About the Summit: Schedule Details
10th Annual Emerson-Blanquerna Global Communication Summit
From Campaign Rhetoric to Civil Discourse: A Call to Action
Vital Voices Global Headquarters for Women’s Leadership
1509 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC
November 1, 2024
We are grateful for the 2024 Summit Support from Emerson College Board of Trustee Members:
- Andrea Montoni ’78
- Pat Peyton ’84 and John Martell
Summit Detailed Schedule
Morning Sessions
- 7:30 a.m.: Check-in First Floor Entrance
- 8:00 a.m.: Buffet Breakfast
- 8:30 a.m.: Welcome
- Dr. Gregory Payne, Co-Director of the Emerson-Blanquerna Center for Global Communication
- Josep Maria Carbonell, President, Emerson-Blanquerna Center for Global Communication
- Alyse Nelson ’97, CEO, Vital Voices
- Pat Peyton ’84, Emerson College Board of Trustee Member
- 8:45 a.m.: Keynote Address
- America at a Crossroads: Judy Woodruff, Legendary “NewsHour” anchor and PBS senior correspondent in conversation with Jay Bernhardt, President of Emerson College
- 9:50 a.m.: Five Days Out: Campaign 2024
- Susan Del Percio ’90, MA ’92, NBC/MSNBC political analyst and communication strategist
- Dr. Elaine Kamarck, Founding Director, Center for Effective Public Management; Brookings scholar; author of Primary Politics
- 10:20 a.m.: Call to Action: Democracy, Civil Discourse and Deliberative Dialogue
- Alexandra Socarides, Provost, Emerson College (moderator)
- The State of Democracy in America: Public Attitudes on Who We Are and How We Move Forward
- Joshua M. Scacco, Founding Director, Center for Sustainable Democracy, University of South Florida
- Pledge to Listen and Millions of Conversations
- Samar Ali, Founder, Millions of Conversations; Co-chair, Project on Unity and American Democracy; research professor in law and political science, Vanderbilt University
- 11:00 a.m.: Democracy, Disinformation, and Gender Based Violence
- Alyse Nelson ’97, CEO of Vital Voices, in conversation with Nina Jankowicz, Founder, The American Sunlight Project
- 11:30 a.m.: Digital Democracy: The Way Forward
- Peter Loge ’87, Director, George Washington School of Media and Public Affairs
- Katie Harbath, CEO, Anchor Change, National Conference on Citizenship
- Trinitee Stokes ’24, actress and author
- Molly Dougherty ’25, Journalism and Political Communication, former CNN Newsource Intern
- Introductions by Kat Grosso Gann ’05
- 12:05 p.m.: Lunch Sessions
- Pick up your lunch and join Emerson-Blanquerna Center for Global Communication Faculty/Student Scholar Spotlights in Breakout Rooms
Afternoon Sessions
- 12:55 p.m.: Afternoon Keynote: The Latest from Emerson Polling
- Spencer Kimball, Director, Emerson Polling
- Camille Mumford ’20, MA ’21, Communication Director, Emerson Polling
- Lluc Vila, Blanquerna research fellow
- Jae Williams ’08, MA ’16 (moderator)
- Introductions by Lee Schwebel ’90
- 1:25 p.m.: Lies that Kill
- Dr. Scott Ratzan, MA ’86, Distinguished Lecturer, CUNY School of Public Health
- Dr. Elaine Kamarck, author of Lies that Kill, Brookings scholar
- Katie Harbath, civic tech entrepreneur, CEO of Anchor Change; former Facebook executive
- Lindsey Longendyke ’07, Global Marketing Lead for Renewable Energy Services, ERM (moderator)
- 2:00 p.m.: Distrust in Media: Now What?
- Becca Rybczyk ’15, Press Secretary for Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA)
- Katie Rhee ’20, broadcast journalist
- Christopher Henderson West ’20, social impact entrepreneur
- Lu Ann Reeb, Chair of the Department of Journalism, Emerson College (moderator)
- Angela Anderson-Connolly ’90, Professor (moderator)
- 2:35 p.m.: U.S. Elections: The View from Europe
- Tristram Perry in conversation with Dr. Hilde Restad, Norwegian author, political analyst, and expert on U.S. politics and foreign policy, and Dr. Josep Maria Carbonell, President, Blanquerna University
- Introduced by Tony Pinder, Vice President of Internationalization & Equity, Emerson College
- 3:05 p.m.: The Language of Presidential Expectations
- Emerson Professors Sharifa Simon-Roberts, Mary Anne Taylor and Center for Sustainable Democracy Director Joshua Scacco, University of South Florida
- Grant Cos, MA ’90, Rochester Institute of Technology (moderator)
- 3:40 p.m.: Sports as Civic Engagement
- Emerson College Athletics Stan Nance, Emerson Faculty and neighborhood coach Niko Emak ’18, Shepard Vargo, MA ’22, Beat the Streets, Camille Mumford ’20, MA ’22
- Lee Stacey ’76, Washington Commanders/Connect Partnership Group (moderator)
- 4:10 p.m.: Closing remarks
- Dr. Gregory Payne, Co-Director of the Emerson-Blanquerna Center for Global Communication
- Josep Maria Carbonell, President, Emerson-Blanquerna Center for Global Communication
- 4:30 p.m. Alumni and Summit Attendee Reception, Diane von Furstenberg Room (7th Floor)
- Welcome: Alyse Nelson ’97, CEO, Vital Voices and Allison Dawson, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Emerson College
- 5:15 p.m. Alumni Call to Action: The Power of Communication and the Arts to Advance Society
- Sara Morgan ’05
- Evan Chapman ’11
- Russ Cornelia ’09
- Kat Grosso Gann ’05
- Patrick Morris, MA ’97
- Trinitee Stokes ’24
- Dr. Gregory Payne, Co-Director of the Emerson-Blanquerna Center for Global Communication
Lunchtime Breakout Sessions Locations and Participants
Auditorium
Shattering Glass Ceilings: The Power and Influence of Gen Z Women on the 2024 Election
- Keri Thompson, Professor, Emerson College
- Logan Ware, Political Communication, Emerson College
- Avery Dinsmore, Political Communication, Emerson College
- Kayla Nuehlen, Political Communication, Emerson College
- Zoe Zong, Political Communication, Emerson College
- Analisa Davis, Political Communication, Emerson College
- Braelyn Spitler, Political Communication, Emerson College
How did we get here?
Student journalists discuss what it was like during the early days of the campaign season.
- Angela Anderson-Connolly ’90, Professor, Emerson College
- Payton Cavanaugh, Journalism, Emerson College
- Molly Dougherty, Journalism and Political Communication, Emerson College
- Callie Krosin, Journalism, Emerson College
Breakout Room 1
- Symbolizing Progress: How Kamala Harris’ Campaign Merchandise Reflects Identity-Based Politics: Piper Palmeri ’26
- Race, Politics, and the Power of Athlete Activism in Sports Memory: Naomi Miller ’24
- The Role of Disinformation and Voter Suppression in Georgia: An Analysis of Brian Kemp's Governance and Electoral Integrity: Julia Bourque (Emerson College)
- Political Hate, Political Humor, and the Rise of Gutfeld!: Jackson Bailey, MA ’24
Breakout Room 2
- The Dramatic Impact of Project 2025 on K-12 Education and the Department of Education: Bella Cartularo (Emerson College)
- How to Teach Banned Books: Tim Riley, Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director for the Department of Journalism, Emerson College; NPR Critic
- Digitization of Hate Speech in South Asia: Manoj Dahal and Girish Bhattarai
- Questioning Speech Legitimacy: The U.S Two-party Democratic System under Scrutiny: LLuc Vila-Boix (Blanquerna - Universitat Ramon Llull), Miguel Franco-Pérez, Giorgia Miotto and Alicia Blanco (Rey Juan Carlos University)
Interviews and Coverage at the Summit
Throughout the day, the Round Room podcaster and Emerson student Monica Rivera Sosa will be interviewing guests and speakers.
Journalists from Nepal and China covering the Summit:
- Manoj Dahal, Associate Editor with Deshsanchar (Nepal)
- Girish Bhattarai, Purbanchal University (Nepal)
- Yichao Hou, Phoenix New Media (China)
Emerson Professor Mark Brodie's students documenting the Summit:
- Lauren Pruner
- Samantha Otridge
- Jelani Dean
- Shawn Sims
- Cole Gustafson
- Ore Fashesin-Souza
Emerson College Global Summit Student Ambassadors under the direction of Shepard Vargo, MA ’22:
- Summit Project Manager Sihan Jia (Communication Studies)
- Bryson Akins (Sports Communication)
- Rin McIssac (Communication Studies)
- Caroline Larangeria (Political Communication - Washington Program)
- Colin Han (Communication Studies - Washington Program)
Virtual Presentations from Global Scholars
Saturday November 2, 2024
Video available at a later date on Center for Global Communication website.
Online Panel 1 Topics (7:00 a.m.)
- The role of parliamentary diplomacy in Ibero-American and European Union-Latin America and Caribbean relations
- Jordi Xuclà: Blanquerna, Universitat Ramon Llull
- The Origins of Eurodestra 1979: Charting the Course of Far-Right Coalitions in European Politics
- Andreu Torner, Blanquerna - Universitat Ramon Llull
- Understanding Disinformation as Narratives in the Hybrid Media Ecosystem: Evidence from the U.S.
- Jaume Suau: Blanquerna - Universitat Ramon Llull
- Predicting Voter Participation in Spain Since 2010 Using Artificial Intelligence: Key Factors and New Insights
- Paul Gómez Martínez, Rey Juan Carlos University
Attend Online Panel 1 via Zoom
Online Panel 2 Topics (8:00 a.m.)
- Artificial Intelligence and Democracy: Can a Robot Truly Become a Journalist?
- Marça Sintes-Olivella, Blanquerna - Universitat Ramon Llull
- Humanitarian Information Communication Technology in crises and conflicts
- Alvaro Mellado Dominguez, Blanquerna - Universitat Ramon Llull
- The NoLo Spirits Learning: Leveraging Sustainable Line Extensions to Enhance Brand Visibility
- Alba Ramirez Pagees, Blanquerna - Universitat Ramon Llull
- Bridging the Gap: A Qualitative Approach to Analyze the Role of Social Media Influencers in the Equestrian Industry
- Juan Cuenca, Blanquerna - Universitat Ramon Llull
- Óscar Gutiérrez-Aragón, Escuela Universitaria Mediterrani, Universidad de Girona
- Júlia Alabart-Algueró, Blanquerna - Universitat Ramon Llull
Attend Online Panel 2 via Zoom
Online Panel 3 Topics (9:00 a.m.)
- The Gendering of Political Representation: A Look at Media Coverage of Females and Males ‘Voices’ in the 2024 Elections in Ghana
- Lawrencia Agyepong, Media Arts and Communication, Ghana
- Media Coverage of Female Leadership in Times of Crisis: Angela Merkel's Policies in Response to COVID-19 in European and U.S. Press
- Janier Lucea Garcia, Universitat Ramon-Lull
- Bridging Beliefs: Catalonia's Path to Interfaith Dialogue and Religious Freedom
- Alba Sabaté Gauxachs, Blanquerna - Universitat Ramon Llull
- Gender and Political Communications
- Samantha Perry, ’25
Attend Online Panel 3 via Zoom
Acknowledgments
The Emerson Department of Communication Studies and the Emerson-Blanquerna Center for Global Communication are grateful for the invaluable support of Emerson College leadership, especially the phenomenal efforts of Vice President Allison Dawson and the Institutional Advancement team.
Thanks to Summit Project Manager Shepard Vargo, MA ’22, Emerson College Department of Communication Studies; Vincent Raynauld, Professor and Director of the Emerson DC program and to the Washington Center for their support.