Baal Dan Charities

Microsoft

Title: Unmasking Your Potential

Synopsis: Tanya Pinto is the founder of Baal Dan Charities (which means donation to children in Hindi) and her organization feeds over 1,000 children in need a day. In addition to running the charity, Tanya is a Principal UX Researcher at Microsoft. Her session will include her career journey in research and nonprofit and specific strategies she uses to help maximize her potential and live her values authentically.

About Tanya: Tanya Pinto is a strategic marketer with international experience and a proven track record of uncovering powerful consumer insights. Tanya joined Microsoft a in 2017 and is currently a Principal UX Researcher in Microsoft’s Experiences + Devices team, managing Voice of the Customer research for Copilot AI. Prior to Microsoft, Tanya started her career in Brand Management at The Richards Group after which she started her own consulting practice, Shakti Consulting. Tanya also founded Baal Dan Charities in 2005 with the mission of supporting impoverished children (mostly orphans) in developing countries. orphanages and feeding over 1,000 children daily.

Little Bird Marketing

Title: Turning the War Room into the Win Room Through Collaboration

Synopsis: In a time when business has never been more complicated, I offer a fresh and much-needed perspective. I move away from the prescriptive, linear success narratives and focuses instead on fostering a mindset of collaboration and critical thinking. I bring listeners through a process to reshape our understanding of competition and embracing collaboration as a competitive advantage. I offer the business world a more realistic, nuanced, and effective approach to achieving success. It’s not just another business book, but a call to think and work differently in the face of evolving business challenges.

About Priscilla: Priscilla McKinney is the CEO and Momma Bird at Little Bird Marketing, home of SOAR™ and Revenue Sprints, proprietary content processes designed to create sustainable revenue generation for busy leaders so they can have confidence in the growth of their company without losing focus on their other responsibilities. She is a serial entrepreneur, host of two podcasts and author of “Collaboration is the New Competition”. She is a popular speaker and podcast guest, receipent of many design, entrepreneurship and industry awards including the Insights Association’s Laureate designation. Priscilla personifies creativity, entrepreneurship and authentic leadership – inspiring others to carve out their own path of success in her uniquely funny, no-nonsense and slightly irreverent way. Don’t give her caffeine. She doesn’t need it.

American Heart Association

Title: DMA Best Practices

Synopsis: The American Heart Association market research team was tasked with conducting a market landscape analysis of best practices when designing demographic metrics used to collect data from the US population today. The goal of this work was to advise key stakeholders on how to enhance the collection of demographic information and maintain sensitivity of the respondents’ disclosed attributes. The recommendation of best practices will be shared in this presentation in hopes of eliciting a robust discussion of feedback from market research professionals.

About Mary: Mary Dunn is the Senior Marketing Research Manager at the American Heart Association. In this role, she leads the Customer and Market Research team's overall market research function, designing and delivering primary and secondary market research insights in support of the AHA mission. Trained in quantitative, qualitative, and UX research methodologies, she primarily advises the AHA brand marketing team on key audience insights and brand health tracking.

American Heart Association

About Angel: Angel Bassett is a Market Research Manager at the American Heart Association. She has over 10 years of experience as a quantitative & qualitative researcher with experience as a market research supplier, delivering market research and analytics to support clients. She has led market research activities for a non-profit provider of behavioral health services for youth and adults in the North Texas region, informing their expansion strategy in the area. Her experience also includes project management, and business development at multiple Dallas-area companies.

Wingstop

Title: Building Potential: Short-Term Actions for Long-Term Gains

Synopsis: This year’s conference theme of Unmasking Your Potential is a call to pause, step out of our day-to-day grind, and think holistically about what makes us better employees, leaders, and humans in the workplace. Potential is something that lives above our day-to-day tasks – it’s defined by how we approach our work and our interactions with those around us.

This session will share simple ways to increase your personal potential. Small changes in how we approach our roles as insights professionals can have large implications on our overall perceived potential. You will leave this session feeling inspired to make a handful of daily changes that will lead to meaningful career growth over time.

About Hayley: Hayley leads the Consumer Intelligence team at Wingstop Restaurants, bringing the voice of the consumer to every conversation. She merges the worlds of Consumer Insights, Culinary Innovation, and Database Analytics to provide thought leadership on business direction and strategy. With over 15 years of experience, Hayley has a knack for breaking down complex data into easy-to-understand, actionable findings. Her passion for Insights is contagious, and she has a natural ability to connect with others through storytelling. Prior to Wingstop, Hayley managed an Insights consulting team at Decision Analyst, before joining the Consumer Insights and Culinary Innovation teams at Chili’s Grill & Bar.

Hayley has a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Communication Studies from Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana and a Ph.D. in Applied Psychology from Southern Illinois University. Hayley lives in east Dallas with her husband and two sons. She enjoys indoor rowing, reading fiction, a nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc, and traveling. Her favorite Wingstop Flavor is Garlic Parmesan.

Y2S Consulting, Lecturer in Marketing at University of South Carolina

Title: Personalized GPT’s – The Next Innovation in Marketing and Insights

Synopsis: This presentation aims to explore the transformative potential of Personalized Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPTs) in the realms of marketing and market research. As the landscape of digital marketing continues to evolve, leveraging cutting-edge technologies becomes imperative for staying ahead. Personalized GPTs represent a significant leap in this direction, offering bespoke solutions that can revolutionize how companies engage with their customers and derive actionable insights.

About Yogesh: Currently, he’s the founder of Y2S Consulting, where he’s brought his passion for empowering and facilitating content on brands impacted by stigma. He’s also worked on several DEI initiatives to improve inclusivity and belonging. He hosts a Podcast on LinkedIn called The Next Frontier In Insights where he interviews thought leaders and innovators at the forefront of Marketing. And, he’s also a thought leader in leveraging Generative AI in Marketing, where he’s designed specialized GPT tools to automate and ideate for specific Marketing activities.

Ebony Marketing Systems, Inc.

Title: So You Gonna Jump

Synopsis: Unmasking your potential can be scary because it may require change. Taking a risk. Jumping. But there are helpful strategies. In this interactive workshop, you’ll identify those changes that are both scaring and calling you. Then in a guided exercise, you’ll build out a simple worksheet to help overcome barriers to making that bold first step or jump. Discover how your researcher skills give you valuable insight and tools to overcoming your barriers to jumping. Explore new helpful tools and mindsets. Your opportunity to commit to unmasking your potential!

About Kai: Kai Fuentes is President and Founder of Ebony Marketing Systems, Inc. (EMS), a multicultural market research firm. As a minority female business owner, Kai saw the need and opportunity to develop a niche of multicultural, multi-lingual research within the marketing research industry. She has over 20-years’ experience in qualitative and quantitative research studies which facilitates the identification of ethnic-bound perceptions and attitudes of the multicultural market. In 2022 she was named an IPC Laureate by the Insights Associations with a distinguished career marked by meaningful contributions that have advanced the profession. Kai serves as on Insights Association national Board of Directors; on the board of Camp Keith, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving Brown and Black families; and on the board for AAPOR Inclusive Voices. Fun fact – Kai is a self-proclaimed research brat who did her first in-depth interview at age 12.

Lisa W. Miller & Associates

Title: The Unmasking of America?

LISA W. MILLER is a Trusted Consumer Strategist, Growth Architect, Human Connector, and recently published author. She has spent the last three decades translating consumer data into well-integrated, actionable insights that unlock profitable sales and business growth.

About Lisa: Lisa brings over 30 years of consumer insights and innovation experience collecting nearly a million consumer interviews qualitatively and quantitively. Lisa conveys excitement, hope and real hands-on tools to revamp organizational goals and growth. She strategically transforms companies and improves bottom-line results by using the "DNA" of the Business of JOY.

Lisa is the author of the book, The Business of JOY, which is based on over 55,000 consumer interviews and countless hours spent interviewing business leaders and frontline employees. It gives a 360-degree view of the pandemic -- translating insights into an actionable framework for the future. Lisa’s data became a leading indicator of economic recovery and has been featured in over 200 media interviews including The Wall Street Journal and NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. According to Lisa, “Economic recovery and growth begin when JOY is greater than Fear."

Made With Empathy

Title: Unmasking Generational Differences to Enhance Workplace Efficiency

Synopsis: In this panel discussion, moderator, April Bell, will speak with members of different generational cohorts about differences beyond generalizations. We will touch on growing up in different landscapes and highlight how as an industry, and society, we can work together cross-generationally to accommodate for work style differences, explore the value in working across generations, and uncover commonalities that exist among all of us.

About April: April Bell, CEO and founder of Made with Empathy, guides organizations to create better together, merging behavioral science with qualitative innovation.

Through her consulting services, coaching and training events, she empowers leaders and teams to increase influence and drive momentum toward profitable solutions.

With over two decades of experience helping big brands study emotion to create products, she authored “The Fire Starter: Igniting Innovation with Empathy”, published in 2021.

She now expands her consulting to teach heart-centered thinking for rapid people and culture transformation, along with product innovation. As a sought-after speaker and trainer, April is dedicated to foster personal and collective abundance with empathy, harnessing its power to ignite better decisions with confidence, clarity and collaborative creativity .

And as a Gen Xer raising a Gen Z/Alpha teen daughter, she is getting to test her empathy theories daily!

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)

About Valentina: Valentina Gisbert is a Market Research Analyst at DFW Airport. For the past two years, she has been delving into quantitative research to uncover travelers' needs and elevate their airport experience With a master’s degree in Market Research from the University of Texas at Arlington, Valentina brings a blend of research expertise and passion to her role.

Originally from Bolivia, Valentina has embraced life in three different U.S. states, enriching her journey with diverse experiences. When she is not crunching numbers, you'll find her serving up aces on the tennis court,  honing her skills and embracing the ethos of continuous self-improvement instilled in her during her collegiate sports days.

Material

About Sean: Sean Brown is an Associate Vice President, Global Data Collection at Material. He previously spent nine years at Dynata, holding various sales and project management roles. He graduated from the University of North Texas in 2009, marking the beginning of his journey into the world of data and research.

Throughout his career, Sean has developed a strong understanding of digital and connected data, particularly its role in research methodologies. He excels in ad testing and campaign measurement, demonstrating a passion for crafting creative solutions to meet client needs.

In 2022, Sean and his wife Sarah relocated to Los Angeles after spending five years in Toronto, becoming an official Canadian. As a "proud" Millennial, Sean brings a dynamic perspective to his work, continuously seeking opportunities to drive innovation and excellence in the field of data collection and insights.

PSB Insights

About Rob: Rob is an expert in finding creative methods and analytic approaches to solve business problems. He has 25 years of experience in projects related to brand positioning, product development, pricing, and customer strategy for clients like Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Sam's Club, Meta, and Netflix. He has a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of California, Riverside and has taught graduate level Marketing Research at UCLA Anderson School of Business. He served as VP of Marketing at EarthLink, where he led the marketing strategy and execution for the Internet service provider.

Rob enjoys brewing his own beer, BBQ sauce and salsas, and cooking paella for his friends and family. He admits that he is a terrible golfer, but he still likes to play for fun.

ThinkNow Research

Title: Hola Research, Adios Stereotypes! Latest Finds on Hispanic Research

Synopsis: Join us for a dynamic conference designed to empower agencies and brands to effectively engage the diverse and ever-evolving Hispanic market in the US. This 45 minutes event equips you with the latest research findings, providing actionable insights to tailor your strategies for maximum impact.

About Emmily: Emmily Maduro is a passionate marketing leader with over 13 years of experience in digital marketing and 8 years in sales, driving success for B2B and B2C clients across Venezuela, Mexico, and the US. Currently at ThinkNow Audiences, a leading provider of multicultural market research, Emmily leverages her expertise to help brands unlock the power of the dynamic Hispanic market in the US.