Speakers | Page 3 | Web Con

Ann Fredricksen

Coordinator of Accessible Media Services
DRES
ajfred1@illinois.edu

Session: Visual to Verbal: An Introduction to Audio Description
Time: April 5, 9:45 am

Ann Fredricksen has her BA in Physics from Carthage College and has her MS/LIS degree from the Illinois. She has been working for Disability Resources and Educational Services in the Accessible Media Services Office since 2008. She now serves as the Coordinator of Accessible Media Services, which provides accessible learning material for courses being taught within the University’s system. In 2020 she was Awarded the Lorine Y. Cowan Award for Excellence in Access and Accommodations. Ann has been focusing her career on media accessibility and not only is she the captioning expert on campus but is also responsible for responding to inquiries and information about audio description. She has created a captioning training course to serve as a resource for Illinois faculty and staff on how to meet accessibility standards with free to low-cost software already available to this population.

Bob Dignan

Associate Director of Instructional Media
Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning
rdigna2@illinois.edu

Session: Visual to Verbal: An Introduction to Audio Description
Time: April 5, 9:45 am

Bob Dignan has worked in educational media production for over 15 years and serves as the Associate Director for Instructional Media Resources in the Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He and his team produce courses, MOOCs, live event streaming, VR experiences, medical and scientific animations and Open Educational Resources all atop of foundations in copyright, cataloging, archiving, universal design for learning and media accessibility. The Center collaborates with instructors and researchers across a diverse campus, covering wide ranging content from computer science to sick cows. Since 2012, Bob has participated in multiple audio description efforts on campus including the writing and production of descriptions for several Chancellor communications sent to all faculty, staff, students and alumni. He also hosts a podcast, “Teach Talk Listen Learn” all about teaching and learning with visiting faculty and instructors from the University of Illinois.

Charlotte Claussen

Content Design and Strategy Consultant
Cogniwo Ltd
charlotteclaussen@gmail.com

Session: Good writing skills don’t make you a good UX writer
Time: April 5, 9:45 am

I am a UX Writer, Content Designer, and Strategist, and I run my own consultancy. I do this work because I like to solve problems before people run into them – and because I have always been fascinated by how people know what to do with stuff, and why they sometimes get it wrong. I am also a mentor for new writers, a conference organizer, a chocolate addict, and a wannabe salsa dancer.

Terresa Moses

Creative Director
Blackbird Revolt
moses@umn.edu

Session: Closing Keynote: Racism Untaught: From Theory to Practice
Time: April 5, 8:30 am

Terresa Moses (she/her) is a proud Black queer woman dedicated to the liberation of Black and brown people through art and design. She is the Creative Director at Blackbird Revolt and an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design and the Director of Design Justice at the University of Minnesota. As a community-engaged scholar, she created Project Naptural and co-created Racism Untaught. She is currently a PhD candidate in Social Justice Education at the University of Toronto. She serves as a core team member of African American Graphic Designers and as a collaborator with the Black Liberation Lab.

Lisa Elzey Mercer

Associate Professor of Graphic Design and Design for Responsible Innovation
College of Fine and Applied Arts (FAA), at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
lemercer@illinois.edu ⁠

Session: Closing Keynote: Racism Untaught: From Theory to Practice
Time: April 5, 8:30 am

Lisa Elzey Mercer (she/her) is a designer, educator, and researcher. Her interests are in developing and executing design interventions that fuel and sustain responsible design for social impact. The developed frameworks and tools are intended to create a space for conversation and knowledge exchange where participants can collaborate in creating new ideas and solutions. This type of methodology is evident in her current projects Operation Compass and Racism Untaught. She is an Associate Professor of Graphic Design and Design for Responsible Innovation at the University of Illinois.

Jamie Hedrick

Graphic Communications Designer
University of Illinois Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation
jhedri2@illinois.edu

Session: Moving the needle: How to translate basic market research into a multi-phase awareness campaign
Time: April 4, 2:45 pm

Jamie Hedrick is the Graphic Communications Designer for the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation. In her role, Jamie helps tell the exciting stories of research at UIUC through strategic and meaningful designs. She also provides design support and creative direction for research proposals and campaigns, and collaborates with research institutes and compliance units. Jamie has nearly 10 years of professional design experience and earned her BA in Graphic Design from the College of Fine & Applied Arts at Illinois.

Kristin Tennant

Director of Research Communications
University of Illinois Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation
ktennant@illinois.edu

Session: Moving the needle: How to translate basic market research into a multi-phase awareness campaign
Time: April 4, 2:45 pm

Kristin Tennant has 30 years of communications and marketing experience in corporate, higher ed, and agency settings. Her sweet spot is where creativity and strategy meet, and she loves bringing people together to generate ideas, connect dots, and chart a path forward.

Amanda Langworthy

Lead Content Strategist
Pixo
amandal@pixotech.com

Session: SEO Essentials for Content Managers
Time: April 4, 2:45 pm

Amanda is a Lead Content Strategist at Pixo, a web and software consultancy in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. As a content strategist, she wears many hats but believes her primary role to be user and audience advocate. She came to Pixo in 2021 and has experience bringing user-centered content to higher ed, government, non-profit and arts organizations.

Aurora Cruz-Torres

Senior Assistant Director for Inclusive Excellence
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Illinois
tacruz@illinois.edu

Session: Empowering Education: Leveraging AI to Support Underrepresented College Students
Time: April 4, 2:45 pm

Aurora is a proud Latina with experience in diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in higher education. Currently, she serves as the Assistant Director for Inclusive Excellence in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at UIUC, in addition to being the Academic Advising Coordinator for the Education Justice Project, a college-in-prison program. She helps companies and higher education institutions develop and implement inclusive initiatives, projects, and hiring practices to enhance their professional climate. She is passionate about equal access to education and opportunities for historically marginalized populations and incarcerated students.

Aaron Wagner

Interactive Designer
COUNTRY Financial
aaron.wagner@countryfinancial.com

Session: Playing to Win: Redesigning COUNTRY’s User Experience Playbook
Time: April 4, 2:45 pm

Aaron Wagner is an interactive designer for COUNTRY Financial. His creative mindset has been driven by his passion and commitment to pushing ideas and is more than visualizing the finished piece. He loves spending time with his family, cooking, and getting lost in his next creative adventure.