More than 170 social media leaders from the world’s top brands gathered in Atlanta for the Social Media Practitioner Summit — two days packed with candid conversations, powerful takeaways, and peer insights.
Hosted by SocialMedia.org, the conference was exclusively for social media leaders at large brands where our members dug into what it takes to lead social media at scale in 2025.
Here’s a look at the moments that mattered most and why our community continues to provide value for our members.
Strategic Leadership Panels: Platform Shifts, DEI, and Career Paths
The agenda was built entirely by and for social media leaders, creating a space for honest dialogue on what’s working, what’s not, and what’s next. Panel discussions tackled the biggest strategic challenges on the minds of social media teams today.
Imagining the platform landscape of the future
Walmart Director of Corporate Social Media Molly Maj, Vanguard Head of Social Media Temeka Easter Rice, and Caterpillar Director of Enterprise Social Media Jim Lin explored how platform trends, ownership shifts, and ad policies are shaping strategy.
Career paths in social media – where do we go from here?
Synchrony’s Minali Liyanage, Infineon Technologies’ Jonathan Long, and Astellas Pharma’s Bob Skwarek discussed how to grow, specialize, and thrive in this evolving field.
Navigating DEI content strategy in 2025
S&P Global Head of Social Media Kristina Thomas, Marriott International Senior Manager of Social Media, Analytics, & Channel Coordination David Tra, and Kimberly-Clark Senior Manager of Social Media Kim Tipton broke down how to lead authentic DEI storytelling in an increasingly polarized environment.
Confidential Case Studies on Top Challenges
Members shared how they’re solving critical issues — from platform governance to AI-driven optimization.
- Cigna Healthcare Insights, Analytics, and Content Strategy Senior Advisor John Kosash explained how content audits sharpened organic performance on Instagram.
- University of Phoenix Senior Manager of Influencer Marketing Allison Waken and Senior Manager of Owned Media Victoria Eckstein revealed a compliance-forward influencer strategy that still preserves creativity.
- Aspen Group Head of Social Media & Influencers Kristi Daraban and Social Media Marketing Manager Gabriela Pecenka showed how AI tools helped them 5x their social search impact.
- Delta Air Lines Senior Manager of Social Brand Community and Engagement Strategy Andrea Feminella outlined how a Facebook Group became a measurable engine of brand advocacy.
- Whirlpool Corporation Social Media Manager Jennie Schumacher gave a behind-the-scenes look at their Social Media Center of Excellence (COE).
- Principal Financial Group Senior Strategist of Brand and Media Olivia Rockers showed us how the transition to an always-on paid social media strategy can only crescendo into driving consistent awareness and demand for your brand.
- Boston Scientific Senior Manager of Global Social Media Operations Megan McDonald shared the ins and outs of a successful RFP vetting and scoring process, as well as best practices for being prepared going into implementation once you have your tool selected.
- Astellas Pharma Associate Director of Global Digital Communications Strategy Bob Skwarek discussed lessons learned along their journey to meet aggressive optimization goals, which resulted in a single, holistic LinkedIn page for all their key audiences.
- United Airlines Manager of Paid Media Dylan Samuels walked us through how extending reach and engagement on content can drive your overall business goals forward.
- TD Bank Senior Manager and Head of Social Media Shagun Randhawa walked us through the ins and outs of how their organic social media team leveraged tools, processes, and analytics to support social listening and change online narratives about the brand.
- Georgia-Pacific Senior Manager of Corporate Communications Mary Beth Lucy gave us access to how dashboards were built for executive social media posts, how paid social was leveraged, and which content management queries were built in their first-ever Super Bowl commercial.
- Chick-fil-A Senior Advertising Project Coordinator Alden O’Kelley shared how they approached social creative within an integrated campaign to drive mobile app downloads.
- Delta Air Lines Senior Manager of Social Brand Community and Engagement Strategy, Andrea Feminella, shared how they grew and measured the impact of their brand-owned Facebook Group and discussed the investments required to succeed.
- Lenovo Senior Global Social Media Governance & Alignment Manager Brandy Mann walked us through a step-by-step process of creating a commons and workflow hub for all your social media team needs.
- John Deere Global Social Media Lead Meghan Anhalt shared step-by-step details on how they carefully navigated a brand reputation risk and updated social listening terms to better understand the shape and scope of online conversation.
- American Family Insurance Social Media Administrator Josh Feyen showed how he approached AI risks, introduced a compliant in-house tool, and trained employees in dedicated content workshops.
Practitioner-Led Workshops on Key Topics
Social media leaders broke into smaller groups to share ideas and solve challenges. Some of the most popular sessions included:
- ROI or bye: Demystifying social media’s business impact for leadership — led by Molly Maj at Walmart
- Search on social: Enhancing your brand’s discoverability – led by Jessica Nelson at S&P Global
- Fostering creativity while navigating red tape as a regulated brand – led by Nilam Patel at Nationwide
- Strategies for sustaining employee advocacy engagement – led by Crystal Robertson at United States Postal Service
- Short-form video: Keeping pace with platform changes – led by Alan Adjei at Vanguard
- Executive social in the aftermath of a crisis – led by David Tra at Marriott International
- Reddit: Where does it fit in your social strategy? — led by Jenny Reineck at NCR Voyix
- Measuring the impact and value of community management — led by Jada Souffrant at Darden
- Safeguarding your brand from social media threats — led by Sara McGee at Henry Schein
- Wrangling stakeholders in an enterprise-led governance model — led by Jim Lin at Caterpillar
- Prioritizing social innovation in risk-sensitive sectors — led by Alison Sieck at T. Rowe Price
- Maximizing your brand presence on LinkedIn — led by Tayler Felix at Workday
- Turning metrics into a story leaders actually care about — led by Katie Agresto at Synchrony
- Boosting strategy: Building a methodical approach — led by Minali Liyanage at Synchrony
- Roster versus randoms: Owning influence through a closed circuit of creators — led by Kristine Castoria at Amtrak
- The dos and don’ts of social customer care in crisis moments — led by Donna Mun at Hawaiian Electric
- Enhancing the impact of your BtoB social media strategies — led by Jared Siegel at Franklin Templeton
- Streamlining internal collaboration for integrated global campaigns — led by Amber Getschel at Brunswick
The workshop format created space for practical, immediately usable solutions.
Peer Advisory Roundtables
Attendees engaged in peer-to-peer discussions on their top challenges and topics. Unlike the pre-set agendas, this format allowed our members to build the agenda “on the fly” — making the topics both uniquely timely and relevant.
Some of the top challenges benchmarked included:
- Community management and care: Measurements and KPIs
- Team structure
- AI in social media
- User-generated content
- Building an effective COE
- Organic analytics
- Employee advocacy
- DEI content strategy
- YouTube – ownership, moderation, and accessibility
- Social listening: Tools, platforms, and collaboration
- And more!
A Community That Gets It
The energy in the room made it clear: this is a space where social leaders don’t have to explain why their work matters. Everyone gets it.
This was the best conference I have ever attended. The “real talk” of Socialmedia.org is such a great differentiator and benefit of being a part of this organization.
Jim Lin, Caterpillar
The stories, best practices, and tips shared on day one were a great reminder of why SocialMedia.org holds THE BEST social media event of the year.
Lee Henderson, U.S Bank
I have had the absolute BEST time learning, listening, and soaking up every ounce of knowledge with my peers at the SocialMedia.org Social Media Practitioner Summit the last two days. From candid conversations about strategy and community management, to sharing our pain points and celebratory social moments, it’s been nothing short of incredible.
Sonnet Moore, Holland America Line
Day two was giving big energy, bigger ideas, and the biggest vibes. From power-packed convos to laugh-out-loud moments, the SocialMedia.org Practitioner Summit was everything I hoped for and then some.
Crystal Tamia Robertson, United States Postal Service
I’m walking away feeling both challenged and inspired. There’s something powerful about being in a room full of people who get it! The pace, the pressure, and the purpose behind what we do in social. These kinds of practitioner-led spaces not only spark ideas but offer real solutions to the challenges we face every day.
Alan Adjei, Vanguard
Join Your Peers Leading Social Media
If you lead social media at a large brand, this is your space. The Social Media Practitioner Summit is just one part of a year-round peer community built to solve real-time challenges in leading brand social media.
