Conference – N.C. Chapter, Public Relations Society of America (NCPRSA)

Calling all North Carolina communications and marketing professionals!

In a world where digital transformation is moving faster than a viral social media post or breaking news story, PR professionals are stepping up to the plate – crafting strategies to capture audiences, generate results and rise above the noise. Join NCPRSA for the can’t-miss 2025 Strategic Communications Conference, “Future Forward: The Fusion of Human Creativity and Digital Evolution,” to discover how today’s evolving technology and digital media landscape best integrate with the human touch to drive forward-thinking solutions and foster innovation:

DATE: Friday, Nov. 21, 2025

TIME: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
LOCATION: McKimmon Center, located at 1101 Gorman St, Raleigh, NC 27606

TICKETS: Click here to secure your spot today!

Communications and marketing professionals – from agencies and nonprofits to private corporations and independent practitioners – will experience a full day of thought-provoking keynotes, breakout sessions and networking opportunities, learning strategies to balance AI with human interaction, skillfully tailor outreach to journalists, engage niche audiences on social media, and more.

Whether you're new to the industry or have been a practitioner for decades, this conference offers a unique opportunity to learn from the trailblazers defining authentic connection amidst the digital evolution – propelling North Carolina’s PR industry forward into its next chapter.

Want to learn more about all the day-long event has to offer? Visit the Eventbrite registration page and secure your spot today. Early-bird registration is available now through October 15.

Here’s a sneak peek at the standout keynote and breakout presentations, sure to leave you with actionable takeaways to elevate your strategic comms playbook:

REGISTRATION/BREAKFAST (8-9 a.m.)

OPENING KEYNOTE (9-9:50 a.m.)

“The Human Edge in the Age of Machines: Why AI Alone Won’t Save Your Company”

Speaker: Greg Boone, CEO, Walk West

OPENING KEYNOTE (9-9:50 a.m.) Greg Boone, CEO, Walk West: “The Human Edge in the Age of Machines: Why AI Alone Won’t Save Your Company”

Artificial intelligence is no longer on the horizon—it’s here, reshaping every industry in real time. From automation to prediction, AI is rewriting the rules of business faster than most organizations can update their strategy decks. Yet, amid the excitement, too many leaders are making a dangerous assumption: that technology alone will deliver transformation.
In The Human Edge in the Age of Machines, Greg Boone, CEO of Walk West, reveals why the companies thriving in this AI revolution are not simply building smarter systems, but cultivating stronger cultures. The organizations winning today are the ones empowering their people to ask better questions, make bolder decisions, and adapt with speed and conviction.
Greg argues that the real differentiator is not access to tools, APIs, or data—but the ability to align teams behind a shared purpose and inspire belief in the future being built. AI amplifies whatever culture exists inside your organization. If your team is disconnected, AI magnifies the distance. If your leadership is risk-averse, AI turns hesitation into irrelevance. But if your people are engaged, empowered, and inspired, AI becomes rocket fuel.

Through candid insights and real-world examples from leading digital transformations, Greg will challenge audiences to shift the narrative from “What can AI do?” to “What can humans do better because of AI?”

Key Takeaways

Redefining competitive advantage: Why empathy, context, and courage—not just algorithms—remain the irreplaceable drivers of business success.
The adoption equation: How AI + Adoption + Acceleration, led by purpose-driven leadership, becomes the winning formula.
The culture multiplier: Why AI will either accelerate dysfunction or supercharge belief—depending on how leaders show up.
Survival skills for the AI era: Why human traits like storytelling, de-escalation, and conviction are no longer “soft skills” but essential leadership assets.
Future-ready leadership: How to move beyond plug-and-play solutions and build cultures that care, adapt, and scale in the AI age.

The future is not machine vs. human. It is machine + human. The leaders who succeed will be the ones who recognize that while AI can process data at lightning speed, the hardest—and most valuable—thing to scale is still the human spirit.

Breakout Session #1 (10-10:30 a.m.)

Choose to attend one of the following three sessions:

PR + ChatGPT: What Works, What Fails and What to Try Next

- - Speaker: Mikaya Thurmond, CEO, Milan Public Relations

Lights, Camera, Connection: Bringing In-Person Energy to Your Virtual Presentations

Speaker: Valonda Calloway ("The TV Lady"), spokesperson, TV Host and actor

Help or Hype? How to Use AI Strategically in Crisis Response

Speaker: Stephanie Llorente, founder, Prep Communications

Breakout Session #2 (10:40-11:10 a.m.)

Choose to attend one of the following three sessions:

Junk the Jargon: A Modern Framework for Clearer, Smarter Storytelling
- Speaker: Evan Boyer, founder and CEO, Leaders PR

Is It Time to Add AEO to Your Communication Strategy?
- Speaker: Carrie Cousins, vice president, LeadPoint Digital

From Gut to Data: A No-Budget Approach to Audience Targeting with AI + Strategy
- Speakers: Children's Home Society of North Carolina's Roxanne Raynor, director or marketing, and Kristina Geddings, digital strategy manager

Breakout Session #3 (11:20-11:50 a.m.)

Choose to attend one of the following three sessions:

- Behind the Headlines: The Role of AI in Today's Newsroom and Beyond - National Association of Black Journalists RDU Panel
  - Moderator: Rod Carter, reporter and anchor, CBS 17
  - Panelists: Alice Fuller, principal consultant and social media strategist, Sheer Social; Greg Funderburg, weekend evening anchor and reporter, CBS 17

Smarter Public Affairs: Integrating Technology and the Human Touch

Speakers: Kate Payne , principal, Kate Catlin Payne LLC and Jenny Bo, co-founder and president, Roboro

Human+: Using Technology to Amplify Human Creativity
Speaker: Jake Coltrane, associate creative director, French / West / Vaughan

INSPIRE AWARDS LUNCHEON (12-1 p.m.)

NCPRSA's InSpire Awards honor our region’s most successful and innovative communications programs from the past year. Communications professionals from agencies, corporate, nonprofits, associations and government offices, as well as solo practitioners across our area, produce outstanding work and achieve fantastic results each year. The InSpire Awards celebrate the best campaigns, projects and initiatives in our region!

AFTERNOON KEYNOTE (1-1:50 p.m.) When Dynasty Falls: The Murdaugh Scandal in the Digital Age Speaker: Valerie Bauerlein, national affairs reporter, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Times best-selling author

What happens when significant power collides with relentless digital scrutiny – and a once-untouchable legacy begins to unravel before the world’s eyes?

Raleigh-based Wall Street Journal reporter and author Valerie Bauerlein takes audiences inside The Devil at His Elbow, her instant New York Times bestseller and detailed investigation into the rise and fall of Alex Murdaugh, whose once-unshakable reputation crumbled under the weight of scandal, murder and intense media attention. In this keynote, Bauerlein will explore how the Murdaugh saga became a national obsession, fueled by viral news cycles, social media amplification and a 24/7 appetite for digital storytelling. Drawing on her deep reporting on Southern culture and small-town America, she will also examine how digital platforms transformed the Murdaugh story from a local scandal into a global conversation. Bauerlein will unpack lessons that communications and marketing professionals can glean from the implosion of a powerful brand, addressing reputation management in an AI-enhanced, misinformation-prone media environment. Touching on ethics, narrative control and the shifting boundaries between truth and perception, she will offer fresh insights before opening the floor to an interactive audience Q&A.

Navigating Nonprofit Communications: Challenges, Rewards, and Optimization Strategies (2-2:50 p.m.)

Join us for an interactive discussion hosted by NCPRSA’s PR for Good team. We’ll delve into the opportunities and challenges that regional nonprofits face and explore how effective communications can help secure their future - with your ideas. This panel will be moderated by PR for Good co-leads, Kristy Fair and Kiersten Wolf Williams.

Featured panelists:

Amy Brundle, Director of Marketing and Communications, National Alliance on Mental Illness, North Carolina (NAMI NC)
Brandi McCarn Gerew, Senior Vice President, Financial Advisor, Pinnacle Financial
Amy Smith, Executive Director, The Women’s Center of Wake County

*This will be an interactive session.

CLOSING REMARKS (2:50-3 p.m.)

We hope you’ll join us for this year’s event!

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