PRSA Maryland has assembled an impressive lineup of speakers for the chapter’s two-day annual conference set for Sept. 24 – 25, including former CNN correspondent and crisis communications leader Kathleen Koch and Jardena London, an agile transformation consultant

“Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Drive to Action” will be led by Shaunna Payne Gold, Ed.D, associate provost for Diversity & Inclusion, Towson University; and Nneka Logan, Ph.D., associate professor, School of Communications, Virginia Tech University

One of the more high-profile speakers this year is Tammy Ortery, a Virginia woman whose dance moves have gone viral thanks to shares from celebrities such as Janet Jackson.

Miley Cyrus and boyfriend Cody Simpson are among the millions of people who have discovered Ortery. The pop couple used their TikTok account to recreate Ortery’s choreography to C+C Music Factory’s 1990 hit “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” and then racked up over 9 million views in 24 hours.

In recent weeks, TikTok Tammy has appeared on Good Morning America, The Steve Harvey Show and many other national outlets to share her feel-good story and lessons on how to leverage the addictive social media platform.

On Sept. 24 at noon Ortery will be interviewed simultaneously for the conference and the podcast “Practically Social” by Charlie Birney and co-host Jeffrey Davis, who also serves as Capitol Communicator Baltimore regional editor.

Other speakers and topics include Amy Tokos, certified professional organizer & productivity consultant; Mileah Kromer, Ph.D., director, Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center, Goucher College, and principal, Federal Hill Research Group; and Kirk Hazlett, APR, PRSA APR Fellow; Ethics Committee chair, Global Listening Centre; adjunct professor, University of Tampa.

“Navigating the Next Normal” is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sept. 24, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sept. 25.

The fee is $50 for PRSA members and $60 for non-members. Registration information and additional details on all sessions can be found at https://prsamd.org/event/prsa-maryland-virtual-conference-navigating-the-next-normal/.