Mike Lacey
Vice President, Brand and Product Marketing
Mike Lacey is a seasoned marketing leader with over a decade of experience shaping global brand narratives and driving impactful content strategies. As Vice President of Brand and Product Marketing at Canto, he leads global teams in defining corporate identity, crafting compelling brand and product stories, and delivering content experiences that fuel demand. With a passion for brand storytelling and creative development, he has built his career at the intersection of innovation and engagement, previously holding key roles at ON24, where he spearheaded original content initiatives and led creative strategy. Mike thrives on connecting brands with audiences through storytelling that inspires action, builds loyalty, and differentiates in a crowded market.
Melanie Deziel
Creative Systems Architect | Content Strategy & Creative Leadership
Melanie Deziel is a Creative Systems Architect passionate about helping individuals, teams, and organizations unlock their creative potential and organize their creative efforts. As a keynote speaker, author, and award-winning branded content creator, Melanie has spent her career developing the skills to think differently and discover new ways to engage audiences through content.
Her newsletter, Creative Constructs, reveals the hidden structures that hide underneath creative processes and offers tactical tips for optimizing creative work. She is the author of “The Content Fuel Framework: How to Generate Unlimited Story Ideas” and “Prove It: Exactly How Modern Marketers Earn Trust.”
After discovering her autistic identity in her early 30s, Melanie also works to raise awareness for the unique experiences of autistic women, more than 80% of whom remain unrecognized and undiagnosed by age 18. Through keynote speeches, corporate workshops, and her newsletter, The Late Diagnosed Diaries, she hopes to help more autistic women discover their identity sooner and help medical professionals learn to better recognize autistic women.
Having been the first-ever editor of branded content at The New York Times, a founding member of HuffPost’s brand storytelling team, and Director of Creative Strategy for Time Inc's 35 US magazines, Melanie brings a wealth of knowledge and experience on how content can be used as a strategic tool, and how processes can help unlock its power.
Joe Pulizzi
Founder, Content Marketing Institute
Joe Pulizzi is founder of multiple startups including Content Marketing Institute and The Tilt, and is the bestselling author of seven books including Content Inc. and Epic Content Marketing, which was named a “Must-Read Business Book” by Fortune Magazine.
Joe is best known for his work in content marketing, first using the term in 2001. In 2014, he received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the Content Council. He successfully exited CMI in 2016 and consequently wrote an award-winning mystery novel, The Will to Die.
His latest book is Burn the Playbook for recent grads and those working in a job with zero satisfaction. It was inspired by his two children.
He has two weekly podcasts, the motivational Content Inc. podcast and the award-winning marketing news show This Old Marketing with Robert Rose. This Old Marketing is the longest running marketing news podcast on the planet.
His foundation, The Orange Effect, delivers speech therapy and technology services to over 450 children in 40+ states.
Joe and his family live in Cleveland, Ohio.
Jason Kiningham
Senior Manager, Design & Visual Identity, Make-A-Wish® America
Jason Kiningham is a creative leader with more than 25 years of experience shaping brand systems, visual identity, and design operations. As the Senior Manager of Design and Visual Identity at Make‑A‑Wish® America, Jason oversees revenue-driving creative initiatives for one of the most trusted nonprofit organizations in the country—ensuring every touchpoint reflects the mission of granting life‑changing wishes to children with critical illnesses. He leads cross-functional design strategies that support mission impact, strengthen organizational consistency, and empower teams through scalable tools—including major efforts advancing digital asset management and content governance.
