Upskilling for Employee Loyalty and Growth

Jess Zafarris is an author, content director, editor, journalist, social media engagement strategist and creator. Her 13 years of experience in this space have included such roles as the Director of Content at Ragan Communications, Audience Engagement Director at Adweek, and Content Strategist and Digital Content Director for Writer’s Digest and Script Mag. She moderated and emceed at events including Social Media Week and Brandweek, and presented at the Writer’s Digest Conference and State of Social. She is also the author of the etymology books WORDS FROM HELL (Hachette 2023) and ONCE UPON A WORD (Rockridge Press 2020) and an educational social media creator who speaks and creates entertaining content about word origins.

PwC is a member of Ragan’s Communications Leadership Council. Carrie McKnight is Sr. Director, People Communications, at PwC.

Steve is the senior director, talent, development & engagement at Constant Contact – an online marketing technology leader enabling small and medium-sized businesses. In his role, Steve leads Constant Contact’s multinational strategy for employee development, engagement, culture, diversity and inclusion. Steve’s career has spanned HR consulting, talent leadership, operations leadership, research, and sales roles. Most recently, Steve was founder and principal consultant of strength in talent Inc. – a human resources consultancy helping executives convert business and people strategies into specific, attainable programs for talent and culture. Under Steve’s leadership, Strength in Talent developed a multinational client base spanning manufacturing, health and safety, legal, and technology. Steve also served as Head of People and Culture at Inspira Marketing Group and its sister agency, Enthuse. In those five years, Steve built and led a human resources strategy to match Inspira’s award-winning experiential work, contributing to double-digit growth and continued accolades such as Forbes Small Giants. Steve is currently pursuing his Doctorate of Business Administration at the University of Rhode Island. Previously Steve completed the Wharton School of Business’s Chief Human Resources Officer Program, his Master’s degree in Industrial / Organizational Psychology from Fairfield University, and a dual Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication and Vocal Performance from Fairfield. Above all, Steve’s greatest passion is for his family – his wife Kara and their two beautiful children.

Kabira Ferrell is a senior communications and executive visibility strategist who draws on her multifaceted experience to interpret trends and data, developing insights to solve challenging problems and advance business objectives. In both agency and in-house roles over 25 years, Ferrell has designed and managed initiatives including Fortune 500 corporate reputation campaigns, employee engagement programs, and stakeholder and community engagement. She has an extensive background in executive communications having supported board chairs, CEOs and the C-Suite with thought leadership platforms, messaging strategy, and speechwriting. Prior to joining Ketchum, Ferrell directed the strategic reset of a multimillion-dollar B2B communications campaign to advance low carbon buildings for a USDA checkoff program. During her time at Ogilvy PR, Ferrell led the corporate reputation practice in the U.S. West, serving clients from the Fortune 500 and start-ups to NGOs and trade associations. She served on the leadership team responsible for founding Ogilvy PR’s sustainability practice, OgilvyEarth. Ferrell provided strategic counsel for global sustainability and corporate clients including Cardinal Health, UCHealth, Medical Group Management Association, Molson Coors Brewing Company, Chipotle, TetraPak, Intel, Signet Jewelers, and EY. Before joining Ogilvy, Ferrell was Director, Media Relations at Molson Coors Brewing Company where she oversaw public relations strategy for corporate responsibility initiatives and for brands in global markets, executive communications and speechwriting, as well as crisis communications and issues management. Ferrell moved to the global parent company after managing external communications for the U.S. business unit, Coors Brewing Company. In that capacity, she directed company media relations strategy and messaging, and acted as company spokesperson for high profile stories including two mergers, litigation and crisis response. Kabira began her career in the Silicon Valley in start-up marketing communications before moving to a regional PR firm in Denver. She is a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder, with a bachelor’s in Spanish Literature and Sociology, minoring in Social Conflict. Kabira lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with her family, which includes an 80-pound Newfoundland and a formerly stray cat with tremendous swagger. When she’s not solving communications challenges for clients, Kabira is an avid reader, podcast listener, stand-up comedy enthusiast and gardener who enjoys exploring the trails around her home.