Past Expo

Brian Duke, GM/EVP Identity Solutions, Audience Acuity

Jeff Sopko, Chief Strategy Officer, Audience Acuity

Loyalty360

Dr. Don Smith, Chief Consulting Officer, Capillary

Dr. JR. Slubowski, Associate VP of Strategic Consulting, Kobie

Aaron Lobliner, Chief Client Officer, CataBoom

Jonathan Silver, CEO, Engage People

Tom Madden, Managing Director/EVP of Loyalty, Phaedon

Renee Doerre, Senior Director of Loyalty, Target

Jenn Chick, SVP and Global Head of Hilton Honors and Customer Engagement, Hilton

Jenn Chick is the senior vice president and global head of Hilton Honors and Customer Engagement at Hilton. Jenn has more than 20 years of experience developing innovative marketing strategies across a variety of industries, including hospitality, travel and consumer packaged goods. In her current role, she is focused on elevating the customer experience and driving acquisition and retention for Hilton Honors, as well as overseeing performance and benefits, setting reward pricing and strategy, and providing overall program management. As a Hilton Honors member for almost a decade, her favorite benefit is the warm welcome and hospitality she receives no matter where in the world she stays.

Most recently, Jenn served as vice president of marketing execution and operations at Hilton, where she transformed marketing operations through the use of analytics, process optimization, automation and organizational transformation. She was responsible for developing a global integrated marketing strategy and delivering customer-centric content and creative to drive better marketing returns and customer experiences.

Prior to joining Hilton, Jenn worked for MarketBridge, McCann-Erickson and Arnold Worldwide in various marketing, sales and advertising roles. She holds an MBA from The Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia and a B.S. in Marketing from George Mason University. While Jenn can most frequently be found at a roadside Hampton by Hilton with her husband and three children, she always appreciates an opportunity to use her Hilton Honors Points for a special getaway at one of Hilton’s luxury resort properties around the world.

John Sellers, Head of Rewards, Bank of America

Prior to his current role, John had worked with other products including; Vehicle Lending, Investments, and Credit Card.  While in Card, John was the Director of Preferred Products and New Account Acquisition where he was responsible for all mass affluent BofA and Merrill branded products. John is the architect of the award winning Travel Rewards Card and led the effort to bring Chip technology to BofA cards.

Before his product roles, John spent the first half of his career in Credit Risk, where he was the Director of Risk Strategies. In this role, John oversaw existing account management strategies which included; line management, balance stimulation (cash and retail), authorizations (overlimit and delinquent) and other payment related strategies.

John began his career with BofA via the MBNA acquisition. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware where he was a Finance major. He also has an MBA from Penn State’s Smeal College of Business where he graduated with distinction and is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma academic honor society.

John is involved in several community organizations. He is a lifesaver for the Blood Bank of DE and coaches several youth sport teams in Kennett Square, PA where he resides with his wife and three kids.

Michael Peters, Director of Partnerships, Kampgrounds of America

Sabrina Lillew, VP of Loyalty Programs and Partnerships - North and Central America, Accor

Avery Miller, VP Avion Rewards Consumer Digital Products, Royal Bank of Canada

Leah Carder, Team Lead - Website App & Rewards, Enfamil

Moderator: Katie Berndt, VP of Strategy Experience & Research, Phaedon

Ryan McGrath, EVP Digital and Marketing Innovation, Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures

Carly Lee, Director of Membership Strategy & Experience, Circle K

Karen Szarvas, Sr. Director of CRM and Loyalty, The Vitamin Shoppe

Keith McLellan, Group Director of Digital Strategy and Customer Experience, Whataburger

Rachel Vandewal, Loyalty & CRM Manager – Mobility Marketing, Shell Canada

Ryan Draude, Head of Loyalty, Giant Food

The current Head of Loyalty for Giant Food, Ryan Draude has invested his career in the evolution of long-term customer relationships made through the benefits of loyalty & retention programs.

With Giant, he is responsible for fostering the customer relationships with prospective and current shoppers across omnichannel interaction points and forging the path toward benefits and experiences that serve millions of shoppers who shop both in-store and via eCommerce across the Mid-Atlantic.

Ryan formerly led Choice Privileges, the multi-billion-dollar reward program for Choice Hotels, and over a five-year period overhauled the program via the scrutiny of member data and the respect to listen to what members sought from the program. The results catapulted the program to its first major Freddie Award and moved the program from #11 in the country to #2 in the US News & World Report’s Best Hotel Reward Program category.

Prior, Ryan earned a U.S. patent for his work standing up Sallie Mae’s customer engagement efforts via his delivery of the first true-cost college affordability online tool for all families to understand the real education financing. His tenure includes other loyalty, marketing, and financial leadership positions with Rite Aid, Capital One, Citigroup and Switchfly.

He is also an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, teaching Loyalty Strategy within their Hospitality Leadership program at the Master’s level for the past four years.

Avery Miller, VP Avion Rewards Consumer Digital Products, Royal Bank of Canada

Barbara Ann Hagen, Vice President - Sales and Marketing, Thriftbooks

Barbara Hagen is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing of ThriftBooks, the world’s largest online independent seller of used and new books. Hagen has more than 20 years of experience as a senior marketing executive with an exceptional track record of success at Fortune 100 companies spanning Retail, CPG, and Tech and proven expertise in many areas including global strategy; loyalty and retention; eCommerce, inclusive of digital and performance marketing; omnichannel marketing; media, social, and multi-channel communications. Her previous roles include executive marketing leadership positions at Target, Microsoft, Best Buy and Johnson & Johnson.

As a data-driven marketer she leverages her experience to drive profitable sales growth, establish deep customer loyalty, and bring to market innovative strategies for ThriftBooks. Her extensive background has enabled her to successfully deliver continued top-line and bottom-line growth for ThriftBooks while strengthening the brand’s overall market position within the industry.

Hagen received her undergraduate degree in Marketing and Advertising from Syracuse University, an MBA in International Marketing from NYU’s Stern School of Business, and a Master of Science in Business Analytics also from NYU’s Stern School of Business.  She lives in the Seattle area with her husband, three kids, and two much-loved cats.

Brittany Trangsrud, External Communications Manager, Great Clips

Carolyn Hynds, VP Marketing - CRM & Member Engagement Avion Rewards, Royal Bank of Canada

Kimberly Biertempfel, Director of Loyalty and Channel Marketing, The Giant Company

Maria Mora, Sr. Manager - Digital Growth and Innovation, Burger King

Maria is a dynamic leader at the intersection of Marketing, Technology, and Innovation, with over 15 years of extensive industry experience.

 At Burger King, Maria spearheads digital innovation campaigns and partnerships that build brand loyalty and drive customer acquisition. Her initiatives have employed a variety of gamified tactics and emerging technologies, including NFTs, cryptocurrency, and, most recently AI, where she led Burger King’s first AI-powered campaign, “Million Dollar Whopper Contest.” Her expertise in blending technology with creative marketing solutions is continuously reshaping the digital experience.

Maria’s creative foundation is rooted in Graphic Design and Art direction and her previous experience at companies like Fox Entertainment and Spotify have sharpened her ability to drive brand engagement through creative content strategies. As a proud Colombian and an empowered Latina, Maria brings a unique perspective, championing diversity and innovation in every project she undertakes.

Bridget Murphy, Director of Marketing, Pavilion Payments

Marquita Ferguson, VP - Digital Director of Preferred Rewards for Business, Bank of America

Marquita Ferguson is the VP, Digital Director for the Preferred Rewards for Business program at Bank of America that provides exclusive loyalty rewards for Small Business members who deepen their relationship with the bank. She is responsible for managing the PRB lifecycle by developing the program’s overall strategic roadmap and driving tactics to support the program’s business objectives while integrating across multiple product lines such as Card, Savings, Deposits, Merchant, Payroll and beyond. She leads the strategic development and execution of the company’s annual PR Year End Summary personalized videos, while continuing to achieve recognition as a Loyalty360 industry leader in B2B rewards programs. Notably, Marquita recently won the company’s most prestigious Pinnacle 2023 Award for her team’s innovative video production efforts in support of National Entrepreneur’s Day.

Sabine Schroeder, VP of Commercial Excellence, Yara International

Amy Barnett, VP of Loyalty and Digital Experience, Cracker Barrel

Working in a variety of agency and client-side positions she’s led CRM Strategy, Loyalty, Analytics and Insights with the pleasure of partnering with best-in-class brands across various verticals including: American Eagle Outfitters, Build-A-Bear Workshop, The Container Store, Comcast Communications, Express, GameStop, Famous Footwear, Hard Rock International, Hertz, Jiffy Lube, Michaels, Procter & Gamble, R.J. Reynolds, T.J.Maxx, StubHub, Victoria’s Secret, and Unilever.

In her current role as Vice President, Digital, Loyalty & CRM at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Amy’s strategic vision propelled Cracker Barrel’s digital transformation while maintaining its cherished traditions and delivering on Cracker Barrel’s brand promise of Pleasing People and caring for guests like family. Whether it’s enjoying a hearty meal, exploring the retail store, or participating in the recently launched rewards program, Cracker Barrel remains a beloved destination for guests across the country.

Amy holds a B.S. in Marketing from Clarkson University and an MBA from the University of Texas, Dallas. She’s called northern New York, Connecticut, Texas, California and for the past 15 years, St. Louis home.

Jill Neilsen, VP Co-brand and AMEX, Hilton

Karim Chaanine, Chief Marketing Officer, Papa Johns UAE Saudi Arabia and Jordan

Leah Carder, Team Lead - Website App & Rewards, Enfamil

Nicki Sledd, Marketing Team Lead - CRM and CRC, Enfamil

Ricardo Frydman, Director - Performance Analytics and Pricing, Tim Hortons

Carrie Cohen, Marketing Loyalty & Analytics Manager, Cinergy

John Giaquinto, Vice President of Loyalty Personalization and Analytics, Rite Aid

Mike Kerr, SVP - Digital Director, Bank of America

Shannon Torabi, Sr. Manager - Digital & Loyalty Growth, Tim Hortons

Ashlee Regan, Sr. Director Technology, Target

Barb Millette, Senior Director of Loyalty & Gift Cards, Subway

Dena Pizzutti, Senior Marketing Manager of Personalization and Optimization, Wawa

Leah Carder, Team Lead - Website App & Rewards, Enfamil

Matt Fitzenberger, Director Loyalty, Target

Matt Fitzenberger, Director of Loyalty at Target, leads the Strategy and Design team dedicated to shaping the future benefits, perks, rewards and overall progress of Target Circle and Target Circle 360.

Matt has been with Target for 19 years. Prior to his involvement with loyalty, he has held various roles within Target's Merchandising divisions, focused on Price, Promotion, Space & Planning, as well as enterprise initiatives.

Matt earned his BA in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, MN. He resides in a northern suburb of Minneapolis with his wife, Rachel, and daughter, Ella.

Nicki Sledd, Marketing Team Lead - CRM and CRC, Enfamil

Nicole Pavlovich, Sr. Director - Integrated Customer Marketing, Dominos

Asif Akhtar, Senior Marketing Manager, Telus

Michael Peters, Director of Partnerships, Kampgrounds of America

Sabine Schroeder, VP of Commercial Excellence, Yara International

Chandler Varonfakis, Customer Loyalty Program Specialist, Food Lion

Lili Minjares, Sr. Manager Hilton Honors, Hilton

Sabrina Lillew, VP of Loyalty Programs and Partnerships - North and Central America, Accor

Ryan Draude, Head of Loyalty, Giant Food

The current Head of Loyalty for Giant Food, Ryan Draude has invested his career in the evolution of long-term customer relationships made through the benefits of loyalty & retention programs.

With Giant, he is responsible for fostering the customer relationships with prospective and current shoppers across omnichannel interaction points and forging the path toward benefits and experiences that serve millions of shoppers who shop both in-store and via eCommerce across the Mid-Atlantic.

Ryan formerly led Choice Privileges, the multi-billion-dollar reward program for Choice Hotels, and over a five-year period overhauled the program via the scrutiny of member data and the respect to listen to what members sought from the program. The results catapulted the program to its first major Freddie Award and moved the program from #11 in the country to #2 in the US News & World Report’s Best Hotel Reward Program category.

Prior, Ryan earned a U.S. patent for his work standing up Sallie Mae’s customer engagement efforts via his delivery of the first true-cost college affordability online tool for all families to understand the real education financing. His tenure includes other loyalty, marketing, and financial leadership positions with Rite Aid, Capital One, Citigroup and Switchfly.

He is also an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, teaching Loyalty Strategy within their Hospitality Leadership program at the Master’s level for the past four years.

Loyalty360

Barb Millette, Senior Director of Loyalty & Gift Cards, Subway

Dave Van Saun, VP of CRM and Ancillary, Great Wolf Resorts

John Sellers, Head of Rewards, Bank of America

John Sellers is the digital executive in charge of Rewards at BofA. In this role, John oversees all reward programs; including consumer, wealth management and small business relationship rewards programs and credit card rewards redemption. In 2022, Preferred Rewards was named ‘America’s Best Loyalty Program’ by Newsweek and ‘Best Bank Customer Loyalty Program’ by Motley Fool. 

Prior to his current role, John had worked with other products including; Vehicle Lending, Investments, and Credit Card.  While in Card, John was the Director of Preferred Products and New Account Acquisition where he was responsible for all mass affluent BofA and Merrill branded products. John is the architect of the award winning Travel Rewards Card and led the effort to bring Chip technology to BofA cards.

Before his product roles, John spent the first half of his career in Credit Risk, where he was the Director of Risk Strategies. In this role, John oversaw existing account management strategies which included; line management, balance stimulation (cash and retail), authorizations (overlimit and delinquent) and other payment related strategies.

John began his career with BofA via the MBNA acquisition. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware where he was a Finance major. He also has an MBA from Penn State’s Smeal College of Business where he graduated with distinction and is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma academic honor society.

John is involved in several community organizations. He is a lifesaver for the Blood Bank of DE and coaches several youth sport teams in Kennett Square, PA where he resides with his wife and three kids.

Karen Szarvas, Sr. Director of CRM and Loyalty, The Vitamin Shoppe

Maria Mora, Sr. Manager - Digital Growth and Innovation, Burger King

Maria’s creative foundation is rooted in Graphic Design and Art direction and her previous experience at companies like Fox Entertainment and Spotify have sharpened her ability to drive brand engagement through creative content strategies. As a proud Colombian and an empowered Latina, Maria brings a unique perspective, championing diversity and innovation in every project she undertakes.

Daniel Audisho, Director - Loyalty Strategy & Program Insights, Loblaw

Daniel leads the Loyalty Strategy & Program Insights team at Loblaw, which operates Canada’s largest and most loved loyalty program, PC Optimum. Loblaw is Canada’s largest grocery and drug retailer, with 2,400+ stores nationwide, and operates a variety of related businesses spanning health and wellness, apparel, and financial services. Each year, 16M+ PC Optimum members take advantage of the program by earning and redeeming points to save on their purchases, taking advantage of member-exclusive pricing, and leveraging our mobile app to ease their shopping experience.

In his role, Daniel leads the teams responsible for PC Optimum’s overall strategy, overseeing major program changes and innovation, and measuring program performance. As part of his program insights work, Daniel recently led the implementation of a Voice Of Customer program that has enabled PC Optimum to systematically collect customer feedback, monitor customer experience health, and survey customers to identify customer pain points and program improvements. Daniel is looking forward to sharing more about how this program is enabling PC Optimum to be more customer-centric than ever before at Loyalty Expo.

Dena Pizzutti, Senior Marketing Manager of Personalization and Optimization, Wawa

Lindsay Smith, Sr. Growth Marketing Manager, Blaze Pizza

Meghan Mulleady, Brand Manager - Loyalty Strategy, The Giant Company

Asif Akhtar, Senior Marketing Manager, Telus

Avery Miller, VP Avion Rewards Consumer Digital Products, Royal Bank of Canada

Jennifer Jones, VP & Head - Enterprise Partnerships and Strategic Development, Royal Bank of Canada

Michael McDowell, VP of Loyalty Programs and Partnerships, Parkland

Michael Peters, Director of Partnerships, Kampgrounds of America

Ryan Kasperski, Director Global Enterprise Marketing, Hilton

Carrie Cohen, Marketing Loyalty & Analytics Manager, Cinergy

Joe Mays, Director – Loyalty & CX Technology, Frontier Communications

Joe has spent the last 30 years dedicated to transforming the customer experience. He focuses on delivering this experience through exploration, fact-finding and the use of  technology to improve relationships and keep promises…with the ultimate goal of  happier, more loyal & engaged customers.

With Frontier, he leads multiple work streams responsible for growing the customer base and revenue, driving profitability higher, implementing cutting edge tools and technology and building Frontier and its culture into a competitive advantage that serves millions of streamers, gamers and communicators across the U.S.

Joe was formerly with Verizon’s Strategic Evolution team, responsible for helping implement $500M in process improvement ideas across the organization by converting those ideas into realistic and executable plans. Of the many tools, he primarily focuses on the customer journey to lead the viability of any program implementation. Remember Prepaid Phone Cards? Back in the day, Joe managed a $300M Retail, Wholesale & Promotional Card program, helping people connect worldwide.

He is certified in Customer Relationship Management Software through PegaSystems, Program & Project Management, as well as Agile Leadership & Six Sigma. Joe enjoys a wide variety of athletic pursuits, AFTER management of his ongoing ‘honey-do’ list.

Kirsten Starmer, Director of Marketing, Pieology

Mirna Oropeza, Director Marketing/CX, Miniso Mexico

Per Jensen, Director - Loyalty, Stop & Shop

Steve Bocska, CEO, PUG Interactive Inc.

Walter Rodriguez, Vice President – Marketing and Operations, Frontier Communications

In his current role at Frontier Communications, Walter is charged with developing the strategic intent and business strategy for Frontier’s Consumer Organization. In addition to leading the Portfolio Management Office (PMO) and the Voice of the Customer team, he also leads the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) team, charged with driving customer loyalty and expanding Customer Lifetime Value.

Prior to joining Frontier Communications, Walter led the Integrated Marketing and PMO  for Audible, an Amazon company, where he also served as Chief of Staff for the Chief Marketing Officer. Prior to joining Amazon, he played a significant role as the Chief Operating Officer for Verizon’s in-house CX and Design Team which he helped build via acquisition and organic growth. Walter was integral in growing the team to over 250 designers located in NYC, New Jersey, Arkansas and India. Walter also played a key role in the formation of Verizon Enterprise Solutions where he was the Director of Business Operations and was responsible for organizational alignment, marketing effectiveness, resource planning, knowledge and preparedness of the Marketing organization.

Walter received his MBA from Centenary University in Parsippany New Jersey and has a minor in economics from Rutgers University in Newark New Jersey.  He is a member of Prospanica (FKA, National Society of Hispanic MBA), where he served on the board as the Executive Vice President and currently serves on the Board of Directors for HISPA (Hispanics Inspiring Student Performance and Achievement) where he chairs the strategy committee.

David Hamel, VP Strategy CX & Design - Mobile & Web, nventive

David Hamel blends 20 years of digital innovation with an engineering background, establishing him as a distinctive strategist in digital solutions. Leading the strategy, customer experience, and design teams at nventive, he spearheads the development of solutions that tackle complex challenges through creative and impactful user experiences. In recent years, his teams designed and implemented dedicated mobile experiences for leading coalition loyalty programs and developed a white-label solution for brand-specific programs. 

Before nventive, David's roles at Electronic Arts and Dassault Systèmes honed his expertise. His journey from a consultant to an executive has endowed him with a multifaceted perspective across diverse contexts and business challenges. David has navigated small to large organizations through critical moments requiring stakeholder alignment and consulting across various categories and markets, from local to national levels. His extensive experience spans product and digital experience design, implementation, and the integration of technology, data, and AI, underscoring his leadership in navigating the evolving digital landscape. 

Stephanie Mercier, CX and Digital Strategist, nventive

Stéphanie Mercier spearheads digital strategy and customer experience initiatives at nventive, leading transformative projects, self-service innovations, and impactful product launches. Her expertise is rooted in years of hands-on experiences at major firms like Vidéotron and Yellow Pages Group as a CX strategist and product manager in both B2C and B2B arenas. Her early career as a freelance content creator laid the groundwork for her holistic approach - uniting user needs to business goals as parts of the same story. She is a key player in shaping digital experiences that resonate with customers and drive business success.

Julie Gerola, VP of Consulting, Kobie

Julie is a data-driven marketing leader, passionate about leveraging customer insights for sustainable business growth. She has deep experience advising leading brands like Citigroup, Marvel, and Sony, focusing on how to harness the power of loyalty data to create hyper-personalized experiences and drive customer lifetime value (CLTV).

With a history of developing innovative loyalty programs that integrate gamification mechanics and leverage data for personalization across all touchpoints, Julie is prepared to equip you with actionable strategies to align departments around a data-driven approach to loyalty, ultimately driving enterprise growth.

Jeri Scheel, Sr. Director - Digital Strategy, Fiserv

Jonathan Silver, CEO, Engage People

Jeff Stone, SVP, Material

Jeff is Senior Vice President at Material, a leading global strategy partner that creates high-value, personalized customer experiences that drive growth using the unrivaled power of deep human insights, design and modern technology. Jeff leads a division of Material that integrates Deep Human Insights, Integrated Brand & marketing services, and Experience & Technology. He is obsessed with customer centricity, helping his clients become more deeply engrained in the lives of their target audiences to create more value for them. In this way, Jeff helps his clients convert transactional moments across all branding touchpoints into transformational brand relationships with various stakeholder audiences.

Jeff is an expert researcher with a breadth and depth of experience, from highly strategic studies (marketing campaign efficacy, brand equity tracking, market segmentation, customer journey, foresights) to more tactical ones (new product testing, ad/concept tests). His experience spans industries across B2C and B2B, including healthcare, QSR, tech, CPG, hospitality, finance, retail and associations / non-profit. 

Jeff is known for leveraging innovative market research capabilities to better understand the whys behind consumer behavior, and then how to change consumer behavior through brand touchpoints. Jeff is a proud father, purveyor of midwestern “dad jokes”, and Chicago super fan (from poor performing sports teams to dilapidated hot dog stands, he’s happy to chat your ear off about the city).

Katie Shempp, Director of Consumer Engagement, Keurig Dr. Pepper Inc.

Amy Ochoa, SVP of Strategy, Ansira

Kristin Cardona, Sr. Director of Strategy, Ansira

Amanda Jamerson, Sr. Director of Hilton Honors, Hilton

Denise Holt, SVP of Strategy Experience & Research, Phaedon

John Giaquinto, Vice President of Loyalty Personalization and Analytics, Rite Aid

John is the Vice President of Loyalty, Personalization, and Analytics at Rite Aid. Prior to Rite Aid, John launched a digital-only loyalty program at Hannaford Supermarkets (part of Ahold Delhaize).  Additionally, he has more than 25 years of experience in marketing, with much of that in retail. His experience includes data-driven marketing roles from a variety of perspectives, including Vice President of CRM at Symphony EYC (including clients Ahold USA and Rite Aid) and Manager of Customer Loyalty Marketing at Shaw's Supermarkets.

Karen Szarvas, Sr. Director of CRM and Loyalty, The Vitamin Shoppe

Nicole Hulstein, Loyalty Marketing Manager, Food Lion

Nicole Hulstein currently holds the role of Loyalty Marketing Manager for Food Lion, a grocery retailer that operates 1,108 grocery retail locations over 10 states. As Loyalty Marketing Manager, Nicole is responsible for ensuring that the strategy of Food Lion's Loyalty Program achieves the key performance indicators of a strong loyalty program while achieving the financial obligations for the organization. She serves as the key CRM owner of the email and push channels.

Nicole has worked in grocery retail for 19+ years in many capacities including procurement, financial analysis, merchandising, category management and her current passion - loyalty marketing! In the years of service, Nicole has led teams through innovative dynamic supply chain changes, system migrations, process changes and category management of a multi-million dollar business. She brings creativity and a curious mindset to the loyalty area of the business - traits that were paramount to the creation of a 3 year strategy plan to inform the future of Loyalty for Food Lion.

Nicole has a bachelor of science degree with a marketing concentration from Pfeiffer University. She has enjoyed many post graduate training and development opportunities including: Cornell University Food Management Program, Scotwork North America Advanced Negotiation Skills and Emerging Leaders Program at the University of Arizona.

Nicole brings creative high energy and optimism to address business opportunities and align teams on a go-forward process to achieve objectives. She has a keen understanding of the supply chain side of the organization and our customer which she brings into creating meaningful marketing materials which communicate the right message while driving strong financial performance.

Nicole has received several professional recognitions including "Produce Business Top 40 Under 40" (2020), Emerging Leader (2021) and Mentor in the Making (2022).

She resides in Kannapolis, NC with her husband (Kevin), children - Noah (13), Quinn (8).

Nicole Pavlovich, Sr. Director - Integrated Customer Marketing, Dominos

Per Jensen, Director - Loyalty, Stop & Shop

Papa Johns

Matthew Hall, Head of Loyalty Planning and Development, Air Canada

Michael McDowell, VP of Loyalty Programs and Partnerships, Parkland

Barbara Ann Hagen, Vice President - Sales and Marketing, Thriftbooks

Barbara Hagen is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing of ThriftBooks, the world’s largest online independent seller of used and new books. Hagen has more than 20 years of experience as a senior marketing executive with an exceptional track record of success at Fortune 100 companies spanning Retail, CPG, and Tech and proven expertise in many areas including global strategy; loyalty and retention; eCommerce, inclusive of digital and performance marketing; omnichannel marketing; media, social, and multi-channel communications. Her previous roles include executive marketing leadership positions at Target, Microsoft, Best Buy and Johnson & Johnson.

As a data-driven marketer she leverages her experience to drive profitable sales growth, establish deep customer loyalty, and bring to market innovative strategies for ThriftBooks. Her extensive background has enabled her to successfully deliver continued top-line and bottom-line growth for ThriftBooks while strengthening the brand’s overall market position within the industry.

Hagen received her undergraduate degree in Marketing and Advertising from Syracuse University, an MBA in International Marketing from NYU’s Stern School of Business, and a Master of Science in Business Analytics also from NYU’s Stern School of Business.  She lives in the Seattle area with her husband, three kids, and two much-loved cats.

Emily Mikus, Sr. Director of Loyalty Strategy, Ahold Delhaize USA

Emily Mikus serves as Senior Director, Loyalty Strategy at Ahold Delhaize USA (ADUSA) where she is focused on enabling the execution of digital, personalized loyalty experiences across five omnichannel grocery brands – Food Lion, Giant Food, The GIANT Company, Hannaford and Stop & Shop. Emily is passionate about data-driven, customer-centric innovation to evolve the retail loyalty experience. Over her nearly 20-year retail career, she has managed a diverse portfolio of functions including research and analytics, omnichannel marketing and loyalty strategy.

In her current position, Emily leads a team dedicated to advancing both brand-specific loyalty strategies and fostering cross-brand innovation that leverages ADUSA’s size and scale in the marketplace. Her team serves as a collaborative partner enabling and progressing digital personalized loyalty, always learning and leveraging insight to refine local loyalty strategies and digital personalization.

Previously, Emily held several key leadership roles with The GIANT Company, including positions in brand marketing, consumer research and insights, strategic planning and business development, and shopper and loyalty marketing. Her strategic leadership and comprehensive data-driven focus across multiple business disciplines results in a deep understanding of consumer behavior, brand dynamics and competitive landscapes. Her analytical drive to continually uncover new opportunities and love for data and customer innovation fuels her passion for loyalty marketing.

Emily holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Millersville University. Outside of work, she is a proud mom of two active boys and spends much of her free time at various soccer fields around Central Pennsylvania. 

Joe Mays, Director – Loyalty & CX Technology, Frontier Communications

Joe has spent the last 30 years dedicated to transforming the customer experience. He focuses on delivering this experience through exploration, fact-finding and the use of  technology to improve relationships and keep promises…with the ultimate goal of  happier, more loyal & engaged customers.

With Frontier, he leads multiple work streams responsible for growing the customer base and revenue, driving profitability higher, implementing cutting edge tools and technology and building Frontier and its culture into a competitive advantage that serves millions of streamers, gamers and communicators across the U.S.

Joe was formerly with Verizon’s Strategic Evolution team, responsible for helping implement $500M in process improvement ideas across the organization by converting those ideas into realistic and executable plans. Of the many tools, he primarily focuses on the customer journey to lead the viability of any program implementation. Remember Prepaid Phone Cards? Back in the day, Joe managed a $300M Retail, Wholesale & Promotional Card program, helping people connect worldwide.

He is certified in Customer Relationship Management Software through PegaSystems, Program & Project Management, as well as Agile Leadership & Six Sigma. Joe enjoys a wide variety of athletic pursuits, AFTER management of his ongoing ‘honey-do’ list.

Walter Rodriguez, Vice President – Marketing and Operations, Frontier Communications

In his current role at Frontier Communications, Walter is charged with developing the strategic intent and business strategy for Frontier’s Consumer Organization. In addition to leading the Portfolio Management Office (PMO) and the Voice of the Customer team, he also leads the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) team, charged with driving customer loyalty and expanding Customer Lifetime Value.

Prior to joining Frontier Communications, Walter led the Integrated Marketing and PMO  for Audible, an Amazon company, where he also served as Chief of Staff for the Chief Marketing Officer. Prior to joining Amazon, he played a significant role as the Chief Operating Officer for Verizon’s in-house CX and Design Team which he helped build via acquisition and organic growth. Walter was integral in growing the team to over 250 designers located in NYC, New Jersey, Arkansas and India. Walter also played a key role in the formation of Verizon Enterprise Solutions where he was the Director of Business Operations and was responsible for organizational alignment, marketing effectiveness, resource planning, knowledge and preparedness of the Marketing organization.

Walter received his MBA from Centenary University in Parsippany New Jersey and has a minor in economics from Rutgers University in Newark New Jersey.  He is a member of Prospanica (FKA, National Society of Hispanic MBA), where he served on the board as the Executive Vice President and currently serves on the Board of Directors for HISPA (Hispanics Inspiring Student Performance and Achievement) where he chairs the strategy committee.

Brad Anderson, VP of Hilton Honors, Hilton

John Giaquinto, Vice President of Loyalty Personalization and Analytics, Rite Aid

John Sellers, Head of Rewards, Bank of America

Prior to his current role, John had worked with other products including; Vehicle Lending, Investments, and Credit Card.  While in Card, John was the Director of Preferred Products and New Account Acquisition where he was responsible for all mass affluent BofA and Merrill branded products. John is the architect of the award winning Travel Rewards Card and led the effort to bring Chip technology to BofA cards.

Before his product roles, John spent the first half of his career in Credit Risk, where he was the Director of Risk Strategies. In this role, John oversaw existing account management strategies which included; line management, balance stimulation (cash and retail), authorizations (overlimit and delinquent) and other payment related strategies.

John began his career with BofA via the MBNA acquisition. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware where he was a Finance major. He also has an MBA from Penn State’s Smeal College of Business where he graduated with distinction and is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma academic honor society.

John is involved in several community organizations. He is a lifesaver for the Blood Bank of DE and coaches several youth sport teams in Kennett Square, PA where he resides with his wife and three kids.

Amy Barnett, VP of Loyalty and Digital Experience, Cracker Barrel

Working in a variety of agency and client-side positions she’s led CRM Strategy, Loyalty, Analytics and Insights with the pleasure of partnering with best-in-class brands across various verticals including: American Eagle Outfitters, Build-A-Bear Workshop, The Container Store, Comcast Communications, Express, GameStop, Famous Footwear, Hard Rock International, Hertz, Jiffy Lube, Michaels, Procter & Gamble, R.J. Reynolds, T.J.Maxx, StubHub, Victoria’s Secret, and Unilever.

In her current role as Vice President, Digital, Loyalty & CRM at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Amy’s strategic vision propelled Cracker Barrel’s digital transformation while maintaining its cherished traditions and delivering on Cracker Barrel’s brand promise of Pleasing People and caring for guests like family. Whether it’s enjoying a hearty meal, exploring the retail store, or participating in the recently launched rewards program, Cracker Barrel remains a beloved destination for guests across the country.

Amy holds a B.S. in Marketing from Clarkson University and an MBA from the University of Texas, Dallas. She’s called northern New York, Connecticut, Texas, California and for the past 15 years, St. Louis home.