9:00 – 9:45 a.m. |
Panel: PR Writing: Crafting Content That Captivates
Joan O'Fallon, Anna Larson, Chris Iles, moderated by Darryl Sellers
Great PR writing goes beyond strong messaging—it reflects diverse perspectives and resonates across audiences. In this panel, communications professionals from different areas of the industry will discuss how they craft impactful content that is inclusive, culturally aware and adaptable across platforms. From media relations to brand storytelling, they’ll share insights on ensuring authenticity, accessibility and representation in every piece of content.
Speakers:

Joan O’Fallon, APR, Director of Communications, Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative
Joan O'Fallon, APR, is the director of communications for Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative in Wisconsin. She is a member of her co-op's senior leadership team, and is responsible for sharing the co-op story and building trusted relationships with internal and external audiences. Joan is accredited in public relations and is a longtime member of PRSA, with service on the board and accreditation committee. She holds a bachelor's in public relations from the University of South Florida, where she was president of PRSSA, and a master's in strategic communication from the University of Minnesota, where she teaches as an adjunct professor. Joan’s professional journey also includes school PR and health care marketing. She says she’s been blessed with wonderful teachers and mentors throughout her education and professional experience; and it’s an honor to pass those gifts forward to a new generation of communicators.

Anna Larson, PR & Social Media Strategist; Team Lead, Flint Group
Anna is a PR and social media strategist with 15+ years of experience, blending her journalism roots and communications expertise to help brands tell stories that stick. A proud Fargo native, she’s known as the office plant lady, an #OOTD enthusiast and a leader who thrives on empathy, fresh ideas and meaningful connections.
At Flint Group, she drives data-backed, creative strategies while empowering her team to grow, succeed and have fun along the way. When she’s not shaping strategies or solving problems, her life is happily ruled by her cat, Eva, and dog, Dobby—yes, like Harry Potter.

Chris Iles, Vice President of Communications and Brand Marketing, Minnesota Star Tribune
A communicator at heart, Chris Iles seeks to tell engaging, human-centered stories that inspire meaningful action and drive significant business results. Iles has two decades of experience spanning the disciplines of communications, marketing, content, strategy, innovation and leadership.
Prior to joining the Minnesota Star Tribune, Iles spent 15 years pushing the Minnesota Twins to become the most innovative brand in sports and entertainment. He also previously worked in corporate communications at Bloomington-based HealthPartners and began his career at Minneapolis PR powerhouse Padilla.
Moderator:

Darryl Sellers
Darryl Sellers is the Public, Media Relations & Communications Consultant/Strategist for Hennepin Healthcare’s Research Institute. Darryl’s role includes public and media relations, interviewing doctors and other leaders and storytelling. He’s also creating strategies to amplify doctors’ voices about the organization’s commitment to diversity in research.
He is a Minneapolis native who has more than 20 years of experience, which includes public and media relations, communications, and seven years in TV news with stints in the Rochester-Austin and Saginaw-Flint markets. Darryl is noted for his experience shining a light on organizations making positive societal changes, helping them share with more people how they positively impact the world. He previously partnered with the Biden-Harris Administration’s “We Can Do This” Covid-19 Public Education Campaign which had the mission to bring more vaccine equity to 80+ Black communities, amplifying the voices of doctors with the W. Montague Cobb Institute/National Medical Association, the oldest largest national network of Black doctors in the U.S. |
10:00 – 10:45 a.m. |
Panel: Crisis Communications – Navigating the Storm
Dan Jasper, Laura Hennen, Chris Werle, moderated by Jill Bonham
How do you handle the pressure of a communications crisis? In this interactive session, a panel of PR professionals will share real-world crisis scenarios they’ve faced, setting the stage for a collaborative group exercise where you’ll craft your own response plans. Afterward, the panel will provide case studies revealing how the situations unfolded, what worked and what they’d do differently with the benefit of hindsight. Get ready to think on your feet and learn essential skills for managing high-stakes moments.
Speakers:

Dan Jasper, Senior Vice President, MOA Press, Mall of America
With great respect for the history of Mall of America and the impact it has had on our region, Dan has led the MOA teams whose responsibility and focus is to share those stories in an authentic and responsible manner. These areas include public and media relations, social media, community relations, international and domestic tourism, as well as the Mall’s communication hub ESP (Enhanced Service Portal.) In his current role as Senior Vice President for Mall of America, Dan created a new business venture called MOA Press. This new venture includes MOA VIP Tours for public and private groups, publishing a coffee table book, launching the podcast So Much More, and publishing a series of business books, the first of which is Think Like A Guest.
During his tenure, the Mall has secured an extensive list of national coverage, including placements with news outlets such as CNN, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Bloomberg TV, Food Network, Bravo, PBS, TLC, History Channel, People, Good Morning America, The Today Show, CBS This Morning, USA Today and more. The result is more than 2,500 hours of broadcast coverage, 3,000 print clips and 5,000 online stories about Mall of America. Dan serves as senior executive leading communications and related areas within the marketing group. He also advises sister properties American Dream NJ and West Edmonton Mall on strategic communication issues.

Laura Hennen, Senior Communication Manager, Medtronic
Laura Hennen is a communications leader with extensive experience in healthcare communications. As a communications strategist, Laura works to protect and maintain business reputation, build goodwill and generate publicity across multiple communications channels. Her experience includes brand journalism/storytelling, media relations, crisis communications, reputation management, content marketing and brand management.
As a senior communication manager at Medtronic, Laura leads public relations strategy for the Peripheral Vascular Health (PVH) business. She leads media relations, crisis communications and external executive thought leadership for PVH. Laura previously worked in public relations for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, where she focused on media relations, crisis communications and content marketing.
Laura holds a master’s in business administration (MBA) from the University of St. Thomas and a bachelor’s in public relations from Drake University. She has been an active member of Minnesota PRSA since 2004 and was a PRSSA member from 2000-2004.

Christopher Werle, Senior Vice President, Crisis and Critical Issues Management, Padilla
Chris Werle leads the Padilla Crisis and Critical Issues Management Practice, counseling a varied roster of organizations to protect their brands, and manage, mitigate and prevent serious threats to reputations and bottom lines. Chris works with clients to identify and prepare for potential threats and events with the capacity to seriously, and in some cases permanently, damage an organization.
Previously serving in leadership roles such as Vice President, Global Marketing Communications for Estee Lauder Corporation and Executive Vice President and Consumer Practice Leader at Weber Shandwick, Chris has used his unique mix of issues management acumen and brand-building expertise to advise C-suite executives and boards of directors, university presidents and general counsel, league commissioners, industry leaders, elected officials, professional athletes and coaches and entertainers around the world.
Chris has counseled high-profile clients including Coca-Cola, Best Buy, General Mills, Petco, General Motors, the U.S. Army, Microsoft, FedEx, Jim Beam Brands, Miller Brewing, Exxon Mobil and Samsung, providing crisis and corporate reputation programming and direction.
Chris served as a Group Marketing Manager at Microsoft Corporation where he helped launch the successful Xbox Console and drive worldwide strategy and direction behind Microsoft Game Studios, developing marketing for a diverse portfolio of Xbox video games and computer games.
Periodically an adjunct professor at St. Cloud State University and regular speaker at advertising and public relations conferences, Chris has served on the boards of Minneapolis Catholic Charities and Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, the University of Minnesota’s Masonic Cancer Center and Positive Coaching Alliance.
Moderator:

Jill Bonham, APR, Fellow PRSA, Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota
Jill Spiekerman Bonham, APR, Fellow PRSA, has provided counsel from both agency and client side to agricultural and consumer companies. She led public relations for the Maytag, Hoover, Jenn-Air, Amana and Jade brands, now owned by Whirlpool. Her joy comes from teaching students, mentoring young professionals and coaching APR candidates. After serving the Iowa PRSA board for 15 years as Iowa State University PRSSA Chapter Liaison, she moved to Minnesota joining the Minnesota PRSA board of directors and then the Minnesota PRSA Student Relations Committee serving a key role in the chapter’s student event, PR North. She gained teaching experience with three universities before she joined the University of Minnesota in 2023 where she advises the University of Minnesota PRSSA Chapter. Jill grew up on a farm in Michigan and earned a bachelor's degree at Michigan State University. She earned a master’s degree at Drake University. |
10:45 – 11:30 a.m. |
The Future of You
Stephen Dupont
In this thought-provoking talk, professional communicator and academically trained futurist Stephen Dupont will explore seismic shifts (climate change, AI, quantum computing, geopolitics, etc.) that will shape your future as a professional communicator and offer suggestions on key skills you will need to develop to navigate a future of constant change and disruption.
Speaker:

Stephen DuPont, MSc, APR, Fellow PRSA, Principal, DuPont Foresight
Stephen Dupont, MSc, APR, Fellow PRSA, is an award-winning, accredited public relations professional with more than 30 years of experience in developing and implementing strategies that fuel marketing momentum for clients. Stephen is also an academically trained professional futurist who earned a master's degree in foresight from the University of Houston. He helps organizations communicate their vision of the future, while using foresight tools to help those same organizations make smart decisions that allow them to leverage their options to obtain the future they desire. He also serves as the editor of Compass, an international magazine for professional futurists, and serves on the board of directors for the Association of Professional Futurists and Teach the Future. |