Katy Kelley is a communications and marketing professional that focuses on creative strategy with a digital slant. With over twelve years of agency experience, all in-house, Katy has been instrumental in helping global companies align their internal and external messaging, designing programs that strengthen cross-cultural collaboration and streamline communication channels.

Katy has penned articles for many of the PR industry’s top publications and is a regular speaker at New York University, the Miami Ad School and Pace University. She was selected as a “Top Tweeter” by PRWeek, was the host and emcee of Digiday’s Sammy, Mobi and Diva awards and has spoken at industry events including the Digital Marketing Summit, BlogWorld, Social Media Week and Digiday’s Mobile Conference.

Currently, Katy serves as the Senior Vice President of Creative Culture and Global Marketing at PR firm Ruder Finn. Her roll is a mix of strategic global marketing, creative storytelling, social media management, corporate communications and every day bullet-catching. She is responsible for Ruder Finn’s creative reputation by nurturing a lively, spirited culture that engages employees and celebrates innovative thinking. Additionally, she leads the agency’s strategic presence in the marketplace, directing thought-leadership, public relations, advertising, marketing and social media efforts around the world.

Previously, Katy served as the Vice President of Global Marketing at PR firm Cohn & Wolfe She also sat within the Creative Practice where she facilitated and orchestrated brainstorms, constructed system-wide training programs and developed tools to foster original thinking. Prior to Cohn & Wolfe, Katy built branding and communication strategies for digital agency HUGE and social media standout Carrot Creative.

Sarah Cooley is the Founder and Owner of Simply Curated, a candle company based in Grand Rapids, MI.

After working as a social media professional in New York City for 5 years, Sarah started an e-commerce business buying and selling vintage goods online. With her branding and marketing background she thought she knew the trajectory the company would take, but after a few pivots she ended running a physical goods company. The challenges that ensued weren't relevant or even validated by the community of tech entrepreneurs that she had worked so hard to build.

Sarah adjusted which social media channels were relevant to her new audience. She found that visual platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest were the most relevant for her newly shaped business. Through the support of this community Simply Curated has grown into a soy candle company selling luxury scented candles in almost 100 stores across the US, and Canada.