Experts at the Spring 2017 conference will talk about hosting the vice presidential debate, AP Style and cyber security. 

AP Style: A Refresher Course

Journalists are typically familiar with Associated Press style, but many organizations in corporate America also follow it. With tweeting and texting, American English is evolving at warp speed, so AP is updated continually. Karen Wormald will share highlights of some of the biggest changes from the past few years and provide a quick run-down on some AP style quirks that may surprise you.

About Karen E. Wormald (left photo)

Karen launched Kew Publications in 2002 to help businesses through writing, editing and proofreading services and on-site workshops. Her diverse client roster has included ChildFund, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Mary Washington Healthcare, Newport News Shipbuilding, Owens & Minor and TowneBank. She wrote the first technology glossary for The Gregg Reference Manual, and her articles have appeared in many general interest and trade publications and websites. She’s the author of Mastering English Skills for Word Processing and How to Work Like a CAT. For more on Wormald, read her blog on business writing and view examples of her work .

 

Information Security and You

Today’s communicators can’t function without their technology, but lurking behind these essential tools is the potential for lost or stolen data. In this workshop, Darren Manners will discuss the current state of information security and what it means to you. He will share how hacking techniques have changed and what the defenders are doing to protect users. He also will talk about the individuals who work with simulated attacks on computer systems to identify security weaknesses.

About Darren Manners (center photo)

Darren Manners is a security practice manager for SyCom Technologies. Previously an analyst with the Royal Naval Intelligence, he has spent two decades in various security roles. He has numerous certifications and has designed security visualization and email phishing tools.

 

All Eyes on Longwood

Longwood University landed the one and only U.S. Vice Presidential Debate of 2016. The debate drew more than 2,500 journalists to the small community and created an estimated $81 million in media value to the school and $38.5 million to Farmville and Prince Edward County. Communication professionals who rode the wave of this exciting opportunity will share highlights and lessons learned from this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

About Ilsa Loeser (right photo)

Ilsa Loeser is the founder and principal of Letterpress Communications, which offers services in branding, public relations, content strategy and more. An award-winning writer and former newspaper reporter, Loeser has spent years developing her craft of telling stories. Her true passion is helping local small businesses and nonprofits in Southside Virginia tell their stories. Letterpress clients include Green Front Furniture, The Woodland and Longwood Small Business Development Center. She is on the board of Farmville Downtown Partnership, the Farmville Area Chamber of Commerce and Longwood Center For Visual Arts.

About Matthew McWilliams

Matthew McWilliams, assistant vice president for communications at Longwood University, was the media team leader for the 2016 Vice Presidential Debate, overseeing outreach and concierge services for the more than 2,500 journalists who attended the debate. He was instrumental in developing successful story pitches for national media and coordinating logistics for the four networks broadcasting live the day of the debate. He also served as university spokesperson and primary liaison to the Commission on Presidential Debates, and oversaw media volunteers. Before joining Longwood in 2012, he was a newspaper journalist.

About Mary Jo Stockton

Mary Jo Stockton is the director of web and social content for Longwood University. Her career path is unique. She has a bachelor’s, master’s and a Ph.D. in engineering and worked in that field until a growing prominence of the Internet in the 90s led her to freelance web development. She joined Longwood’s team in 2008 just as social media was becoming more relevant in digital marketing and helped develop Longwood’s social presence. Social media was a key component of Longwood’s strategy during the VP debate.