TWIN CITIES FORUM

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Beth McGuire Strategy & Innovation at Optum

I am a senior business executive who builds and optimizes enterprise capabilities using my expertise in marketing, strategy, and operations. My experience includes working with start-ups to global Fortune 50 companies and across industries, including retail, finance, packaged goods, and healthcare. Skilled in change management, having led corporate communications, digital transformations, and business integrations of all sizes, I guide organizations through disruptive forces to deliver real results.

Known as a strategic and fearless decision maker, I set a clear and ambitious vision and tenaciously work to achieve it. With my expansive business knowledge, I work cross-functionally to elevate and position the role of marketing in driving business objectives and improve the customer experience.

As a leader, I am a culture-builder and foster thriving teams, breaking down organizational silos, and creating new spaces for collaboration. I lead with trust first, inspiring others to apply their unique strengths to achieve a greater vision.

Executives depend on me to maximize existing resources to build the strategic foundations for long-term growth.

Dawn Hepper Vice President, Channel Marketing at Cambria

Dawn Hepper is the Vice President of Channel Marketing at Cambria. With over 20 years of experience in marketing, Dawn has worked in both corporate and agency marketing environments, developing integrated marketing strategies for clients of every size across multiple industries. Dawn has a passion for data-driven and digital marketing, and has spent her career educating her clients on the business impact of these new media channels. At Cambria, Dawn’s role is to develop and execute meaningful B2B marketing strategies that actively engage Cambria's diverse and varied customer segments throughout the customer journey.

Erica Jensen SVP, Innovation, Strategy & Marketing at NMDP

Erica Jensen brings 25 years of experience driving strategic growth for Fortune 500 corporations to NMDPSM as the senior vice president of Innovation, Strategy & Marketing.

At General Mills and Bank of America, Erica shaped integrated marketing strategies, multicultural marketing campaigns and worked closely with internal and external partners to advance business goals. She also developed global digital marketing standards and training for General Mills brands in international markets.

One of her enduring legacies at General Mills was birthed during her 20 months working on Yoplait. She helped launch and was a founding board member of Firefly Sisterhood, which fosters one-to-one connections between women diagnosed with breast cancer and inspirational survivors. Firefly Sisterhood quickly thrived, becoming its own 501c3. It has been honored by numerous organizations, including the Minnesota Lynx and Timberwolves.

For Erica, serving the community has been a constant and a joy. At Northwestern University, she became a member of Delta Sigma Theta, a historically African American sorority committed to community service.  She also serves as a director on several nonprofit boards.  

Erica graduated with a degree in Communication from Northwestern University and earned her Master of Business Administration from Regis University.

Gino Giovannelli University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business

Gino Giovannelli, MBA, is an award-winning teacher at the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business and is the lead faculty for the Graduate Certificate in Digital Experience program. Giovannelli combines his passion for teaching with his vast industry experience to create a vibrant classroom learning environment.

As a proven leader in the Digital Marketing space, Gino Giovannelli created Miles Interactive in 2006 to help clients identify how to best leverage the Internet to delight customers and maximize business success. Miles Interactive clients include Caribou Coffee, University of Minnesota Alumni Association, Life Time Fitness, Sun Country Airlines, Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee and Minnesota Sports and Events.

Prior to starting Miles Interactive, Giovannelli served as Vice President of Carlson Interactive, an Interactive agency within Carlson Companies. During his tenure at Carlson, Giovannelli was responsible for the online success of Carlson businesses such as Radisson Hotels & Resorts, Country Inn & Suites, TGI Fridays, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Carlson Wagonlit Travel. In addition, Carlson Interactive served the needs of external clients such as The Home Depot and other brands.

Molly Kinsella Sr. Vice President, Media and Creative at Best Buy

Ms. Molly Kinsella is Senior Vice President, Best Buy Creative and Media.  She oversees the look, feel and voice of the brand, creative ideation and execution for all paid advertising, media strategy for the brand as well as Best Buy Ads.  Molly helped lead the initial brand transformation, including a new brand identity six years ago as well as the recent repositioning of the brand. She’s recruited top creative, strategic, and executional talent from agencies and other brands to build out an in-house team that directly creates Best Buy’s brand communications, including advertising, social media, design, and content strategy, along with overseeing Best Buy’s valued agency partners. Her team’s work has been both effective in the marketplace and a winner of top creative awards. Her remit also includes the Media where she leads media strategy for the brand and Best Buy’s retail media business as well as Best Buy Ads Product development, Performance Marketing and Reporting and Insights.  

Kinsella has been with Best Buy for the last twelve years in various marketing functions leading teams in Brand and Category Marketing. Prior to Best Buy Ms. Kinsella spent 7 years at Target.