American Red Cross

Session: "Climate Crisis and the American Red Cross: Insights Behind the Camera"

The presentation outlines the American Red Cross’s efforts to address the climate crisis, and the role of market research. It emphasizes the American Red Cross’s commitment to addressing the climate crisis through strategic investments, data-driven insights, and public engagement.

About Julie:

Julie Levine is a consumer insights professional with experience spanning corporate, nonprofit and agency research. A consummate enthusiast for understanding all types of consumer products and services, Julie has spent her career researching, analyzing and writing about the consumer marketplace. At the American Red Cross, she leads research on all their constituents, including blood donors, financial donors, volunteers, course-takers, and military families. Her research also covers critical issues including wildfire preparedness, climate change and public health. Previous nonprofit experience was at Consumer Reports, the consumer advocacy and testing organization, where her team was responsible for selecting products for the ratings charts. Other research roles were at Cuisinart, Citibank, Integrative Nutrition, and Wirecutter. Julie serves on the board of RiverArts, a local nonprofit arts organization.

Jack in the Box

About Jack:

With 25+ years of experience, Tom is an expert at creating cost-effective “consumer insights systems” that leverage consumer, behavioral, operational, and financial data to enable organizations to make more confident decisions, and to increase both top and bottom lines. After spending 10 years on the agency side in marketing research working with a wide variety of companies and industries, Tom moved to the client side to build the consumer insights function for Del Taco. After Jack in the Box acquired Del Taco in 2022, Tom has led the marketing research function supporting both brands.

Ebony Marketing Systems

Session: Spotlight on the Respondent Experience: Seeing Respondents in Their Best Light 

About Reggie:

As a seasoned qualitative research professional and focus group moderator, my career spans over 17 years of orchestrating qualitative research across various sectors, including media, healthcare, and education. My proficiency in creating inclusive environments both online and in-person has been instrumental in extracting valuable insights for a broad spectrum of clients.

Twitch

About Isra:

Isra Ahmad is an experienced quantitative researcher and data professional with over a decade of expertise in survey methodology, statistical analysis, and leveraging data to drive impactful, community-focused decisions. Currently a Senior Quantitative Researcher at Twitch, Isra spearheads initiatives that shape the user experience through data-driven insights at scale. Previously, Isra served as a Senior Researcher and Data Specialist at the County of Santa Clara, where she led a team to deliver crucial data insights in the realm of tobacco control policy. Isra holds a Master’s in Public Health from UC Berkeley and a bachelors in Health Science from San Jose State University. Isra enjoys painting and trying new coffee shops.

Hyundai Capital America

About Heather:

Meet Heather Kluter, Hyundai Capital America’s first Director of Customer Experience. With relentless curiosity and boundless creativity, Heather has spent her career unraveling the mysteries of consumer behavior and shaping the future of brands and is now helping HCA establish a culture of customer-centricity.

From dreaming up tantalizing new menu experiences at Taco Bell to revolutionizing product development at Hyundai Motor America, Heather's career has been a whirlwind of innovation and insight. As the consumer champion at Hyundai, she led the charge in listening to the voice of the consumer and bringing their desires to life. As a founding member of the i2 Innovation office, Heather spearheaded a transformation in long-term product development, all while shaping Hyundai's brand identity and go-to-market strategies.

As a strategic advisor at Decision Analyst, Heather helped companies tackle their toughest business challenges head-on. Guiding clients through the maze of customer needs, Heather was known for her ability to inspire and empower every team member she encountered and help them to break free from the status quo and embark on a journey of innovation and discovery.

When she's not busy shaping the future of brands, Heather loves nothing more than hitting the trails with her two huskies or attempting to whip up culinary masterpieces for her family (as long as you agree that dumping ingredients from a bag of Hello Fresh and following instructions makes one a chef). She holds a Marketing degree from San Diego State University and an MBA from the University of Southern California.

Jake McKee Consulting

Session:

In a world increasingly driven by data, quantitative insights have been the cornerstone of decision-making for decades. But is that enough to create products that truly resonate with customers? In this talk, we’ll explore how qualitative insights—gained through direct customer engagement—unlock a deeper understanding of what customers need and value.

You’ll discover how embedding this human connection directly into the product development process creates a competitive advantage for insights firms and product teams alike. We’ll challenge the limits of traditional survey-based tools, revealing why true customer engagement requires more than tweaking survey questions—it demands genuine, human-to-human interaction.

Walk away with actionable strategies to move beyond the data to create impactful products, drive loyalty, and revolutionize the way insights fuel innovation.

About Jake:

Jake McKee is one of the founders of the modern customer community movement. He led Apple’s famed Global Support Communities. He pioneered efforts at LEGO to engage its adult users in a community - which spawned breakthrough innovations such as the Mindstorms Community Driven Product Development (which landed on the cover of Wired Magazine).

For more than 10 years, Jake has been a leading industry community consultant working with clients like Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Calix, Southwest Airlines, and Outdoorsy. His consulting practice, Jake McKee Consulting focuses on helping organizations of all sizes design, execute, and grow Community Driven Product Development programs that bring the Community Voice into the product development lifecycle.

Jake also manages the CX Sessions project, an invitation-only monthly dinner series that brings senior online community, CX, and product management leaders together for conversation, connection, and camaraderie.

https://jakemckee.com/

https://jakemckee.com/cdpd

https://jakemckee.com/cxsessions

GoDaddy