The Altria Executive Seminar Series is an important component of the MMR curriculum. Throughout the program, marketing research practitioners take time from busy schedules to visit the UGA campus and share their industry insight with MMR students. The series offers a valuable supplement to the traditional program coursework and provides a medium for introducing MMR students to the latest industry trends and practices.
All seminars are scheduled for 4:00 – 5:15 pm. Seminars are only open to students in the MMR program.
2024-2025 Series
Heather Waters (MMR Research)
June 10, 2024 – Creating Persuasive PowerPoint Presentations
Dr. James Anderson (UGA)
June 17, 2024 – Managing Group Dynamics through Collaborative Problem Solving
Anna Snell (Directions Research)
July 15, 2024 – Storytelling/Info Visualization
Paul Allaire (UGA)
September 24, 2024 – Pitch, Interviewing, and Negotiation
Cat Knotts (Kantar) & IDE Team
October 9, 2024 – The Importance of Being an Inclusive Researcher
Mike Kessling (Chick-fil-A) & Remy Thim (SKIM)
October 29, 2024 – Client vs. Supplier
Gui Cerqueira (Worthix)
November 11, 2024 – Conversational A.I., Customer Surveys, and Empathy at Scale
Niles Schillewaert (Conveo.AI)
November 15, 2024 – Conveo AI-generated Qualitative Research
Caroline Pratt (Lilly)
January 23, 2025 – Interview Tips
Tim Norvell (Elon University)
January 28, 2025 – Navigating a Career in Marketing Research
Lindsay Zaltman and Jacque Barbush (Olson Zaltman)
February 5, 2025 – Tapping into the Consumer Unconscious
Haley Swafford and Tyler Krug (Microsoft)
February 10, 2025 – Embracing the Challenge of Change at Microsoft
Mike Courtney (Aperio Insights)
February 24, 2025 – Foresight into the Future
Brendan Marz and Lisa Fridley (MarketVision)
February 26, 2025 – Advanced Analytical Research and Real World Issues to Consider
Tricia Houston & Jay Scott (KS&R)
March 17, 2025 – Experience Design
Chris Murphy, Ula Jones, Salim Sitafalwalla & Misty Hudson (Ipsos & AT&T)
March 25, 2025 – Generation Myths & Demographic Realities
Rob Arnett and Chris D’Amico (Lynx Research)
March 27, 2025 – A Durable Insight
Jyoti Makhijani, Isaac Sepel, Max Kandel, Madison Boosveld (Merck)
April 1, 2025 – Pharmaceutical Research
Hunter White, Prayash Koirala, Olivia Wall, and Paige Culpepper (Altria)
April 9, 2025 – General Overview of Altria and Short Case Study Activity
Jim O’Hara (MARC)
April 17, 2025 – Agile/Accelerated Insight Delivery in Today’s MR Space
Charlie Farr and Mike Kessling (Chick Fil A)
April 18, 2025 –Class Field trip to the Hatch
Charles Guilbeau (Ferrero)
April 21, 2025 – The Digital Measurement Landscape, Consumer Segmentation, Marketing Mix Modeling Best Practices
Stacey Wetterer (Directions)
April 28, 2025 – How to Make the New Step Great- Transitioning into a Full-Time Position Post-MMR