SMPS SERC - Speakers

	Daniel Beecham Founder and CEO \| Propagent Daniel is Founder and CEO of Propagent, an AEC proposal pursuit system, and Adjunct Professor at Georgia Institute of Technology, teaching AI in Business. His work focuses on how organizations turn scattered decisions, trusted evidence, expert input, and outcome feedback into repeatable learning systems. He brings a practitioner's view of formal procurement and a teacher's approach to making complex workflows practical. For AEC audiences, Daniel focuses on the work behind the proposal: qualifications, Go/No-Go decisions, positioning, reviewer feedback, SME coordination, and the learning that often disappears after submission. His sessions are vendor-neutral and emphasize source-grounded work, validated reuse, and preserving human judgment in high-stakes pursuits.
	Briana Carter, CPSM Pursuit Team Manager, Buildings, US South \| Stantec Briana is an AEC marketing and pursuit leader who specializes in bringing clarity, creativity, and connection to complex, fast-moving environments. As a pursuit team leader supporting one of her firm’s largest regions, Briana guides her pursuit teams through strategic opportunities while building the processes, partnerships, and team structures that help people do their best work. With a decade of experience in the AEC industry, she has built her career at the intersection of strategy, storytelling, and people-centered leadership. Briana is passionate about developing emerging professionals, strengthening collaboration across disciplines, and finding practical ways to turn ambiguity into action. Known as a self-proclaimed “Chaos Coordinator,” she believes leadership isn’t about having every answer; it’s about creating enough clarity and trust for people to confidently move forward together.
	Ida Cheinman Principal \| Substance151 Ida is the Principal and Creative Director of the brand strategy, design, and digital firm Substance151. Using her 30 years of experience as a brand strategist, designer, marketer, and educator, she helps AEC business leaders and marketing professionals make sense of trends, tools, and next practices in order to position their firms to win in today’s fast-changing and highly competitive marketplace. Blending her deep familiarity with the AEC industry and a fresh, cross-industry, cross-disciplinary perspective, Ida is a sought-after national speaker known for making complex information accessible, engaging, and immediately applicable. She presents on branding, marketing, design, and technology, and is a frequent contributor to industry webinars, podcasts, and publications.
	Pam Conine, MBA, CPSM Senior Consultant \| Shaffer Creative Pam is a Senior Consultant with Shaffer Creative who helps architecture, engineering, and construction firms strengthen proposals, marketing processes, and strategic planning. Her experience includes managing complex pursuits, developing proposal systems and tools, implementing marketing plans, conducting marketing audits, and leading marketing staff. Having worked within and alongside different types of AEC firms, Pam has learned that there is no single right way to approach marketing or pursuits. She brings an adaptable, practical perspective shaped by navigating different teams, processes, resources, and business priorities. With experience spanning strategy, content, design, and production, Pam understands both the daily demands placed on proposal professionals and the broader business decisions that drive firm growth. She is passionate about helping AEC marketers move beyond reactive execution, build credibility, and become more strategic contributors to their firms.
	Alli Goode, CFEA Marketing Coordinator \| Clancy & Theys Construction Company Alli believes great marketing is about bringing people together. As a Marketing Coordinator for Clancy & Theys, she combines strategic communication, storytelling, and audience engagement to create experiences that resonate. Her 15+ year career has spanned marketing, community engagement, hospitality, festivals, and large-scale events, giving her a unique perspective on how organizations build meaningful relationships with employees, clients, and communities. A Certified Festival and Event Associate (CFEA), Alli is passionate about creating connections, whether through memorable events, internal communications, or value proposition development. She has a track record of helping organizations translate their culture and purpose into messages that inspire action and build engagement. Known for her collaborative energy and creative problem-solving, Alli enjoys challenging conventional approaches and finding new ways for people to experience brands, ideas, and each other.
	Adam Holbrook Coach/Trainer/Speaker \| Adam Holbrook Adam Holbrook is a John Maxwell Certified Leadership Trainer, Conflict Resolution Specialist, Social Emotional Master, author, and speaker who helps leaders and teams transform culture from the inside out. He is the author of Character Evolution—a practical guide drawing from his own lived experience overcoming severe mental health struggles—and How to Give the Best Speech Ever. A serial entrepreneur who built and sold a seven-figure business, Adam serves as President of Sunset Toastmasters and brings a blend of real-world business acumen, emotional intelligence, and authentic storytelling to inspire audiences to lead with clarity and purpose.
	Sarah Kinard Founder and Head Bird \| The Flamingo Project Sarah is the Head Bird of The Flamingo Project, a consultancy helping AEC firms grow with clarity and confidence. With over 20 years of experience, she brings a research-first mindset and a refreshing approach to strategy and planning. Sarah's known for simplifying the complex and helping firms turn big ideas into clear next steps. A frequent speaker at national AEC events, including Zweig Elevate and industry podcasts, she currently serves as the President of the SMPS Foundation and was inducted into the SMPS North Texas Hall of Fame. Sarah is also a proud graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program (Dallas Chapter).
	Kelly Jo Jefferis, CPSM, LEED Green Associate Founder and President \| Threaded Marketing Group Kelly Jo is the Founder and President of TMG, where she helps AEC firms strengthen their brands, win more work, and build high-performing marketing programs. With 25 years of experience, she has partnered with organizations ranging from local businesses to Fortune 500 companies and currently serves as a fractional Chief Marketing Officer for a national AEC firm. Kelly Jo's expertise includes proposal strategy, brand positioning, executive communications, marketing operations, and business development. A two-time Charlotte Business Journal Most Admired CEO, she is known for delivering practical, engaging presentations that provide actionable takeaways that attendees can implement immediately. Kelly Jo is passionate about mentoring the next generation of AEC marketers and helping firms align strategy, creativity, and operational excellence to achieve sustainable growth.
	David Marino, CPC PR/Communications Supervisor \| Freese and Nichols David is a PR/Communications Supervisor at Freese and Nichols, where he leads strategic communications initiatives that elevate the firm's technical expertise and strengthen its reputation across the engineering, planning, and consulting industries. With more than 25 years of experience in journalism, public affairs, and corporate communications, he specializes in translating complex infrastructure and engineering topics into compelling stories that resonate with clients, stakeholders, and the public. Before joining Freese and Nichols, David held communications leadership roles with municipal organizations and public agencies and built an award-winning career in television news. A Certified Public Communicator (CPC), he is passionate about showcasing technical experts.
	Kayla McCause, FSMPS, CPSM Marketing Strategist \| Dragonfly AEC Consulting Kayla is a marketing strategist and facilitator with Dragonfly who loves helping AEC teams learn, experiment, and build real capability. She’s spent her career designing training programs, coaching marketing and technical leaders, and turning big ideas into practical business development and marketing habits people can actually use. She’ll be the first to say she’s not an AI expert; she’s just a lifelong learner who can’t resist a new tool, a good question, or a chance to teach. Expect energy, candor, and a little nerdy enthusiasm from Kayla's sessions.
	Kelsey Parpart, MBA, PMP, CPSM Principal Strategist \| ZestAEC Kelsey has more than 17 years of experience as an AEC marketer and creative strategist. She recently left in-house marketing to open her own business, ZestAEC, that focuses on bringing executive-level marketing, business development, pursuit capture, and strategic initiatives services to growing companies. A lifelong learner, Kelsey has a Masters in Writing and an MBA, which informs the unique blend of business acumen and creative strategy she brings to every partnership. Kelsey lives with her husband on their hobby farm in scenic Western North Carolina where she spends her spare time tending chickens, being okay at Tuesday night trivia, and trying to finish her young adult fantasy trilogy.
	Dan Purschwitz, CPSM PR/Communications Manager \| Freese and Nichols Dan is PR/Communications Manager at Freese and Nichols, where he leads strategic communications, public relations, and thought leadership initiatives. He and his team tell the stories of hundreds of engineers, planners, and scientists working to improve our communities. He has been a CPSM for 10 years and is a member of the SMPS North Texas Hall of Fame.
	Becky Rehorn, DM, CPACC, CPSM Founder/Principal \| Accessible Organizations Group Becky is the Founder and Principal of AOG, a Nashville-based consultancy helping public sector organizations meet ADA Title II digital accessibility requirements. She is the author of Real, Relevant, Required: A Practitioner's Guide to ADA Title II Digital Accessibility and host of the Access Brief podcast. Becky brings 11 years of AEC and transportation communications leadership within a career spanning more than 25 years, including roles as Chief Marketing Officer at Vaughn & Melton, Director of Communication at JMT, and Public Engagement and Communications Manager at HNTB. She holds a Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership and the CPSM, Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC), and Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) designations. An SMPS member since 2015, Becky has led marketing teams and proposal operations across the Southeast and understands firsthand the pressures AEC marketers face.
	Amanda Roussel Principal CRM Consultant \| Full Sail Partners Amanda, Principal Consultant at Full Sail Partners, is an expert in Deltek Vantagepoint CRM. With a diverse CRM background and a degree from Louisiana State University, she's spent over 20 years in AEC marketing and business development, focusing on engineering and environmental sectors. Her prowess spans CRM training, data management, and marketing strategy, and overall change management. Amanda is dedicated to optimizing business processes and using data that you worked so hard capture.
	Julie Shaffer, FSMPS, CPSM Owner and Creative Director \| Shaffer Creative Julie has spent 25 years in professional services marketing, shaping long, high-stakes pursuits where consistency and clarity make the difference in winning the work. She's a marketing strategist, trainer, and Adobe Community Expert who works primarily in InDesign, with a soft spot for proposals and a low tolerance for inconsistent formatting. She founded Shaffer Creative in 2012 after 11 years in-house and now consults, trains, and designs for firms competing for the work that matters most. Julie teaches design principles that hold up across industries and platforms. Her methods come from real client work, the kind built under real deadline pressure, not theory. They're practical, repeatable, and built for picky collaborators and inherited InDesign files. A frequent conference speaker, Julie has presented at CreativePro Week, SMPS, and APMP events nationwide and is set to speak at Adobe MAX in 2026.
	Julie Smith, CPSM Marketing Strategist \| Terracon Julie is a communications and marketing strategist with 15 years of experience helping professional services organizations drive growth, strengthen client relationships, and engage employees through strategic storytelling and integrated communications. At Terracon, she partners with leadership and operations teams to advance enterprise priorities, amplify award-winning projects, and build programs that support business and cultural goals across multi-state operations. A lifelong storyteller, Julie's passion for communications has taken her from landing stories on CNN to developing impactful marketing and social media strategies. She is known for connecting people, creating positive community impact, and inspiring others to do the same. Julie earned her CPSM designation in 2026, serves as Secretary of the PRSA Charlotte Chapter, and is a graduate of CREW Charlotte's Authentic Leadership Program. When she's not crafting stories, she's likely attending the theatre, planning her next adventure, or searching for chocolate.
	Kim Sousa Business Development and Marketing Consultant \| iMAKE YOUR MARKeting Kim is a marketing and business development professional with more than 30 years of experience in the AEC industry. As Founder and Principal Consultant of iMAKE YOUR MARKeting, she helps firms strengthen branding, client engagement, business development, and presentation effectiveness. A recognized industry leader, Kim has been actively involved with SMPS since 1998 and served as President of SMPS Boston in 2000. She is a sought-after speaker, trainer, and mentor who has presented at national and regional SMPS conferences, universities, industry associations, and private firms. Known for her expertise in marketing, strategic storytelling, planning, networking, and presentation coaching. Kim helps professionals transform complex expertise into compelling presentations that connect with audiences, build relationships, and win work.
	Katie Stern Business Development Strategist \| Dragonfly AEC Consulting Katie is a senior marketing and business development strategist with more than 20 years of experience in the AEC industry. As a Business Development Specialist with Dragonfly, she advises AEC firms on business development strategy, client engagement, positioning, capture planning, and the systems and behaviors that support sustainable growth. Her career spans architecture, engineering, and construction, giving her a broad perspective on how firms build relationships, pursue opportunities, differentiate themselves, and turn strategy into action. Katie is a frequent speaker and facilitator for SMPS chapters and industry organizations across the country, where she brings a practical, candid approach to the challenges facing today’s AEC marketers, business developers, and seller-doers. She is passionate about helping professionals move beyond reactive business development and become more intentional about how they build relationships and drive growth.
	Kyla Stewart Gracewriter and Freedom Finder \| Graceworks Kyla, Gracewriter and Freedom Finder, is an enthusiastic educator and instructor with an infectious joy for teaching. Based in Miami, FL, she enjoys building worlds as a communications teacher and a fiction writer, but is as “real world” as it gets when assisting others to write clearly and concisely. With university credentials in modern languages and literature, writing has been at the heart of her work in education. She holds over 10 years of experience in English as a Second Language instruction, as well as standard English and writing instruction for student groups ranging from toddlers to middle schoolers to corporate professionals. As a problem-solver, she has worked internationally in areas spanning foreign policy, humanitarian efforts, and sociodrama. By serving others through counseling and mentorship, Kyla uses her effective communication skills to make cross-cultural connections that last a lifetime.
	Daphne Valcin, MCC, ELI-MP Chief Executive Officer \| Valcin Strategic Solutions Daphne is a keynote speaker, trainer, and executive coach who has facilitated leadership and team development programming for over 400 individual clients and over 200 organizational clients globally. She is the CEO and founder of a boutique consulting firm focused on leadership and team development and has been featured in Forbes.com and Voyage Magazine and recognized as a 40 Under 40 recipient for her professional work. Daphne’s clients include leaders and team members from Fortune 50 and Fortune 500 companies, including UnitedHealthcare, Lockheed Martin, and JPMorgan Chase. As a results-driven corporate trainer and consultant, her clients have enhanced their team dynamic, increased productivity, enhanced their personal brand, exponentially increased their annual revenue, and moved up multiple levels in seniority. She resides right outside of Atlanta, GA, with her husband and two little girls and looks forward to continuing to make an impact through her work.
	Eliza Wibbenmeyer Marketing Associate \| Clancy & Theys Construction Company Eliza is a Marketing Associate with Clancy & Theys, where she supports marketing and pursuit efforts for the firm’s Charlotte division. Her work includes proposal development, interview preparation, pursuit strategy, social media, internal communications, and creating marketing materials that help project teams communicate their experience and value to clients. A graduate of Winthrop University with a degree in Marketing, Eliza brings a marketing-focused perspective to the pursuit process and works alongside technical teams to translate their expertise into clear, client-centered messaging. She is particularly interested in moving beyond generic differentiators to identify what matters to each client and connect those priorities to the strengths a team brings to a project.
	Joy Youell Owner \| Winsome Marketing Joy is an educator, AI operationalization consultant, and the founder of Winsome, a strategic growth agency that partners with dozens of top 200 accounting firms to deploy AI systems that generate real, measurable ROI. Joy spent her early career working with expert teams in Chicago, London, and Japan as the Chief Content Officer of a frontier Large Language Model. She has now built a reputation for effective work at the intersection of human insight and machine intelligence. From shaping how early models communicated with millions of users to engineering agentic AI systems that transform how professional services firms operate, her expertise is as rare as it is practical. Driven by a belief that AI should work for people, Joy has established herself as a trusted voice in AI adoption, helping firms move from curiosity to implementation with confidence.

	Daniel Beecham Founder and CEO \| Propagent Daniel is Founder and CEO of Propagent, an AEC proposal pursuit system, and Adjunct Professor at Georgia Institute of Technology, teaching AI in Business. His work focuses on how organizations turn scattered decisions, trusted evidence, expert input, and outcome feedback into repeatable learning systems. He brings a practitioner's view of formal procurement and a teacher's approach to making complex workflows practical. For AEC audiences, Daniel focuses on the work behind the proposal: qualifications, Go/No-Go decisions, positioning, reviewer feedback, SME coordination, and the learning that often disappears after submission. His sessions are vendor-neutral and emphasize source-grounded work, validated reuse, and preserving human judgment in high-stakes pursuits.
	Briana Carter, CPSM Pursuit Team Manager, Buildings, US South \| Stantec Briana is an AEC marketing and pursuit leader who specializes in bringing clarity, creativity, and connection to complex, fast-moving environments. As a pursuit team leader supporting one of her firm’s largest regions, Briana guides her pursuit teams through strategic opportunities while building the processes, partnerships, and team structures that help people do their best work. With a decade of experience in the AEC industry, she has built her career at the intersection of strategy, storytelling, and people-centered leadership. Briana is passionate about developing emerging professionals, strengthening collaboration across disciplines, and finding practical ways to turn ambiguity into action. Known as a self-proclaimed “Chaos Coordinator,” she believes leadership isn’t about having every answer; it’s about creating enough clarity and trust for people to confidently move forward together.
	Ida Cheinman Principal \| Substance151 Ida is the Principal and Creative Director of the brand strategy, design, and digital firm Substance151. Using her 30 years of experience as a brand strategist, designer, marketer, and educator, she helps AEC business leaders and marketing professionals make sense of trends, tools, and next practices in order to position their firms to win in today’s fast-changing and highly competitive marketplace. Blending her deep familiarity with the AEC industry and a fresh, cross-industry, cross-disciplinary perspective, Ida is a sought-after national speaker known for making complex information accessible, engaging, and immediately applicable. She presents on branding, marketing, design, and technology, and is a frequent contributor to industry webinars, podcasts, and publications.
	Pam Conine, MBA, CPSM Senior Consultant \| Shaffer Creative Pam is a Senior Consultant with Shaffer Creative who helps architecture, engineering, and construction firms strengthen proposals, marketing processes, and strategic planning. Her experience includes managing complex pursuits, developing proposal systems and tools, implementing marketing plans, conducting marketing audits, and leading marketing staff. Having worked within and alongside different types of AEC firms, Pam has learned that there is no single right way to approach marketing or pursuits. She brings an adaptable, practical perspective shaped by navigating different teams, processes, resources, and business priorities. With experience spanning strategy, content, design, and production, Pam understands both the daily demands placed on proposal professionals and the broader business decisions that drive firm growth. She is passionate about helping AEC marketers move beyond reactive execution, build credibility, and become more strategic contributors to their firms.
	Alli Goode, CFEA Marketing Coordinator \| Clancy & Theys Construction Company Alli believes great marketing is about bringing people together. As a Marketing Coordinator for Clancy & Theys, she combines strategic communication, storytelling, and audience engagement to create experiences that resonate. Her 15+ year career has spanned marketing, community engagement, hospitality, festivals, and large-scale events, giving her a unique perspective on how organizations build meaningful relationships with employees, clients, and communities. A Certified Festival and Event Associate (CFEA), Alli is passionate about creating connections, whether through memorable events, internal communications, or value proposition development. She has a track record of helping organizations translate their culture and purpose into messages that inspire action and build engagement. Known for her collaborative energy and creative problem-solving, Alli enjoys challenging conventional approaches and finding new ways for people to experience brands, ideas, and each other.
	Adam Holbrook Coach/Trainer/Speaker \| Adam Holbrook Adam Holbrook is a John Maxwell Certified Leadership Trainer, Conflict Resolution Specialist, Social Emotional Master, author, and speaker who helps leaders and teams transform culture from the inside out. He is the author of Character Evolution—a practical guide drawing from his own lived experience overcoming severe mental health struggles—and How to Give the Best Speech Ever. A serial entrepreneur who built and sold a seven-figure business, Adam serves as President of Sunset Toastmasters and brings a blend of real-world business acumen, emotional intelligence, and authentic storytelling to inspire audiences to lead with clarity and purpose.
	Sarah Kinard Founder and Head Bird \| The Flamingo Project Sarah is the Head Bird of The Flamingo Project, a consultancy helping AEC firms grow with clarity and confidence. With over 20 years of experience, she brings a research-first mindset and a refreshing approach to strategy and planning. Sarah's known for simplifying the complex and helping firms turn big ideas into clear next steps. A frequent speaker at national AEC events, including Zweig Elevate and industry podcasts, she currently serves as the President of the SMPS Foundation and was inducted into the SMPS North Texas Hall of Fame. Sarah is also a proud graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program (Dallas Chapter).
	Kelly Jo Jefferis, CPSM, LEED Green Associate Founder and President \| Threaded Marketing Group Kelly Jo is the Founder and President of TMG, where she helps AEC firms strengthen their brands, win more work, and build high-performing marketing programs. With 25 years of experience, she has partnered with organizations ranging from local businesses to Fortune 500 companies and currently serves as a fractional Chief Marketing Officer for a national AEC firm. Kelly Jo's expertise includes proposal strategy, brand positioning, executive communications, marketing operations, and business development. A two-time Charlotte Business Journal Most Admired CEO, she is known for delivering practical, engaging presentations that provide actionable takeaways that attendees can implement immediately. Kelly Jo is passionate about mentoring the next generation of AEC marketers and helping firms align strategy, creativity, and operational excellence to achieve sustainable growth.
	David Marino, CPC PR/Communications Supervisor \| Freese and Nichols David is a PR/Communications Supervisor at Freese and Nichols, where he leads strategic communications initiatives that elevate the firm's technical expertise and strengthen its reputation across the engineering, planning, and consulting industries. With more than 25 years of experience in journalism, public affairs, and corporate communications, he specializes in translating complex infrastructure and engineering topics into compelling stories that resonate with clients, stakeholders, and the public. Before joining Freese and Nichols, David held communications leadership roles with municipal organizations and public agencies and built an award-winning career in television news. A Certified Public Communicator (CPC), he is passionate about showcasing technical experts.
	Kayla McCause, FSMPS, CPSM Marketing Strategist \| Dragonfly AEC Consulting Kayla is a marketing strategist and facilitator with Dragonfly who loves helping AEC teams learn, experiment, and build real capability. She’s spent her career designing training programs, coaching marketing and technical leaders, and turning big ideas into practical business development and marketing habits people can actually use. She’ll be the first to say she’s not an AI expert; she’s just a lifelong learner who can’t resist a new tool, a good question, or a chance to teach. Expect energy, candor, and a little nerdy enthusiasm from Kayla's sessions.
	Kelsey Parpart, MBA, PMP, CPSM Principal Strategist \| ZestAEC Kelsey has more than 17 years of experience as an AEC marketer and creative strategist. She recently left in-house marketing to open her own business, ZestAEC, that focuses on bringing executive-level marketing, business development, pursuit capture, and strategic initiatives services to growing companies. A lifelong learner, Kelsey has a Masters in Writing and an MBA, which informs the unique blend of business acumen and creative strategy she brings to every partnership. Kelsey lives with her husband on their hobby farm in scenic Western North Carolina where she spends her spare time tending chickens, being okay at Tuesday night trivia, and trying to finish her young adult fantasy trilogy.
	Dan Purschwitz, CPSM PR/Communications Manager \| Freese and Nichols Dan is PR/Communications Manager at Freese and Nichols, where he leads strategic communications, public relations, and thought leadership initiatives. He and his team tell the stories of hundreds of engineers, planners, and scientists working to improve our communities. He has been a CPSM for 10 years and is a member of the SMPS North Texas Hall of Fame.
	Becky Rehorn, DM, CPACC, CPSM Founder/Principal \| Accessible Organizations Group Becky is the Founder and Principal of AOG, a Nashville-based consultancy helping public sector organizations meet ADA Title II digital accessibility requirements. She is the author of Real, Relevant, Required: A Practitioner's Guide to ADA Title II Digital Accessibility and host of the Access Brief podcast. Becky brings 11 years of AEC and transportation communications leadership within a career spanning more than 25 years, including roles as Chief Marketing Officer at Vaughn & Melton, Director of Communication at JMT, and Public Engagement and Communications Manager at HNTB. She holds a Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership and the CPSM, Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC), and Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) designations. An SMPS member since 2015, Becky has led marketing teams and proposal operations across the Southeast and understands firsthand the pressures AEC marketers face.
	Amanda Roussel Principal CRM Consultant \| Full Sail Partners Amanda, Principal Consultant at Full Sail Partners, is an expert in Deltek Vantagepoint CRM. With a diverse CRM background and a degree from Louisiana State University, she's spent over 20 years in AEC marketing and business development, focusing on engineering and environmental sectors. Her prowess spans CRM training, data management, and marketing strategy, and overall change management. Amanda is dedicated to optimizing business processes and using data that you worked so hard capture.
	Julie Shaffer, FSMPS, CPSM Owner and Creative Director \| Shaffer Creative Julie has spent 25 years in professional services marketing, shaping long, high-stakes pursuits where consistency and clarity make the difference in winning the work. She's a marketing strategist, trainer, and Adobe Community Expert who works primarily in InDesign, with a soft spot for proposals and a low tolerance for inconsistent formatting. She founded Shaffer Creative in 2012 after 11 years in-house and now consults, trains, and designs for firms competing for the work that matters most. Julie teaches design principles that hold up across industries and platforms. Her methods come from real client work, the kind built under real deadline pressure, not theory. They're practical, repeatable, and built for picky collaborators and inherited InDesign files. A frequent conference speaker, Julie has presented at CreativePro Week, SMPS, and APMP events nationwide and is set to speak at Adobe MAX in 2026.
	Julie Smith, CPSM Marketing Strategist \| Terracon Julie is a communications and marketing strategist with 15 years of experience helping professional services organizations drive growth, strengthen client relationships, and engage employees through strategic storytelling and integrated communications. At Terracon, she partners with leadership and operations teams to advance enterprise priorities, amplify award-winning projects, and build programs that support business and cultural goals across multi-state operations. A lifelong storyteller, Julie's passion for communications has taken her from landing stories on CNN to developing impactful marketing and social media strategies. She is known for connecting people, creating positive community impact, and inspiring others to do the same. Julie earned her CPSM designation in 2026, serves as Secretary of the PRSA Charlotte Chapter, and is a graduate of CREW Charlotte's Authentic Leadership Program. When she's not crafting stories, she's likely attending the theatre, planning her next adventure, or searching for chocolate.
	Kim Sousa Business Development and Marketing Consultant \| iMAKE YOUR MARKeting Kim is a marketing and business development professional with more than 30 years of experience in the AEC industry. As Founder and Principal Consultant of iMAKE YOUR MARKeting, she helps firms strengthen branding, client engagement, business development, and presentation effectiveness. A recognized industry leader, Kim has been actively involved with SMPS since 1998 and served as President of SMPS Boston in 2000. She is a sought-after speaker, trainer, and mentor who has presented at national and regional SMPS conferences, universities, industry associations, and private firms. Known for her expertise in marketing, strategic storytelling, planning, networking, and presentation coaching. Kim helps professionals transform complex expertise into compelling presentations that connect with audiences, build relationships, and win work.
	Katie Stern Business Development Strategist \| Dragonfly AEC Consulting Katie is a senior marketing and business development strategist with more than 20 years of experience in the AEC industry. As a Business Development Specialist with Dragonfly, she advises AEC firms on business development strategy, client engagement, positioning, capture planning, and the systems and behaviors that support sustainable growth. Her career spans architecture, engineering, and construction, giving her a broad perspective on how firms build relationships, pursue opportunities, differentiate themselves, and turn strategy into action. Katie is a frequent speaker and facilitator for SMPS chapters and industry organizations across the country, where she brings a practical, candid approach to the challenges facing today’s AEC marketers, business developers, and seller-doers. She is passionate about helping professionals move beyond reactive business development and become more intentional about how they build relationships and drive growth.
	Kyla Stewart Gracewriter and Freedom Finder \| Graceworks Kyla, Gracewriter and Freedom Finder, is an enthusiastic educator and instructor with an infectious joy for teaching. Based in Miami, FL, she enjoys building worlds as a communications teacher and a fiction writer, but is as “real world” as it gets when assisting others to write clearly and concisely. With university credentials in modern languages and literature, writing has been at the heart of her work in education. She holds over 10 years of experience in English as a Second Language instruction, as well as standard English and writing instruction for student groups ranging from toddlers to middle schoolers to corporate professionals. As a problem-solver, she has worked internationally in areas spanning foreign policy, humanitarian efforts, and sociodrama. By serving others through counseling and mentorship, Kyla uses her effective communication skills to make cross-cultural connections that last a lifetime.
	Daphne Valcin, MCC, ELI-MP Chief Executive Officer \| Valcin Strategic Solutions Daphne is a keynote speaker, trainer, and executive coach who has facilitated leadership and team development programming for over 400 individual clients and over 200 organizational clients globally. She is the CEO and founder of a boutique consulting firm focused on leadership and team development and has been featured in Forbes.com and Voyage Magazine and recognized as a 40 Under 40 recipient for her professional work. Daphne’s clients include leaders and team members from Fortune 50 and Fortune 500 companies, including UnitedHealthcare, Lockheed Martin, and JPMorgan Chase. As a results-driven corporate trainer and consultant, her clients have enhanced their team dynamic, increased productivity, enhanced their personal brand, exponentially increased their annual revenue, and moved up multiple levels in seniority. She resides right outside of Atlanta, GA, with her husband and two little girls and looks forward to continuing to make an impact through her work.
	Eliza Wibbenmeyer Marketing Associate \| Clancy & Theys Construction Company Eliza is a Marketing Associate with Clancy & Theys, where she supports marketing and pursuit efforts for the firm’s Charlotte division. Her work includes proposal development, interview preparation, pursuit strategy, social media, internal communications, and creating marketing materials that help project teams communicate their experience and value to clients. A graduate of Winthrop University with a degree in Marketing, Eliza brings a marketing-focused perspective to the pursuit process and works alongside technical teams to translate their expertise into clear, client-centered messaging. She is particularly interested in moving beyond generic differentiators to identify what matters to each client and connect those priorities to the strengths a team brings to a project.
	Joy Youell Owner \| Winsome Marketing Joy is an educator, AI operationalization consultant, and the founder of Winsome, a strategic growth agency that partners with dozens of top 200 accounting firms to deploy AI systems that generate real, measurable ROI. Joy spent her early career working with expert teams in Chicago, London, and Japan as the Chief Content Officer of a frontier Large Language Model. She has now built a reputation for effective work at the intersection of human insight and machine intelligence. From shaping how early models communicated with millions of users to engineering agentic AI systems that transform how professional services firms operate, her expertise is as rare as it is practical. Driven by a belief that AI should work for people, Joy has established herself as a trusted voice in AI adoption, helping firms move from curiosity to implementation with confidence.

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