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PRESENTING SPONSOR:

CPRAM26 SCHEDULE

PRESENTING SPONSOR:

MONDAY MAY 18

2:30 PM - CONFERENCE REGISTRATION BEGINS

3:00 PM - OPTIONAL TOUR OF HEINDL CENTER

LED BY DR. BLAKE BOSTICK

- EXHIBITOR TABLES OPEN

5:00 PM - WELCOME TO CPRAM 2026

DR. MICHAEL HEINDL, PRESIDENT OF NWCC

5:15 PM - KEYNOTE

STAFFORD SHURDEN: “THE PERSONALITY PRINCIPLE, WHY PERSONALITY BEATS BRANDING”

6:15 PM - WELCOME RECEPTION

Stafford Shurden

staffordshurden@gmail.com shurdenfarms.com

5:15 PM Monday

@staffordshurden5218

Breaking Bread with Stafford Shurden

Stafford Shurden is a Mississippi Delta entrepreneur, restauranteur, retired judge, author, and social media personality from Drew, Mississippi. Raised on his family’s cotton farm between Drew and Parchman, Shurden grew up immersed in the traditions and culture of the Delta, experiences that continue to shape his business philosophy and storytelling style today.

After taking over the family farming operation in 1999, Shurden adapted to the changing agricultural landscape while pursuing his passion for community development. In 2005, he opened Main Street Deli & Gifts later renamed Stafford’s Market & Deli in downtown Drew. Through perseverance and creativity, the restaurant became one of Mississippi’s most celebrated smalltown eateries, earning Mississippi Magazine’s 2025 “Best Fried Chicken in Mississippi” and “Best Blue Plate” honors.

Following the death of his father in 2006, Shurden accepted an appointment as Sunflower County justice court judge, despite having no legal background He served for 14 years and was re-elected three times, building a reputation for practical leadership and strong community ties

Today, Shurden is widely recognized for his popular “Gas Station Tailgate Reviews,” a social media series celebrating Southern convenience-store cuisine and culture His authentic humor, “Staffordisms,” and down-home personality have attracted more than 100,000 followers across social platforms He is also the author of Meet and Three, a memoir chronicling his life, reinventions, and enduring love for the Mississippi Delta

KEYNOTES

Erin Mark

erinmark.com

Keynote Speaker | I Will Teach You How to Be Resilient

Director of Partnerships at Merit

518-429-2790

erin@meritpages.com

9:00 AM Tuesday

Erin Mark teaches leaders, teams, and individuals how to stop resisting change and turn disruption into growth. Drawing on her lived experience of resilience and her signature frameworks, she shows audiences how to overcome obstacles with urgency, adaptability, and courage. In today's world of Al, rapid innovation, and constant disruption, Erin equips organizations with the tools to not just survive change - but thrive!

I wasn't supposed to live past 18 By 35, I was in end life stage illness, preparing to say goodbye At the very last moment, just as I was slipping away, a breakthrough drug was approved that saved my life, giving me what I call my bonus years That second chance is why I teach resilience, urgency, and adaptability today. Audiences don't just hear my story they leave with practical tools and a renewed sense of courage to face change head-on. After my talk, my greatest hope is that you'll carry the courage to take on any challenge that comes your way. I'm rooting for you!

Rethinking Resilience in Times of Uncertainty and Change

Have you ever wondered if you are the only one being asked to do more with less and somehow do it faster, often after a meeting that could have been an email?! When uncertainty is the norm, resilience has to be more than just pushing through. Erin Mark has lived with uncertainty her entire life while navigating a terminal illness. In this talk, she rethinks resilience and shares practical tools from her CALM framework to help you focus on what you can control, adapt as things change, and keep moving forward.

KEYNOTES

Alice Maxwell

Senior Director of Marketing and Communications

Division of Student Affairs

Florida State University

850-645-1221 alice.maxwell@fsu.edu studentaffairs.fsu.edu/communications-office

11:00 AM Tuesday

Alice Maxwell serves as the Florida State University senior director of Marketing and Communications in the Division of Student Affairs. She is skilled in leading an award-winning creative team, managing multiple mission-focused marketing projects, developing and executing integrated marketing and communications campaigns, helping constituents adapt through change management, keeping colleagues informed and inspired through internal communications and growing awareness through public relations. Alice has had the opportunity to share her work in student success-focused communications and storytelling at national conferences and abroad. Prior to arriving at Florida State in 2021, Alice worked as a director of Strategic Communications, Integrated Marketing and Change Management at Tallahassee Community College. She has also worked in communications at a private university, Drury University, where she earned a master's degree in Integrated Marketing Communications.

Building a Strategic Communications Framework That Advances Student Success

Explore how higher education communicators can move beyond campaign‑based messaging to design a communications framework that resonates with students and breaks down silos. Drawing on the development of Florida State University's student success campaign, Hello FSU, this presentation reframes communications as a strategic function that helps institutions operate more clearly, consistently, and effectively with students Examine how consistent predictable structures, shared language, and cross‑unit collaboration reduce confusion for students, lowers duplication for staff, and strengthens alignment across teams. Participants will leave with practical insights for building communications systems that scale, support student success, and protect staff capacity over time. Take away fresh ideas for campus-wide collaboration that utilizes multi-channel marketing, eye-catching branding and peer-to-peer content to improve student success and retention.

KEYNOTES

Marshall Ramsey

Mississippi Media Lab

Director of Civic Engagement and Assistant Professor of Practice University of Mississippi tmramsey@olemiss.edu

662-915-7146

marshallramsey.com

3:30 PM Tuesday

Marshall Ramsey is an award-winning editorial cartoonist, author, columnist, and broadcaster known for his sharp political insight, Southern storytelling, and distinctive artistic voice. Based in Oxford, he has spent decades chronicling politics, culture, and everyday life through cartoons, commentary, and interviews that blend humor with humanity

A longtime leader in journalism and public media, Ramsey has served in prominent editorial and broadcasting roles across Mississippi, earning national recognition for both his editorial cartooning and his work as a communicator. His cartoons have appeared in newspapers, magazines, books, and digital publications, where they are widely respected for their wit, compassion, and ability to capture the mood of the moment.

In addition to his cartoon work, Ramsey is an accomplished speaker, podcast host, and interviewer whose conversations often explore creativity, resilience, leadership, and Southern culture. He is also the author of several books that combine humor, personal reflection, and observations about life in the modern South.

Whether behind a microphone, on stage, or at the drawing board, Marshall Ramsey brings a unique blend of intelligence, warmth, and storytelling to every audience he reaches.

KEYNOTES

Otis Sanford

Professor Emeritus in Journalism University of Memphis lsnford2@memphis.edu

psrmemphis.org/incubator

9:30 AM Wednesday

Otis Sanford is professor emeritus in the Department of Journalism and Strategic Media at the University of Memphis. He is the author of the critically acclaimed book, “From Boss Crump to King Willie: How Race Changed Memphis Politics,” and co-author of “In a Colorful Place: Seasoned Opinion About Memphis, About Home, About Life.” Sanford serves as political analyst and commentator for WATN-TV ABC24 News, as a columnist for The Daily Memphian and as political analyst for WKNO-FM, the NPR affiliate in Memphis Sanford formerly served as managing editor, editorial page editor and Viewpoint columnist for The Commercial Appeal in Memphis. He retired in 2023 as the Hardin Chair of Excellence in Journalism at the University of Memphis. He also worked at newspapers in Jackson, MS, Pittsburgh and Detroit. He is a past president of the Associated Press Managing Editors and past chairman of the Mid-America Press Institute. In 2014, he was inducted into the Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame. Sanford graduated with a B A in Journalism from the University of Mississippi and lives in Memphis, Tenn.

SPEAKERS

Blake Bostick, Ed.D.

Director, Heindl Center for the Performing Arts

Northwest Mississippi Community College

jbostick@northwestms.edu

662-560-5260

3 PM Monday

Dr Blake Bostick is the director of the Heindl Center for the Performing Arts Prior to becoming director of the Heindl Center, he served as director of Evening Programs at Northwest’s DeSoto Center in Southaven Bostick also serves as worship pastor and elder at Vintage Church in Horn Lake, where he leads music for the Sunday service and has done so for the past 10 years Bostick has been a part of the DeSoto County community for most of his life and is father of three with his high school sweetheart, Lindsey.

He graduated with a degree in music in 2010, and got his M.A. in Higher Education from the University of Mississippi. Then in 2022, he received his Doctor of Education with a concentration in higher education from Delta State University.

Michael Heindl, Ph.D., J.D.

President

Northwest Mississippi Community College

mheindl@northwestms.edu

662-560-5200

5 PM Monday

Dr. Michael J. Heindl has served as president of Northwest Mississippi Community College since July 1, 2018, making him the college’s ninth president and marking nearly eight years in the role as of 2026. Before joining Northwest, he served as executive vice president of Administration and Finance at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. A community college graduate, Dr. Heindl brings extensive experience in finance, technology, legal issues, workforce training, student services, and campus leadership. He earned degrees from Hinds Community College, Mississippi College, Mississippi State University, and Western Michigan University.

In addition to more than 17 years of teaching and administrative experience, Dr Heindl serves on the Board of Directors for the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) His honors include the Excellence in Government Award presented by Tate Reeves, the 2021 Mississippi Business Journal Top CEO Award, the MGCCC Master Trainer Award, the CCBO Outstanding Chief Business Officer Award, and recognition as one of Mississippi’s Top Ten Business Leaders Under 40 He has also participated in leadership programs including the AACC Future Presidents Institute and Leadership Mississippi

Rick Forbus, Ph.D.

CEO of Trove, Inc. rforbus@troveinc.com

Rick holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Human Resource Management & Leadership, and he has studied Executive Coaching with one of the coaches at The Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, NC Rick also studied at CoachU and George Washington University to increase his expertise in coaching and leadership applications to project managers Rick is a full-time executive coach and professional trainer He specializes in organizational re-design using behavioral and community-based action research techniques He maintains an active speaking engagement schedule and is a highly sought-after corporate retreat and workshop facilitator. In his career, Rick has trained, coached or presented speeches to over 44,000 people. His areas of expertise include teambuilding, process consulting, high performance meeting and decisionmaking, vision casting, people alignment, negotiation and change management.

Rick and his wife Nancy enjoy the beach and the mountains, and spend time at both as often as possible. Rick loves to play music, rock-n-roll to jazz and attends concerts and participates in informal jam sessions whenever possible. Rick is a watercolor and oil artist. Rick and Nancy have two sons and six grandchildren, and family events are fun-loving, loud and loaded with joking around. Rick and his sons spend as much time as possible in mountain streams fly fishing, traveling for pheasant hunting and general outdoors adventures. Rick’s motto is “when in doubt, let’s enjoy this!”

Eli Bryant

& Communications The University of Mississippi 662-915-5285 | eli@olemiss.edu

10:00 AM Tuesday 10:00 AM Tuesday

Eli Bryant specializes in internal communications, bringing experience across higher education, construction, athletics, and nonprofits to his work A communications specialist for the University of Mississippi Marketing & Communications team, he leads student-focused campaigns, campus wide Commencement communications, and oversees the university's internal digital display network. Eli also teaches Integrated Marketing Communications courses for the Ole Miss School of Journalism and New Media. He holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Blue Mountain College and an M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications from the University of Mississippi.

Anne Morgan Carney

Manager, Event Planning

The University of Mississippi

662-915-7318

amcarney@olemiss.edu | www.olemiss.edu

Anne Morgan Carney is an accomplished event planning professional with experience spanning higher education, hospitality, restaurants, sales, graphic design, public relations, and operations management. As manager of Event Planning at The University of Mississippi, she leads and executes high-level events with a focus on strategic communication, seamless coordination, stakeholder engagement, and exceptional guest experiences.

Anne Morgan earned a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from The University of Mississippi and is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration at the university

David Hughes

10:00 AM Tuesday 10:00 AM Tuesday

David Hughes brings 33 years of award-recognized experience in video production and creative storytelling An Emmy-nominated and GEMA-nominated producer, David serves as creative director for Action News 5 after a distinguished 21-year career at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where he worked as video production manager

His work has been featured on every major network, numerous cable outlets including ESPN, and internationally. Known for his creative vision and production expertise, David has built a career telling meaningful stories that connect with audiences around the world.

Regional Sales Director, Gray Media jacque.hood@graymedia.com 901-831-7790 www.graymedia.com

Jacque Hood Sarah Triplett

Social Media Strategist Office of Public Affairs

Mississippi State University

662-325-7740

striplett@opa.msstate.edu

10:00 AM Tuesday 1:15 PM Tuesday

Jacque Hood is a regional sales director with Gray Digital Media, Gray Media’s in-house digital agency and part of one of the largest media companies in the industry. With more than 25 years of experience in television sales and marketing, Jacque brings deep expertise in both traditional and digital media strategy. In her current role, Jacque partners with stations across the Gray Media portfolio to support client strategy, sales execution, and digital growth. She serves as an extension of local station leadership teams, helping develop effective marketing solutions that drive results for clients.

Sarah Triplett is originally from Nashville, TN, but she earned her degree in Marketing from Mississippi State University in 2024. Her professional background spans tourism and destination marketing as well as agency work, where she led performance reporting for advertising and social media campaigns, conducted in-depth competitor analysis, and developed data-informed digital strategies to drive measurable growth

Today, she serves as the social media strategist for Mississippi State University, where she oversees the institution’s social media efforts and helps shape a comprehensive, campus-wide digital strategy In this role, she collaborates closely with the chief marketing officer and senior leadership to align brand storytelling, recruitment marketing, and institutional priorities with actionable audience insights and performance data.

Thomas Broadus

Chief Marketing Officer

Mississippi State University 662-325-8170

tbroadus@opa.msstate.edu

Thomas Broadus is the chief marketing officer at Mississippi State University, where he leads the institution’s central brand and communications strategy. With a career spanning public media, agency leadership, and higher education, he has built a reputation for driving digital transformation and elevating institutional storytelling through data-informed, video-first strategies. Since joining Mississippi State, Broadus has led record-breaking social media growth and national recognition for engagement, positioning the university among the top-performing institutions in the country His work emphasizes authentic, student-centered storytelling that connects brand, culture, and outcomes

A former agency president and national public media leader, Broadus has developed campaigns at scale and continues to push creative boundaries through in-house production and strategic innovation In 2026, he was named an Emmy nominee in the short content category, recognizing his team’s excellence in digital storytelling.

Josh Riggs

enior Account Executive, Drive Public Affairs

02-664-7711

iggs@drivepublicaffairs.com

7 N. Saint Asaph St. exandria, VA 22314

1:15 PM Tuesday 1:15 PM Tuesday

Josh Riggs is a native Mississippian and a product of the state's public education system at every level K–12 public schools, Southwest Mississippi Community College, and Mississippi State University As a senior account executive at Drive Public Affairs, a digital-first public affairs firm specializing in strategic communications, multi-channel advertising, and creative content, Josh helps organizations and leaders craft campaigns that break through the noise. His work has included targeted digital campaigns for members of Congress, rebranding efforts for institutions like the House Sergeant at Arms and the Congressional Management Foundation, and bylined thought leadership in publications including PRWeek.

Josh believes a well-told story can change minds, win campaigns, and inspire action and that Mississippi's institutions have stories worth telling. He is available for consulting engagements, workshops, and strategic partnerships with institutions seeking to sharpen their communications and storytelling.

Keith Mock, Ed.D.

Sr. Associate Vice President

Enrollment Management Solutions Liaison International 334-799-2378

kmock@liaisonedu.com

Dr. Keith Mock serves as senior associate vice president for Enrollment Marketing Solutions at Liaison International. Keith began his career in higher education in 1993 when he became an admissions counselor at Faulkner University in Montgomery, AL. Over the next 26+ years, he progressed in the enrollment area at Faulkner, serving as an admissions counselor, the assistant director of Admissions, the director of Admissions, and the last 11 years there as vice president for Enrollment Management.

In his current role at Liaison, he excels at helping enrollment teams at colleges and universities around the country to re-think their outreach strategy, providing customized communication solutions for prospective students. When he isn’t on a campus or helping an enrollment team, he enjoys spending time with his wife of 30 years, Paige, and fishing or hunting with his two sons, Campbell and Parker.

David Garraway

Director, University Television Center

Associate Director, Office of Public Affairs Mississippi State University 662-325-1332

david.garraway@msstate.edu

1:15 PM Tuesday 2:15 PM Tuesday

As associate director of the Office of Public Affairs for broadcast and digital media, David oversees the day-to-day operation of the University Television Center (UTC), along with WMSV-FM working with Station Manager Neil Price. In addition to serving as a technical and creative resource for the office, David works with the university’s television and radio staff to provide high quality, meaningful programming designed to educate and inform. David is charged with providing leadership using creative communications that highlights the accomplishments, contributions, and significance of Mississippi State University to a global audience.

Prior to his role as associate director, David was director of UTC , and video program manager for OPA. For six years, he served as producer and operations manager for a small television production facility in Hattiesburg, MS. David has experience in educational, broadcast, and corporate media production, new media promotion, and project management

David received his B A in radio, television, and film production and an M S in mass communication from the University of Southern Mississippi He received an M B A from MSU in 2015 and is currently a Ph D candidate in Instructional Media and Workforce Development David represents the university as a member of the Southeastern Conference Communicators Association and as a member of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education District III Cabinet

Alyssa Cooper

Vice President for Enrollment Services

Blue Mountain Christian University

acooper@bmc.edu

662-685-4771 (Ext. 181)

A two-time graduate of BMCU, Cooper holds both a Bachelor of Science in Education and a Master of Education from the university She began her career at BMCU in 2022 as an admissions recruiter and has quickly become a trusted leader and advocate for students

Cooper leads enrollment strategy, oversees admissions and recruitment efforts, and provides leadership for the Office of Financial Aid. She helps shape the future of BMCU by supporting students through a more streamlined and mission-driven enrollment experience.

Danielle Bradley

Sr. Account Executive

Element451

danielle.bradley@element451

631-644-4261

2:15 PM Tuesday 2:15 PM Tuesday

Danielle has dedicated her career to the field of education, leveraging her passion and expertise to make a significant impact Calling Miami her home base, she has embraced a global perspective, having lived and worked across five continents over the last decade; currently, she spends extended time in Colombia with her partner This international experience has enriched her understanding of diverse educational systems and cultures, making her a valuable asset to the partnerships team at Element451 In her personal life, Danielle is a co-parent to several sweet cats and a playful husky, embodying the spirit of adventure both at home and abroad Despite being an avid traveler, when she is home, she cherishes weekends filled with brunches with friends, long walks, and explorations of the newest coffee shops around town. Her roots are in the Northeast, having grown up on Long Island before moving to Philadelphia to complete her undergraduate degree at Villanova University. Danielle’s journey in higher education has been marked by her commitment to fostering international connections. Before joining the Element451 team, she worked at Florida International University in the Office of International Admissions, where she played a crucial role in admitting thousands of international students. It was here that she earned her master's degree in International Education, further solidifying her expertise in this field. At Element451, Danielle brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, contributing to the mission of transforming higher education.