LAUREL Media Lab [conversations]

​LAUREL's Media Lab is a dedicated series of monthly meetups for comms leaders, founders and journalists. [conversations] is a quarterly panel that illuminates critical communications topics with insights from local leaders. the event series aims to offer a low-pressure environment intended to drive source diversity in news media and amplify the work of communications leaders.

​This event is a great fit for:

• ​comms leaders

• ​content creators

• ​founders and brand spokespersons

• ​journalism and communications students

• ​journalists and reporters seeking new sources

• ​editors and producers of news media outlets

​Our conversation in May 2025, centers around the topic of crisis prediction and response. We'll learn from leaders who have navigated crisis communications for community-based organizations and successfully led teams through to the other side of culture-shaping events. In a shifting media landscape and uncertain economic and political climate, the insights from these leaders are timely for every strategist and spokesperson.

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​PANELISTS
Sheree Curry is a an award-winning communications strategist and national business journalist with expertise in executive messaging, crisis response, and brand storytelling. She is the current co-president of the National Association of Black Journalists Minnesota (NABJ-MN).

​Ron Harris is the former Chief Resilience officer at the City of Minneapolis who oversaw external communications in response to community needs between January 2019 and November 2022. Arguably the state's leading political strategic advisor, Ron was named the MN State Campaign Director for Harris for President during the 2024 presidential election leading campaign efforts through January 2025.

​Meredith O'Shea is a licensed therapist, executive coach and founder of Scaling Within, an organization that helps leaders and teams navigate rapid growth and change by expanding their internal capacity through applied neurology and leadership frameworks.

Jonathan Sperber (moderator) is the founder of GUDEA, a crisis prediction technology platform dubbed the "storm tracker of the internet". He combines expertise in sales, government procurement, politics, and international relations, with a proven track record of securing millions of dollars in government contracts and demonstrating exceptional leadership.

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​AGENDA
10a-10:30a Check-in and Registration
Arrive early to meet other guests, register and find a seat for the panel event.

​10:30a-12p Panel Event at SPNN
Learn from a panel of experts about predicting, navigating and leading through crisis communications.

​12p-1p Light Lunch + Networking at SPNN
Enjoy a light lunch and connect with other leaders and journalists in attendance.

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​Past guests have included agency leaders, communications directors, communications staff and journalists from Star Tribune, MinnPost, MPR, Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal, Sahan Journal, ABC 5-KSTP.

​For more about the organizer, visit www.laureldevelops.com