CMBAM 2024 Convention

November 7-9, 2024

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Convention Sponsors

Friday Happy Hour

Convention Schedule

Thursday, Nov. 7

Kick-off Party

The Post 129 South 30th St.

Check-in for the convention and meet other attendees while enjoying food and drinks. Bring your media group/publication stickers for a sticker trade!

Friday, Nov. 8

Annenberg School for Communication, 3620 Walnut St.

Coffee & Pastries

Annenberg Room 109

Pick up your welcome packet if you weren’t able to check-in the night before. Coffee and pastries will be available. Bring publications, media kits and swag for our swap table to share with other schools.

Keynote: State of the Media

David Boardman

Dean of the Lew Klein College of Media & Communications at Temple University

Annenberg Room 109

Build your own student development team

Steven Molberger

Annenberg Room 109

This session will discuss creating a dynamic student development team that increases alumni involvement and boosts fundraising efforts. Explore strategies for reaching alumni and supporters through various channels, including social media, email, direct mail, phone outreach and events. Learn about organizational storytelling through impactful content creation, which can foster deeper connections with alumni and drive engagement. This session hopes to provide practical insights and innovative strategies that can be implemented to strengthen development initiatives.

Creating a Business Social Media: Content Planning and Marketing for the Support of Your Media Entities

Olivia Weinstock & Andrea Contreras

Annenberg Room 108

Struggling with ways to run your business social media accounts? In this panel Digital Marketing Manager Olivia Weinstock and Advertising Manager Andrea Contreras will walk you through the strategic and carefully placed content to market on your business platforms. From strategy to content planning to execution, a strong business social media can help boost your publication’s impressions, veiws and engagement.

Client service and the culture of caring

Michelle Kurland, Kaia Karim & Natalia Ramirez

Annenberg Room 109

In this session, we will share the client service techniques that have helped us produce happy and long-term clients — some for more than 20 years! From creating creative campaign strategies with measurable results, executing meaningful events, generating engaging social media content, and developing a well-connected staff, we will share it all!

Event Planning

Destanee Ulrich

Annenberg Room 108

Get an overview of event planning and day-of coordination in general with special attention to media group events including how to pick the best event, plan, budget, market, and implement.

Lunch on your own

Raffle Drawing

Annenberg Room 109

Return from lunch for your chance to win

Delete LinkedIn. Write a cold email.

Maya Sulkin

Annenberg Room 109

Finding a job in journalism — an industry that many say is dying — is a triumph on its own. But finding a job as a member of Gen-Z, when most of the world thinks of us as lazy and incapable, is nearly impossible. Maya Sulkin, chief of staff at The Free Press and a proud member of Gen-Z has advice for fellow young people trying to break into the media world. She also argues that journalism is not dying. In fact: It’s never been more alive.

Leveraging AI for business

Geoffrey Klein, Philly Ad Club

Annenberg 108

Participants in this session will gain insights into how to effectively leverage AI technologies in business environments to maximize benefits and improve operational efficiencies.

Roundtable Discussions

Annenberg Rooms 108, 109 and 223

Topics:

• Growing your relationship with Flytedesk
• New revenue streams
• Branding
• Event sponsorship and promotion
• Analytics
• Email newsletters
• Issues facing students
• Issues facing advisers

Roundtable discussions will rotate every 15 minutes with a raffle drawing before each rotation.

Happy Hour at The DP

Daily Pennsylvanian Office, 4015 Walnut St.

Mingle with students advisers while touring the Daily Pennsylvanian offices.

Student Trivia Night

Smokey Joe’s 210 S. 40th St.

Pizza and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided by CMBAM.

Saturday, Nov. 9

Daily Pennsylvanian Office, 4015 Walnut St.

Coffee & Breakfast

Silver Conference Room

Coffee and a light breakfast will be offered. Bring publications, media kits and swag for our swap table to share with other schools.

Welcome & Raffle

Silver Conference Room

Get hyped for the final day of the CMBAM conference with a raffle drawing

Rebranding Your School Newspaper

Jennifer Newton, Gary Metzker, Kristina Agresta, Nicollette Combre, Leila Nunez, Luke Wines, Jennix Bien-Walker & Sam Farfan

Silver Conference Room

How do you change the name of a 75-year-old institution … without major backlash? Join us to discuss the transformative rebranding of California State University Long Beach’s student newspaper the Daily Forty-Niner into the Long Beach Current. After 75 years of serving the campus community, this publication adopted a fresh identity to better reflect the evolving landscape of journalism and student attitudes. Panelists — including former editors, design experts, and business staff — will share insights into the strategic decision-making process, challenges, and the creative vision behind the new name and branding. Discover the keys to success the Long Beach Current found and leave feeling confident about your own future rebrand projects.

Ghostbusting: Grow your sales by getting more client & prospect responses!

Ariana Herbas, Maria Jose, Biffy Skeels and John Burbage

Large Conference Room

Learn how you can communicate effectively with clients to establish connections and create a sense of urgency that leads to sales.

Brain, So Confusing. Featuring the Amygdala in Sales Objections

Joanne Shiosaki

Silver Conference Room

The amygdala is one part of your brain that identifies and responds to potential threats or danger signals. Learn how this part of your brain affects your ability to handle objections and tough questions during a call and some helpful tips to stop the amygdala from sabotaging your sales.

Student Staff Retention: Keep Them Coming Back!

Rob Steedley

Large Conference Room

Tired of having to refill the same student positions every year or even every semester? Rob has more than 12 years working with students and over 25 years in customer service. Learn how to create your perfect team where everyone feels welcome and can’t wait to come back to work!

Training in the Digital Age: Student Training via Canvas

Bianca Fruscello

Silver Conference Room

Learn how UNC Charlotte Student Niner Media has implemented a combination of online learning modules and hands-on exercises to make training more engaging and effective for students.

Advertising Design

Sam Oldenburg

Large Conference Room

Learn the basic principles that will quickly elevate your design to new levels.

Maximizing Efficiency with the Sales Tracker: A Step-by-Step Guide

Allie Gervase

Silver Conference Room

Discover how to streamline operations and enhance communication  throughout your office by using a simple, yet effective sales tracker. This presentation offers an in-depth look at how the tool can impact your business office processes, ensuring smoother collaboration and more effective decision-making. Attendees will learn how to utilize this tracker to monitor sales, optimize workflow, and keep teams aligned. The session will feature a step-by-step guide to implementing the tracker in your student media organization, providing practical insights on boosting productivity and improving communication. This is ideal for student media staff looking to increase operational efficiency and sales performance.

Science & art: Applying data science in college newspapers

Edward Liu

Large Conference Room

This session covers how the Daily Pennsylvanian analytics team generates analytics insights for the DP. We’ll cover the goals a college newspaper analytics team should set, the day-to-day projects like weekly metric reports, as well as long-term projects that use AI and advanced data science tools to drive SEO. We’ll also discuss how college newspapers can collaborate with one another to create a network that accelerates innovation and data-driven insights

CMBAM Annual Meeting

CMBAM Board of Directors

Silver Conference Room

Awards Dinner

Xi West 3939 Chestnut St., First Floor

Food will be available beginning at 7, and the awards ceremony will start at 8.

Travel Information

Where to stay in Philadelphia

The convention will be held on the University of Pennsylvania campus which is in University City. Penn is located just across the river from Center City and adjacent to Drexel University. There are many lodging options in the city including hotels, bed and breakfasts, Airbnbs and hostels.

Hotel with a CMBAM discount

Homewood Suites, located five blocks from the center of campus, is offering CMBAM members a discount on king and double queen rooms. Homewood Suites Discounted Reservation Link (Deadline for dscounted registration is Oct. 12)

Additional Hotels

The Inn at Penn, located in the center of campus
Sheraton University City is located two blocks from main campus.
The Study is located four blocks from main campus.
Cornerstone Bed & Breakfast is located near Drexel’s campus and is a 15 minute walk to the center of Penn’s campus.
AKA University City sits just on the edge of University City and offers great views of the Philadelphia skyline.

Traveling to Philadelphia

By Air: The most direct way is to fly to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL).

By Train: You can take the Amtrak Northeast Extension to Philadelphia from every major city on the East Coast. The main train station in Philadelphia is William Gray III, 30th Street Station.

Getting from the Airport to your Hotel

By Train: Philadelphia’s public transit system is called SEPTA. You can take the Airport Line to University City or Center City directly from the Airport. The train runs every 30 minutes. The cost of a ticket is $6.75 if you buy a ticket on the platform or $8.00 if the ticket is purchased on the train.

By Uber/Lyft/Cab: You can schedule a ride share or just jump in a cab from the Airport. The cost of the trip (as of May 1) is $35.00 one way.

Shuttle/Van Services: You can reserve a van for you and your team to get from the Airport to Center City or University City through Super Shuttle.

Please contact Programming Director Katherine Ross with any questions.
Email: programming@cmbam.org
Phone: 215-422-4640

Keynote Speaker

David Boardman

David Boardman is the dean of the Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University in Philadelphia. Previously, Boardman was executive editor and senior vice president of The Seattle Times, the largest news organization in the Pacific Northwest. Under his leadership, The Times won four Pulitzer Prizes and produced 10 Pulitzer finalists. Before joining The Seattle Times in 1983, Boardman was a reporter and editor at several papers in the Northwest, and worked on a construction project in Liberia, West Africa

Since joining Temple in 2013, Boardman has led major strategic initiatives that have raised its profile, resources and standing. In 2022, he was named the Scripps Howard Administrator of the year by his peers in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). In 2018, Klein College received the nation’s top Equity and Diversity Award from AEJMC. In 2022 and 2018, Temple University Television, an enterprise of the Klein College, was named the nation’s best college television station by the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System.

Boardman personally has been the recipient of numerous other major national awards, including the National Ethics Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Goldsmith Prize in Investigative Reporting from Harvard University, the Worth Bingham Prize in Investigative Reporting, the Investigative Reporters and Editors Award and the Associated Press Managing Editors Public Service Award.

Boardman is founding chair of the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, the nonprofit that owns The Philadelphia Inquirer. He also chairs the nonprofit news site The Markup, which is focused on the nexus of technology and society; and Spotlight PA, a nonprofit site focused on public affairs. He is the immediate past chair of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and is a member of its executive committee. He also serves on the boards of the Solutions Journalism Network, the American Society of News Editors Foundation and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. He sits on the advisory boards of ProPublica, the New England Center for Investigative Reporting and Investigative Reporting Denmark. Boardman serves on the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and is its immediate past president.

Boardman also is a past president and board member of Investigative Reporters and Editors and of the American Society of News Editors, and served as chairman of the National Advisory Board of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. He is a Poynter Ethics Fellow. He is a former member of the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation Board and has served six times as a juror for the Pulitzer Prizes.

Boardman has conducted seminars for journalists in Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hong Kong, Israel, The Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, South Africa and Turkey.

Speakers

Jennix Bien-Walker

Beach Media, California State University Long Beach

Jennix is a multimedia artist, an award-winning graphic designer and creative director who see art as an opportunity to express identity, share experiences, and connect with others. They create to inspire with an aim of elevating the voices of women and diversity within the creative realm.

John Burbage

Garnet Media Group, University of South Carolina

Growing up 12 blocks from the University of South Carolina and selling sodas at Gamecock football games gave John the sales fever in the 1980’s. He wrote a check for $580 during USC freshman orientation and began the journey for a degree in sports journalism. After graduation, hospitality and sales dominated his life, with 8 years in Bellsouth Yellow Pages and four sales leader of the year awards and seven years at the CBS TV station in Columbia with two sales leader awards. A few pandemic years after running his own agency, he found the incredible chance to be advertising director at GMG in 2023.

Nicollette Combre

Beach Media, California State University Long Beach

Nicollette Combre, a Southern California native, graduated from California State University, Long Beach in 2023 with degrees in dance and journalism. Passionate about dance, journalism and the arts, she gained experience in choreography, podcasting, graphic design, PR and marketing. Currently pursuing a teaching credential in dance, Nicollette aims to create an arts, health and wellness organization where students earn credit in all areas of interest while creating well-rounded lifestyle skills. Her blend of dance, commitment to health and wellness, and dedication to working with others promises a unique, enriching environment for all.

Sam Farfán

Long Beach Current, California State University Long Beach

Sam Farfán is a senior journalism student who also studies public relations at Long Beach State. At the Long Beach Current, Sam has held positions on the opinions and special projects desks before becoming the community engagement manager. Sam worked on the rebrand committee for the Current on the editorial team this summer, preparing its return for the publication’s 75th anniversary.

Bianca Fruscello

Student Niner Media, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Bianca is a Charlotte alumna who is passionate about working with students and all things media marketing. In her position, Bianca advises the marketing students which includes sales reps, a creative director (graphic designer), and promotions coordinator (social media manager). She also assists in training and development of all students within Niner Media. In her free time she enjoys cooking, reading murder mystery/thriller novels, and taking her dog on hikes around Charlotte.

Allie Gervase

North Carolina State University Student Media

Allie Gervase is a sophomore at North Carolina State University pursuing a degree in business administration with a concentration in finance. She serves as general manager of the NC State Student Media business office, where she leads a team of media consultants and oversees advertising campaigns for four campus media outlets. In addition to her role in student media, Allie is a project lead with 180 Degrees Consulting, where she leads a team to provide pro bono consulting services to nonprofit organizations. She is also enrolled in the international business dual degree program on the Italian track, and will complete the final two years of her degree in Italy beginning in August.

Ariana Herbas

Garnet Media Group, University of South Carolina

Ari is a junior from Charleston, South Carolina pursuing advertising at the University of South Carolina. She loves advertising because it blends strategy and creativity to create deep connections between consumers and brands. After graduation, she plans to work in an agency or firm while getting a real estate license.

Maria Jose

Garnet Media Group, University of South Carolina

Maria Jose is a junior at the University of South Carolina majoring in advertising and minoring in business. After college, she wishes to pursue a career in advertising strategy and work in an agency where she can contribute ideas in a creative environment. She has a passion for advertising because she loves to think conceptually and problem solve to result in the growth of a business.

Kaia Karim

Daily Titan, California State University Fullerton

Kaia Karim is the director of sales at Daily Titan at Cal State Fullerton. Previously, Kaia worked as a sales account executive and now brings three semesters of experience to her role. She is a fourth year communications, advertising major and marketing minor graduating in May 2025. Beyond DT, Kaia is president of CSUF’s Lebanese Student Association, where she leads initiatives to unite the Lebanese community on campus. Kaia is interested in exploring roles in the fashion and beauty industry post-graduation.

Michelle Kurland

Daily Titan, California State University Fullerton

Michelle Kurland is currently serving in her 10th year as the advertising, marketing and sales adviser for the student-run Daily Titan. She is a lecturer at Cal State Fullerton and the recipient of the Department of Communication’s Distinguished Full-Time Faculty Member award. Michelle has more than 30 years of experience in the communications industry and an extensive background in client service. Her career began with executing public relations campaigns for Nordstrom Orange County. She formerly was a vice president with Porter Novelli Los Angeles, where she worked for such clients as Rolls Royce, Nissan, McDonald’s and Gillette.

Edward Liu

The Daily Pennsylvanian, University of Pennsylvania

Edward is a junior from Philly and Hong Kong studying business and computer science at the University of Pennsylvania. As analytics manager of the Daily Pennsylvanian he works on projects that provide editorial data insights and AI tools that boost search engine optimization. His favorite show currently is “The Bear.”

Steven Molberger

The Daily Pennsylvanian, University of Pennsylvania

Steven is the executive director of the Daily Pennsylvanian Foundation, where he founded the development department and launched the DP’s advancement efforts. He brings more than 20 years of non-profit and educational experience with an emphasis on funds development, campaign and program management and organizational leadership.

Jennifer Newton

Beach Media, California State University Long Beach

Jennifer Newton is a seasoned public relations professional specializing in digital media and integrated marketing communications. Her experience and skills include business development, social media management, branding, event planning and corporate communications. Throughout her career, Newton has worked with and for notable clients such as Murad, Michael Stars, Mazda, Nissan and Hill + Knowlton. Newton is a full-time faculty member at Cal State Long Beach in the Department of Journalism & Public Relations, where she teaches digital tools for public relations and the business of journalism. Additionally, she is the faculty adviser for Beach Media, the business department for the Long Beach Current, DIG and ENYE.

Leila Nunez

Beach Media, California State University Long Beach

Leila is a senior at California State University, Long Beach, majoring in computer science with a focus on software development. With two years of experience leading multimedia teams at the Daily Forty-Niner and managing websites for Beach Media’s three publications, she brings a strong background in digital strategy and technical project management. Passionate about enhancing digital media, Leila aims to drive measurable engagement and deliver value for business and advertising managers, focusing on innovative solutions that optimize audience reach and create impactful, data-driven results.

Sam Oldenburg

WKU Student Publications, Western Kentucky University

After working in journalism and marketing, Sam Oldenburg became a student media adviser at his alma mater, Western Kentucky University, in 2017. As assistant director, he advises Cherry Creative, a branded content studio producing sponsored content, designing ads, creating specialty publications, organizing events and doing all the creative work that serves advertising clients. He also advises Talisman, WKU’s life and culture magazine.

Biffy Skeels

Garnet Media Group, University of South Carolina

Biffy Skeels is a motivated student at the University of South Carolina, pursuing dual degrees in marketing and advertising. Currently a student media consultant at Garnet Media Group, she excels in developing innovative advertising campaigns and building strong client relationships. With experience at Ulta Beauty and as a dedicated volunteer, Biffy showcases her commitment to service and creativity. Recognized by the National Honor Society and awarded the Presidential Award in high school, she combines analytical thinking with a passion for helping others, poised to make a significant impact in her field.

Robert Steedley

The Signpost, Weber State University

Rob brings experience from almost 30 years in customer service and more than 10 years working on a college campus.

Maya Sulkin

The Free Press

Maya Sulkin is chief of staff at The Free Press, where she oversees the editorial, audio, video and business teams alongside founder and editor Bari Weiss. She studied history at Columbia University, where she graduated early to intern with The Free Press.

Olivia Weinstock

Beach Media, California State University Long Beach

Olivia Weinstock is the digital marketing manager for Beach Media and previously worked as the public relations marketing manager. This is her second and last CMBAM presentation for the conference, and she will be graduating this December. Olivia also works at FOX Sports in production and talent development. She is bittersweetly excited to attend her last CMBAM coming off her most recent first place PR Manager CMBAM individual award.

Luke Wines

Beach Media, California State University Long Beach

Luke Wines is a senior at California State University Long Beach double majoring in political science and economics with a minor in journalism. As the web and technology coordinator at Beach Media, Luke brings a unique blend of analytical skills and creative insight, combining his academic background with hands-on experience in digital media.

Natalia Ramirez

Daily Titan, California State University Fullerton

Natalia Ramirez is Marketing Manager at The Daily Titan and president of the Public Relations Student Society of America, CSUF chapter  where she leads empowerment of resources and professional guidance. Natalia has been at The Daily Titan for two semesters and oversees the publication’s branding and audience engagement. She serves as a marketing lead for Runway 7 Fashion at New York Fashion Week and was previously communications planning intern at Casanova//McCann for clients like Chevrolet and Chick-fil-A. In 2023, she launched her freelancing service, Narami Media, and aims to expand into beauty, fashion and wellness clients. Natalia’s pride of being a first-generation Latina echoes with her passion for culture-driven marketing as a public relations and marketing senior at California State University, Fullerton.

Destanee Ulrich

The Minnesota Daily, University of Minnesota

Destanee is the Marketing & Engagement Officer & Co-Publisher at The Minnesota Daily and a junior at the University of Minnesota double majoring in English and strategic communications: advertising and public relations with a minor in sports coaching. She has been an event coordinator for multiple organizations and numerous events ranging from weddings to galas. She also continues her studies in education working at various public schools and adult education centers, teaching English and language studies.