABCNews as the premiere source for News Events & Specials - and helped lead to the resurgence of ABCNews.

In addition to marketing - Ives has produced award winning full-length news pieces. He also oversees and directs all show-design packaging & graphics for all ABCNews programs - and produces the music scores and themes. He leads a talented group of creatives - whose touch and work can be seen and felt on "all things ABCNews" by hundreds of millions of Americans. Ives also serves as the creative point person at ABCNews in reinventing sales opportunities, working with clients to reimagine integrated sales initiatives. To achieve his goals, Ives also works daily with the over 200 ABC stations/affiliates, the digital/social teams, ABC/Disney synergy partners and the ABC Sales team. It falls to Ives to innovate and develop all campaign strategies - on-air and off-air - in the marketing of ABCNews programs/products.

Awards that Ives has been honored with include:
Multiple Emmy Awards, multiple BDAs (Broadcast Designers Award), multiple Promax Awards and The Broadcasting & Cable Promax "Brand Builder "Award for his work on Good Morning America and World News Tonight, multiple Videographer, Discovery - as well as the prestigious duPont award, Murrow Award and Peabody Award - shared with so many ABCNews colleagues.

Ives first joined ABCNews in 1986. Before assuming the position of Vice President | Executive Creative Director | Executive Producer, he worked at ABCNews as Senior Producer, Producer, Associate Director (still member of Directors Guild of America) and Production Associate. Ives was a staff newspaper reporter for The Concord Item in Concord, New Hampshire before joining ABCNews. He is a graduate of Suffolk University with a BS in Journalism. Ives was born in Boston, Massachusetts - and defines himself as a Red Sox fan before anything else. He now lives in Chappaqua, New York with his wife Jennifer and their three children, Noah, Alexander and Lily.

My Great Story: Using Personal Films to Counter Stereotypes

Emmy-award winning filmmaker Melanie Perkins McLaughlin presents My Great Story, her series of video shorts produced in 2013 to promote acceptance and inclusion for people with Down Syndrome. The series is distributed across multiple platforms. A Q&A about personal documentary and independent filmmaking will follow the screening.

Media in Society: Representing Cultures in the Media

Panelists

• Amy Bracken | Freelance reporter and producer, PRI's The World, NPR's Here & Now
• Shannon Dooling | Reporter, WBUR, Boston's NPR news station
• April Ranck Guzman | Executive Director, Arlington International Film Festival (AIFF)

Professional Reflections

Panelists:

• Melissa Ludtke | Journalist and Neiman Fellow Sports Illustrated, Time Magazine, and CBS News
• Nick Mills | News Broadcaster ABC Radio Network; Associate Professor of Journalism at Boston University
• Isabelle Kane | Content and Inbound Marketing Expert
• Nancy Sterling | Senior Vice President, ML Strategies

Life After Lasell: Communication Alumni Panel

Meet recent successful alumni
Panelists:

• Bradon Chase '13, Metro West Daily News
• Jonathan Clifford '15, Lasell College Admissions
• Alex Dixon '13, Granite Telecommunications
• Kate Eadie '13, Alzheimer's Association
• Morgan Nash, '16, U.S. Dept. of Transportation
• Mary Pavlu '13, Access Communications & The Point
• Brian Roach '13, Boston Herald
• Lindsay Tavarozzi '16, Education First

Our Sponsors

Reception: The Office of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving
The Office of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving strives to reach annual fundraising and “friend” raising goals for Lasell College. They connect and communicate with a broad constituency base, build ongoing relationships with alumni, donors and friends of the College, and strengthen participation in and support of Lasell’s programs and educational initiatives. For more information on how to get involved contact Lauren McCauslin, Director of Alumni Relations & Annual Giving at lmccauslin@lasell.edu or 617-243-2139.

Coffee Break: The Office of Graduate and Professional Studies
According to the US Census Bureau people with a Master’s degree earn $2.5 million in lifetime earnings. Learn more about Lasell’s Fifth Year Option. With one additional year of study, Lasell students can earn a Master of Science in Communication with a concentration in Integrated Marketing, Health Communication, or Public Relations. Fifth Year students are eligible for advanced standing and may participate in two blended semesters in their senior year. For more information contact The Office of Graduate Enrollment at gradinfo@lasell.edu.

COMDay 2017 Team:

Department of Communication:

• Janice Barrett, Ed.D., COMDay Co-Chair
• Sarah Burrows, Ed.D.
• Marie Franklin, M.S.
• Dana Janbek, Ph.D. 
• Michael Laramee, Ph.D., COMDay Co-Chair
• Meryl Perlson, M.F.A., Chair
• Erin Vincente, M.F.A., Chair
• Brian Wardyga, Ed.D.
• Esen Dukanci, M.S., Administrative Assistant

The Department of Communication would like to offer a special thanks to Esen Dukanci and her team of student volunteers for all of their hard work toward COMDay.  This event could not have happened without them!

Student Volunteers:

• Bridget Dougherty, Volunteer Coordinator
• Taylor Richie, Volunteer Coordinator
• Hanan Aljalhami
• Amelia Bickford
• Gregory Camillone
• Jaclyn Colombie
• Aimee Forman
• Marissa Gugala
• Nahomi Velasco Heredia
• Tyler Hetu
• Brian Ives
• Bianca Sciocchetti
• Carly Smith
• Patrick Sullivan

Program designed by Corinne Hennessey

View COMDay 2016
View COMDay 2015
View COMDay 2014
View COMDay 2013