Hayley Berlent

Strategy Director
Siegel+Gale

Hayley Berlent is the lead strategist and client relationship manager for several not-for-profit and higher education engagements, including the YMCA, The Florida State University, Johns Hopkins University, Phoenix House, Turnaround for Children, and breastcancer.org. Additionally, Berlent has served as brand strategist on the brand revitalization of AARP and DeWitt Stern, as well as the launch of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.

Before venturing into branding, Berlent was the Public Affairs Manager for Columbia University School of Law. While there, she was responsible for developing communications plans, overseeing proactive and reactive media relations, and penning marketing, publicity and web copy on a variety of issues including human rights and corporate governance.

Early in her career, Berlent worked at several public relations agencies in the healthcare, crises and consumer groups. Projects of note include: crises work for the British Tourist Authority; product testing and launches for Procter & Gamble; thought-leader outreach for Unilever; and education awareness and advocacy programs for Sanofi Pasteur and GlaxoSmithKline.

Berlent holds a M.S. in strategic communications from Columbia University and a B.S. in marketing from the University of Maryland. She has been a guest speaker on strategic communications topics at both Columbia and New York University. Berlent hails from Durban, South Africa.

Mirm Kriegel

Senior VP and Group Director
BBMG

Mirm Kriegel leads the philanthropy and social enterprise practice at BBMG, a branding and social marketing agency dedicated to working with socially responsible businesses and nonprofits. With deep experience in both marketing and development, Kriegel has managed national and international marketing campaigns in the nonprofit sector. At BBMG, her recent clients include Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, InterAction, Ocean Conservancy, EngenderHealth and the Interfaith Alliance.

Kriegel began her career at UJC, (formerly UJA United Jewish Appeal), a global philanthropy that raises $2 billion annually to provide humanitarian relief worldwide. During that time, she led social awareness and fundraising campaigns on more than 100 college campuses across the country and was later charged with repositioning Jewish federations (local affiliates) among younger, high net-worth potential donors. As director of marketing, she drove the first-ever national branding campaign for the 155 local federations. Her work in global philanthropy took her on various fact-finding missions across the world, from Tblisi, Georgia to the Gaza Strip, and allowed her to work with a large cross-section of people, from high-profile philanthropists to student activists.

Kriegel earned B.A. degrees in philosophy and political theory from Duke University and a M.S. in strategic communications from Columbia University, where she was also a teaching assistant.

Amy Inzanti

Vice President
Ogilvy Public Relations

Amy Inzanti is a senior strategic planning manager at Porter Novelli (PN), a global public relations agency. With 100 offices in 60 countries, Porter Novelli helps clients achieve intelligent influence—changing attitudes and behaviors by having the right conversations with the right people at the right time. During her time at PN, Inzanti has helped create and train staff in PNPoint InsightsSM, a proprietary approach to developing stakeholder insights and B!G It Up, a series of tools and techniques that turns insights and strategies into bigger, better ideas. Both these processes are becoming competitive advantages for PN. In addition, Inzanti works on research and planning for new business pitches, and some of PN’s top clients. Prior to working at PN, Inzanti worked in public relations for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and the American Museum of Natural History. She was also a manager in Travelling Exhibitions/Business Development at the Museum.

Inzanti graduated from Columbia’s Master of Science in Strategic Communications program in 2007, and has been a teaching assistant for several classes in the program including, Strategic Communications: Analysis, Theory and Ethics; Delivering the Strategic Message and Communications 3.0: Best Practices in a Networked Society. She is also a member of Advertising Women of New York (AWNY).

Deborah Tropp

Partner, Brand Strategist,
Audience Theory

Deborah Tropp is co-founder of Audience Theory, a brand strategy consultancy whose clients include HBO, Viacom, PBS, Reader’s Digest, Pfizer, Campbell’s, Avon, Jergens and Biore, as well as venture capital firms and entrepreneurs. Tropp has over ten years of experience in public relations, marketing, interactive, and consumer research and brand strategy. She received her M.S. in strategic communications from Columbia University and an undergraduate degree in liberal arts from the New School for Social Research. Tropp’s expertise is bridging audience insight with creative brand ideas and her talent is recognized by numerous publications, including Communication Arts and The New York Times Company. She lectures on consumer relevancy at universities around the country, and is teaching a course, Communicating with Consumers, at Columbia University in 2009. Tropp is a founding advisory board member of the Columbia University, M.S. in Communications Practice program and also serves on the board of the Columbia University Alumni Association of Southern California. Prior to becoming a founding partner of Audience Theory, Tropp oversaw brand planning and promotion in the non-profit, publishing and entertainment industries.