OPENING KEYNOTE

Melissa Barnes

As the Vice President of Twitter Canada and Latin America, Melissa led Twitter’s teams across the region focused on expanding advertising revenue, driving innovation, and building Twitter’s brand.

Melissa joined Twitter in 2012, when it began building out its Revenue team, and she held multiple roles as the company grew. Before her last role, she was the Head of Global Brands, running the team that oversees Twitter’s global advertiser partnerships, or key accounts. Prior to that role, Melissa led Global Brand Advocacy at Twitter, a team focused on market development, building relationships with C-level executives and education at scale across brands.

Before joining Twitter, Melissa spent 11 years on the agency side, with her last role as senior vice president at Fleishman-Hillard. As the lead of its New York consumer digital team, her team pioneered programs that went beyond campaigns — they also fundamentally changed how these brands worked within new media channels, developing long-term business strategy, content and community management models and managing crises.

She currently sits on the boards for She Runs It and the American Advertising Federation.

KEYNOTE

Brad Goode

Brad is a veteran, award winning newsman and TV host with 30 plus years of experience. He is currently the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of Washington Federal Bank (WaFd Bank). Among his many duties, Brad is responsible for executing the WaFd partnership with the Seattle Kraken NHL team and Seattle Sounders soccer club. In addition, Brad draws on his broadcasting background to deliver his longtime franchise report “Goode 4 Business” on the KOMO 4 (ABC) Morning News in Seattle as well as on KOMO News Radio.

Before joining Washington Federal Bank, Brad had a national broadcast career including anchoring and reporting with CNBC in both New York and Los Angeles. He also hosted the pop culture/entertainment magazine show EXTRA in Los Angeles and anchored a fast-paced nightly sports show on FOX SPORTS.

In the past 15 years Brad has developed a passion for fundraising and is a highly sought-after charity benefit auctioneer and consultant. He has raised tens of millions of dollars for great organizations around the West Coast.

KEYNOTE WITH BILL MORLIN TRIBUTE

Karen Dorn Steele

Karen Dorn Steele is an author, award-winning investigative reporter and environmental journalist, formerly of the Spokesman Review. Though well known for her extensive work on local, national and international issues, Karen is perhaps best recognized for breaking the story of nuclear experiments and public health threats at the Hanford Nuclear Site, and for reporting on the CIA’s use of Spokane-based psychologists in their controversial post-911 “rendition” and torture programs. She was inducted into the Washington State Hall of Journalistic Achievement in 1995. During her tenure at the Spokesman Review, Karen worked closely with Bill Morlin on several investigations. She is well-acquainted with his career and honored to talk about his search for truth about the extremist fringes of our society.