2026 Convergence Summit Presenter Bios
John King, Co-Founder of OWNER/Pulltab Sports
Go With the Flow: What a Decade of Hockey Hair Teaches Us About Creative Marketing
John King is a sports and entertainment executive who co-founded the company OWNER/Pulltab Sports after more than 20 years in advertising. He is known for creating the annual “Minnesota All Hockey Hair Team” viral videos, which have received millions of views and been featured by ESPN, the New Yorker, New York Times, and the Today Show. King’s mission is “to consistently deliver original content to a part of the country that is too often overlooked.”
Jenna Reck, VP Enterprise Communications at Thrivent
Leadership Case Study: How Thrivent Transformed its Communications Team to Support the Business
Jenna Reck is Vice President, Enterprise Communications at Thrivent, a Fortune 500 financial services company that puts generosity at the heart of saving and investing. In her role, Jenna leads a team of corporate communications professionals who support the overall growth and transformation of the organization—including efforts focused on executive positioning and thought leadership, PR, reputation management and employee, business and transformation communications. Prior to joining Thrivent, Jenna spent 15+ years at Target leading communications efforts around Target’s business, reputation and products.
Tammy Nienaber, Director, Global Communications Anytime Fitness
From Challenge to Catalyst: How Purpose Brands Unified Communication Amid a Merger and Platform Change
Tammy Nienaber is Director of Global Communication at Anytime Fitness, one of several franchise brands under its recently merged parent company, Purpose Brands. In addition to leading communication for the Anytime Fitness franchise network, she guides strategies for initiatives that span multiple brands. Most recently, Tammy led the transition of five brands from Workplace by Meta to Workvivo by Zoom, creating a unified platform for Purpose Brands that streamlined processes and strengthened collaboration during a time of significant change. With more than 20 years of experience, Tammy has held communication roles at Great Clips, Best Buy, and Home Franchise Concepts. She also serves on the IABC U.S. Region Board and is a past president of IABC Minnesota.
Lynn Melling, Content Strategist and Video Storyteller
Engaging Polarized Audiences Through Storytelling
Lynn Melling is an Emmy and Murrow award-winning video storyteller, content strategist, and co-founder of 515 Productions, a film production company known for creating emotionally resonant commercial and documentary work. With a background in broadcast journalism and more than 20 years of experience crafting narratives that connect with diverse audiences, Lynn specializes in uncovering the human stories that sit beneath the surface of complex issues. Drawing on her newsroom experience, Lynn’s perspective on audience engagement goes beyond content creation. She believes storytelling is one of the most powerful tools we have to bring people together, especially in a polarized world.
Meg Martin, Associate Director Minnesota Journalism Center
News in Transition: The Evolution of Minnesota’s Local Media
Meg Martin is part of the team behind the Minnesota Journalism Center, which relaunched in 2025 to focus on supporting a more vibrant, equitable and sustainable ecosystem for journalism in Minnesota. She works to develop classroom-to-newsroom student programs, applied research and programming for Minnesota journalists. Some of the program’s most important work, though, is in creative connective tissue within the local journalism community.
Meg has worked in local news for 20 years–at the Roanoke Times, MPR News, Poynter and as a freelance editor, coach and fact-checker. She spent a year as a Knight-Wallace fellow, where she focused on ways to make newsrooms healthier, more vibrant and better prepared to serve their communities by focusing on the folks in the middle: editors, team leads and peer coaches.
Ellen O’Brien, Hudsons Media Founder
Storytelling in a Sea of Sameness: Creating Human Connection in the Age of AI
Ellen O’Brien is the Founder and Chief Strategist of Hudsons Media, where she helps leaders shape messaging, strengthen executive visibility, and communicate with clarity and empathy. Drawing on extensive experience leading communications initiatives at UnitedHealthcare, Optum, and Weber Shandwick, she has guided executives through crisis situations, regulatory environments, major federal contract transitions, and high-stakes media moments. The daughter of a television news reporter, Ellen learned the power of human storytelling early and now helps leaders harness their authentic narrative to build trust, elevate their influence, and stand out in an environment dominated by automated content.
Cheryl Tan, Media Trainer, Show Launch Strategist,
and former TV News Anchor
Why Your Personal Brand is Your Only AI-Proof Asset
Cheryl Tan is a Media Trainer and Show Launch Strategist who helps business leaders and communicators build authority through signature shows. As a former TV news anchor, she combines broadcast-level storytelling with a practical system built for busy experts. She teaches them how to leverage AI for speed while mastering the human skills of on-camera connection to build a powerful personal brand.
Chris Lee, Employee Experience & Internal Communication Practice, Gallagher Communication
Are Internal Communications Teams Becoming An Endangered Species?
Chris Lee is Vice President, Employee Experience and Internal Communication Practice at Gallagher Communication. In this role he helps employers rediscover the magic that their people can bring to the table when they’re properly engaged and motivated. Chris is Immediate Past President on the IABC/Toronto Board of Directors, hosts a successful podcast called Why Does It Feel So Wrong To Be Human At Work?, and has been featured in publications such as Fortune and Newsweek.
Erika Mayerle & Erika Brask, Mayo Clinic
The Future of Healthcare is Still Human
Erika Mayerle is Senior Account Manager, Marketing Operations & Creative Services at Mayo Clinic. She has nearly two decades of experience providing strategic counsel, developing digital-first marketing plans, and executing integrated, customer-centered campaigns for leading brands from Silicon Valley to Madison Avenue. She currently works within Mayo Clinic’s internal advertising agency, translating research, data, and insights into cohesive brand and demand-generation campaigns that drive measurable impact while stewarding one of healthcare’s most trusted brands.
Erika Brask is an award-winning creative leader based in Minneapolis, currently serving as Group Creative Director of the internal Brand, Creative Strategy & Editorial Production team at Mayo Clinic. With over twenty years of experience, she specializes in building iconic brands, designing thoughtful, strategic solutions, and leading high-performing teams for global organizations, cultural institutions, and Fortune 500 companies.
PANEL DISCUSSION
Between Routine and Rupture: What Americans Say About ICE, Police, and the News Media
Anetra Henry is the founder of Anetra Henry Consulting, a communications and engagement firm based in Southern California.
Tonya McKenzie is the founder of Sand & Shores, a communications and public relations firm built to help people show up with confidence, credibility, and clarity in an increasingly noisy world.
Paul Omodt is the founder & principal of Omodt & Associates Critical Communication, a full-service communication firm dedicated to telling your story when moments are critical. A lifelong Minnesotan, Paul has helped clients navigate some of the area’s most critical moments.PANEL DISCUSSION
Your Influence is Bigger Than Your Title: A Communicator’s Guide to Leading Change
Tonia Whitney is the Director of Operations for the Minnesota Change Management Network and a long-time change practitioner with more than 25 years of experience guiding organizations through transformation. A Prosci-certified leader with deep expertise in communication, stakeholder engagement, and organizational readiness, Tonia has spent her career helping teams navigate disruption with clarity, alignment, and confidence. As a former MnCMN President and ongoing champion for building change capability across Minnesota, she brings a practical, people-centered perspective to how communicators influence mindset and momentum during change. As the panel facilitator, Tonia’s intention is to create an open, grounded conversation that helps communicators recognize the influence they already have – and equips them to use that influence more intentionally and effectively during transformation.
Mallory Precht is an experienced change management leader with more than a decade of enterprise experience driving adoption and readiness across complex organizational initiatives. She has led change efforts from multiple vantage points–including consultant, sponsor, middle manager, stakeholder, and end user–giving her a well-rounded understanding of what it takes to make change stick. Mallory specializes in hands-on change execution, applying structured methodologies to identify readiness gaps, remove delivery bottlenecks, and support sustained adoption. She currently serves as Vice President of the Minnesota Change Management Network (MnCMN) and is known for her clear, transparent communication style that helps leaders and teams understand risks, navigate complexity, and translate change into practical, day-to-day action.
Andrew Craven is an experienced management consultant and change leader focused on helping organizations turn transformation strategy into real, executable outcomes. He specializes in bridging executives, technology teams, and business stakeholders–keeping both the “forest and the trees” in view during complex change initiatives. Andrew brings deep experience in enterprise transformation, culture change, process improvement, and organizational readiness, applying proven change management practices to help teams move from intent to action. Known for his ability to simplify complexity and craft practical, executable plans, he supports organizations through large-scale transformation, integration, and cultural shifts with clarity and discipline.
Nicki Gibbs is a communication consultant with more than 25 years of experience helping organizations navigate complexity, engage employees, and move people to action. Her expertise spans healthcare, education, financial services, internal communication, crisis communication, digital/social media, media relations, and research. Known for simplifying complex business challenges into elegant, practical paths forward, Nicki is equally valued for her calm, steady presence under pressure and her ability to influence with credibility and clarity. She brings a strategic and human-centered lens to communication–helping leaders and teams build understanding, trust, and momentum during change.
Paul Feikema is a senior transformational architect with more than two decades of experience helping organizations navigate complex, global change. His early work with Best Buy’s groundbreaking Change Implementation Team–featuring in Big Change at Best Buy–shaped his philosophy that leadership, communication, and disciplined change management are essential for lasting success. Paul has led transformation across SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics and IFS deployments in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Thailand, and Europe. He is a founding board member and current president of the Minnesota Change Management Network and is recognized for his strengths in culture transformation, executive coaching, sponsorship alignment, and leadership communication.