Social Media Week

The New Playbook:

• Panel Guests

  Mia O'Brien
  On-Air Radio Host, ESPN and Action Sports Jax
  LinkedIn
  

  From linear television to terrestrial radio to multimedia platform coverage: Mia O'Brien is a Swiss Army Knife in the world of sports media, and then some. Currently, she is an on-air host nationally with ESPN Radio, in addition to her local coverage of the Jacksonville Jaguars and co-hosting "THE Women's Basketball Podcast." Mia is also a full-time employee at the University of
  North Florida, serving as the Coordinator of Programming & Community Outreach for the TaylorLeadership Institute, where she has also taught since 2022. Prior to arriving in Jacksonville in2018, Mia spent three years covering the Iowa Hawkeyes and Iowa State Cyclones, among others. She is a New Jersey-native and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Ithaca College in 2015.

Front Row Feeds:

• Panel Guest

  Michael Nitting
  Social Media Manager, Live Nation
  LinkedIn
  @livenation
  

  Michael Nitting is, first and foremost, a lover of music. His passion for it led him to pursue a degree in Music Business from New York University before jumping right into the industry. He has previously worked at Better Noise Music, a boutique rock label, and Weller Media Agency before landing in his current role at Live Nation running social strategy across their global handles. His responsibilities span across everything from creative strategy, reporting and analytics, and content capturing and creation. He is based in New York City, where he has lived since 2014. 

From Main Street to Main Feed:

• Panel Guest

  Loren Thomas
  Multimedia Manager, City of Greenville, South Carolina
  LinkedIn
  @CityofGreenvilleSC

  Loren Thomas is the multimedia manager for the City of Greenville, where she leads creative storytelling to connect the community with important city initiatives. With more than a decade of experience in journalism and media relations, she has built a career centered on crafting stories that inform, inspire and engage. She is part of the award-winning Week in Review video series, which delivers timely updates to Greenville residents. A proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Loren brings both professional excellence and community-minded leadership to her work. At her core, she is a storyteller who values uncovering people’s “why” and sharing their stories with authenticity and impact.

Viral Vibes, Visualized:

• Panel Guest

  Melody Sonnemann
  Higher Education Account Executive, Sprout Social 
  LinkedIn
  @melodysonn

  Melody Sonnemann is an Higher Education Account Executive at Sprout Social. For the last two years, she has worked closely with D1 institutions who are focused on utilizing social media to the fullest extent within their marketing toolkit. She works with university social media teams to help increase social media collaboration across campus, better utilize data within their social strategy, and analyze online conversation for insight into student trends and university news.  
   

Small but Mighty:

• Panel Guest

  Vianka Morales
  Social Media Influencer
  @morales.vianka

  Vianka Morales is a lifestyle and pet creator who shares authentic, fun and engaging content with her dog, Jax Antonio. What started as a primarily Hispanic audience has grown into a vibrant Spanglish community, connecting with both English and Spanish speakers. Through their videos, the pair shares the little moments of everyday life, creating content that feels relatable, heartwarming and joyful.

Tigers Behind the Timeline:

Fame in Full Bloom:

• Panel Guests

  Lexi Young
  Former contestant on The Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise, social media influencer and founder of The Wild 
  @lexicoletteyoung @inthewildating 
  

  Lexi Young is a 32-year-old entrepreneur and digital strategy leader originally from Toronto, Canada. She has lived in Columbus, New York City, San Francisco, and Atlanta, and earned her business degree from The Ohio State University, where she was a proud member of Alpha Kappa Psi. An entrepreneur at heart, Lexi launched her first business at just ten years old, a door-to-door self-published neighborhood magazine, and never stopped building. From a dog-walking service at twelve to selling handmade bath bombs across her middle school, she has always had a passion for creating and connecting. 

  Lexi spent over a decade in corporate retail, holding roles in financial planning and digital strategy for brands including Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Victoria’s Secret PINK, and SPANX. She later started her MBA at MIT Sloan, continuing her commitment to learning and leadership. 

  In 2023, Lexi took a leap of faith to find love on ABC’s The Bachelor. While it didn’t end in an engagement, it led to something even more meaningful, a deeper sense of purpose. After being diagnosed with stage 3 end-stage endometriosis, Lexi chose to share her journey publicly, helping countless women seek and receive their own diagnoses. Today, she is a dedicated advocate for women’s health and works alongside top surgeons on research, development, and awareness efforts to find a cure. 

  Most recently, Lexi founded In The Wild, a fast-growing in-person dating company built on the belief that real connection starts offline. Her motto is ditch the screen, date in real life. Since launching, In The Wild has celebrated three engagements, over 200 relationships formed at its events, and reached six-figure revenue in less than six months. With plans to expand into ten new cities, Lexi’s mission is to bring genuine in-person connection back to dating everywhere, in the wild. 

  Outside of building human connection, Lexi’s biggest passion is animals. She is an active member of the Atlanta Humane Society and volunteers as often as she can to advocate for dogs in need. From taking dogs out for day adventures to hosting large-scale events and donation drives, Lexi is committed to making a difference for animals in her community. In her free time, she loves spending time at her farm riding her horses, being outdoors, and finding peace by the water. 

  Kylee Russell
  Former contestant on The Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise, social media influencer and nurse
  Instagram: @kyleeemarie
  TikTok: @kyleeermarie
  

  Kylee Russell is a 28-year-old registered nurse, former professional dancer, and social media personality with a dynamic background that bridges healthcare, performance, and digital storytelling. She grew up dancing and competing in the Miss America and Miss USA systems, experiences that helped shape her confidence, discipline, and on-camera presence from a young age. 

  Kylee attended Wingate University, where she was a member of the Alpha Xi Delta sorority, a collegiate cheerleader, and earned her Bachelors degree in Marketing. After graduation, she returned to school to pursue her passion for healthcare, earning a Bachelors degree in Nursing. While in nursing school, Kylee balanced her academic and clinical responsibilities with a demanding performance schedule as a professional NBA dancer for the Charlotte Hornets, a role she held for three seasons. 

  Following nursing school, Kylee began her career in labor and delivery and postpartum nursing, where she continues to work today, supporting women and families during some of the most meaningful moments of their lives. In 2023, she expanded her public platform after being cast on Season 27 of The Bachelor and later Season 9 of Bachelor in Paradise. Through these experiences, she gained firsthand insight into personal branding, audience engagement and the impact of social media in shaping public narratives and authentic connection. 

  After forming lasting friendships and redefining her personal and professional goals, Kylee made the move from Charlotte, North Carolina to San Diego, California,  where she continues to grow her career in healthcare while leveraging social media as a tool for storytelling influence, and community. 

Closing ceremony