Conference Schedule 

• 9:00-9:30 a.m. | Registration & Continental Breakfast Sponsored by I.D. Me Promotions

  Register for the conference in HUB 302 and enjoy a free continental breakfast sponsored by I.D. Me Promotions before the conference begins.

• 9:30-10:00 a.m. | Welcome and Opening Remarks

  Join Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Jeff Girod and Chancellor S. Jack Hu as they kick off the 2026 UCR Marketing and Communications Conference with opening remarks and a welcome to UCR’s marketing and communications community.

• 10:00-10:45 a.m. | Keynote Address: Teresa Watanabe

  The Power of Storytelling to Inspire Action
  A well-told story can turn empathy into measurable action: a donation, a policy change, or a deeper investment in a cause. Using examples from journalism and foundation “gift stories,” keynote speaker Teresa Watanabe will examine how to move beyond announcements about grants and donations to tell human-centered stories that engage readers and compel action. It will also explore common mistakes organizations make when writing on behalf of a cause, and the importance of maintaining authenticity, specificity and journalistic credibility.

  
  Teresa Watanabe was for 35 years a reporter, including in higher education, for the LA Times. Today, she works as senior storytelling officer for the California Community Foundation, founded in 1915 to strengthen LA communities through philanthropy.

• 11:00-11:45 a.m. | Morning Sessions

  Location	Session Details	Presenters
  HUB 355	How Not to AI: Ten Rules for Working Smarter Without Surrendering Your Judgment Great communication requires more than polished words—it requires strategy, taste, and human judgment. Learn ten practical “don’t” rules that will help you use AI to strengthen your work without losing your voice.	Sheree Winslow | Sr. Executive Communications Manager, Communications & Marketing Jules Bernstein | Senior Research Information Officer, Communications & Marketing
  HUB 379	Communicators Guide to Mobile Video: Creating Content for UCR Elevate your department's social media presence with practical insights and tips from our team. Learn core strategies for campus storytelling alongside practical techniques for using your smartphone to capture content—including shooting, framing tips—and best practices for editing.	Christina Bristol | Senior Video Communications Manager, Communications & Marketing Gina Muscato | Social Media Manager, Communications & Marketing
  HUB 367	Expand Team Capacity Through Student Talent Discover how your marketing, events, or external relations team can leverage student volunteers, interns, and employees to expand capacity, strengthen outreach and engagement, and enhance campus events. Learn practical strategies for recruiting, training, and retaining talented students while providing meaningful professional development opportunities.	Mark Manalang | Director of External Engagement, School of Public Policy

• 12:00-12:45 p.m. | UCR Brand Excellence Awards (The Scotties) & Lunch Sponsored by Monster Media

  Enjoy lunch, sponsored by Monster Media, and then celebrate the winners of this year's Scotties, for the best marketing assets and campaigns across campus.

   

• 1:00-1:45 p.m. | Afternoon Session 1

  Location	Session Details	Presenters
  HUB 355	The Grove: Building Secure AI Agents for Everyday Work Communication and marketing teams are stretched thinner than ever, with fewer hands and tighter budgets despite increased demands. In this session we'll explore how The Grove, UCR's new agentic AI platform grounded in the university's own data, lets you build AI agents that take on repetitive, time-consuming tasks. Presenters will share practical use cases and real-world examples showing how faculty and staff are using The Grove to automate routine tasks, access institutional information, and work more efficiently. You'll learn how to design and deploy an agent for your specific workflow, freeing you to focus on the strategic, creative, people-centered work that matters most.	Alex Chrystal | Communications and Training Manager, Communication and Assessment Johnny Lam | Digital Marketing Manager, Communications & Marketing
  HUB 379	Concision Decisions The competition for attention grows more intense every day. In a world of shrinking attention spans and data abundance, communicating complex ideas clearly, accurately, and memorably has never been more important. Join veteran science communicators Jules Bernstein and Iqbal Pittalwala to learn strategies for making your message stick in today’s media landscape and beyond.	Jules Bernstein | Senior Research Information Officer, Communications & Marketing Iqbal Pittalwala | Senior Public Information Officer, Communications & Marketing
  HUB 367	Why CBS is Your New Marketing Bestie   Think university printing and promotional design have to be a headache of endless vendor quotes and brand compliance stress? Think again! Join us for a fun, interactive session where we’ll break down the new procurement mandate, uncover the full suite of creative services Campus Business Services (CBS) offers, and share how we make your job easier.  Sharilyn Hunke | Associate Director, Auxiliary Services Marketing

• 2:00-2:45 p.m. | Afternoon Session 2

  Location	Session Details	Presenters
  HUB 367	Choose a Channel: Navigating UCR’s Communication Tools Learn how to choose the right UCR communication channels to reach your audience and promote your programs, events, and messages. Using a new decision-making chart as a guide, we’ll explore campus resources including ScotMail, ScotMemo, newsletters, social media, digital screens, campus posters, Localist, video, Chancellor’s Monthly Messages, and more. You’ll also learn how and when to submit content for each channel, with practical tips for getting your message in front of the right audience.	Malinn Loeung | Digital Content Manager, Communications & Marketing David Edgerton | Director of National Reputation & Marketing, Communications & Marketing
  HUB 379	This Isn’t Very Funny: Using Humor Even Amid Crisis 2020 wasn't a very funny year. 2021 wasn't a lot of laughs either. But amid challenging times, we found ways to utilize humor in executive communications, strengthening connection among a broad range of internal and external stakeholders and capturing media attention while delivering important messages. In this session, we will review these examples, then examine the strategic benefits of using humor. We'll also address when it's not appropriate. Finally, we'll review some ideas for cultivating humor, ending with an understanding of how this contributes to institutional health.	Presenter: Sheree Winslow | Sr. Executive Communications Manager, Communications & Marketing
  HUB 355	A layman's guide to AI-generated images and Photoshop Can't find an image that works for your web post? AI generation can provide the right image that fits with your text content and layout.	Dave Danelski | Senior Public Information Officer, Communications & Marketing

• 3:00-5:00 p.m. | Networking at The Stable sponored by Gorilla Marketing

  Join us at The Stable as we wrap up the day with conversation and connection over refreshing mocktails and delicious nibbles. Catch up with colleagues, make new connections, and enjoy a relaxed close to the conference.

  Our session sponsor, Gorilla Marketing, will be demonstrating their custom tote bag activation station, with free keepsakes for you to customize and take home!