Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza is a freelance journalist and From Day One contributing editor who writes about work, the job market, and women’s experiences in the workplace. Her work has appeared in the BBC, The Washington Post, Quartz at Work, Fast Company, and Digiday’s Worklife.

John Mask, MBA, CSM, CSPO has a diverse work experience spanning over different industries and roles. John's most recent position is as the Senior Vice President of Strategic Sales and Marketing at Ashley Furniture Industries. Prior to this, they held various leadership roles within the company, including Director of Strategic Sales and Strategic Execution, Director of Strategic Execution, and Sr. Manager of Strategic Execution.

Before joining Ashley Furniture Industries, John worked as a Principal Business Analyst and Business Analyst at a furniture company, where they were responsible for analyzing market trends, developing models, and supporting strategic decision-making. John also has experience as an Analyst at Blue Cross Blue Shield and as the Director of Business Development at TackyMinds.

In addition to their corporate experience, John also serves as the Mayor of the City of Altura. John started their career as a Safety/Sales Consultant at TruSense Fire Safety and later worked as a Regional Sales Manager at Start Renting Inc.

Overall, John Mask's work experience demonstrates their expertise in strategic sales and marketing, business analysis, and leadership roles in various industries.

John Mask holds a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree in Management from Concordia University-Wisconsin, which they completed from 2015 to 2017. John also obtained a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Business Management and Marketing from the same university, completing it from 2003 to 2008. Furthermore, they are a Certified ScrumMaster, certified by the Scrum Alliance.

With over 30 years’ experience, Todd Brown has served in several marketing leadership roles currently serving as VP, Marketing for Fiserv Financial Solutions where he champions full-funnel marketing through targeted brand, customer-centric and integrated marketing strategies.

Prior to joining Fiserv, Todd served as Global Strategy & Marketing Execution Leader in the office of Equifax’s CMO, Strategic Initiatives Leader for Equifax Solutions Marketing and was the company’s first VOC Leader providing customer insights leadership through Customer Experience Strategy & Measurement, Executive Listening Programs and all other VOC. Todd also served as the executive sponsor for the company’s launch of the Equifax Pride Network, an employee resource group supporting Equifax's LGBTQ+ associates.

Todd currently serves on the Corporate Leadership Council for Fernbank Museum of Natural History and as volunteer advisor to the CEO of the Red Cross of Georgia following his term as Board Chair for the Greater Atlanta Chapter. He also provides strategic marketing leadership for the Atlanta Corporate Volunteer Council.

Todd is a graduate of Bowling Green State University.

Diana Sanicki is the Marketing Director for Doka USA, where she leads brand strategy, customer engagement, communications, digital marketing, events, and go-to-market initiatives for one of the construction industry's leading formwork and scaffolding companies. With more than 20 years of marketing experience, including nearly two decades at Doka, Diana has built and led integrated marketing programs that connect global strategy with local execution, helping strengthen customer relationships, drive business growth, and elevate brand visibility. She is passionate about authentic storytelling, customer-centric marketing, and building brands that earn trust through consistency, credibility, and real-world value.

Emma Riley is a growth and brand leader specializing in scaling global platforms at the intersection of culture, partnerships, and commercial strategy.

She has built her career across both agency and client-side environments, leading teams that drive revenue growth, accelerate international expansion, and develop category-defining brand narratives. As a trusted advisor to C-suite executives, she is experienced in shaping and selling complex strategic ideas and translating them into sustained impact across revenue, reputation, and influence.

Her work spans initiatives recognized by Cannes Lions, as well as programs that have contributed to policy innovation and earned multiple Fast Company honors, including World Changing Ideas and Most Innovative Company recognition. She has also been named among the top 100 Culture Creators in the United States and a top 30 climate leader in Miami.

Emma has launched and helped build multiple organizations, including the incubator Lonely Whale, where she served as its first employee. Her career includes work with Fortune 500 companies as well as public sector and NGO partners, focusing on large-scale cultural and commercial transformation.

Currently, she serves in a development role for the Americas at AKQA (WPP), where she continues to focus on growth, partnerships, and creative innovation. She is known for combining commercial fluency with a commitment to inclusive social impact, and for building teams and strategies that deliver both business outcomes and cultural change.

Sandra Moerch is a product, transformation, and change management leader with an international career spanning technology, communications, marketing, and business transformation. With a foundation in entrepreneurship and experience founding multiple startups, she brings a unique blend of innovation, strategic thinking, and execution to helping organizations navigate change and drive growth.

Throughout her career, Sandra has successfully led cross-functional initiatives across global environments, combining a people-centered approach with a passion for building effective processes, products, and teams. She is recognized for her ability to translate complex challenges into actionable strategies that deliver meaningful business outcomes.

Beyond her professional work, Sandra is an avid traveler, hiker, and diver who draws inspiration from diverse cultures, design, architecture, music, dance, and the arts. A dedicated advocate for environmental and children's causes, she is passionate about using her skills and experience to contribute to positive change and create a better future for the next generation.

As a mother of two energetic boys and a lifelong learner, Sandra brings authenticity, curiosity, and purpose to every stage she steps onto.

With over a decade of experience, Lynn Herman helps companies streamline digital asset and product information management to drive growth and brand consistency. At Canto, she works with global organizations to optimize content management, enhance collaboration, and deliver impactful brand experiences.

Nizzi Karai Renaud is chief brand officer at Zazzle, the global print-on-demand marketplace, based in Menlo Park. Previously, she was a leader in marketing and merchandising at Refinery29 and Etsy. She earned bachelor's and master's degrees in marketing from Emerson College and a master's in applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Kishan Panpalia is a Founding Team Member at Pepper and a leading voice on Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), helping CMOs and enterprise teams navigate brand discovery in the AI search era. He works at the intersection of AI, content, and go-to-market strategy, advising Fortune 1000 companies on how to win visibility across search and AI platforms through systems built for retrieval, citation, and answer inclusion. Pepper, founded when he was 18, is an AI-native content and GEO platform serving 250+ enterprise brands including Amazon, Adobe, Google, Atlassian, ClickUp, Sprinklr, etc.. Kishan has delivered GEO strategy sessions globally, is recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice on AI search, and was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for his work in building category-defining growth systems.

George Huff is the founder and CEO of Opal, the platform that helps marketing teams connect strategy to execution through unified, visual planning. Since founding Opal in 2011 in Portland, Oregon, George has led the company’s evolution from a creative collaboration tool into the marketing industry’s system of record for connected planning. Today, leading brands including Starbucks, SAP Concur, Target, General Motors, and Boeing use Opal to bring clarity, alignment, and confidence to their marketing operations. A lifelong builder and problem solver, George is passionate about helping marketers work with greater purpose and creativity by eliminating the friction that slows great ideas down.