*Special Thursday night forum with Highdive.
Forum Topic: Taking a Leap
About Joe Nio (Strategy, 2000):
Joe leads all things strategy at Highdive, which includes consumer research, data analytics, and measurement. Joe often describes strategy as “staging the conditions for creative magic to happen” and fluidly combines methodologies from market research, data science, design thinking, behavioral sciences, brand strategy, and improv. With a passion for customer research, Joe pushes an “outside-in, insight out” perspective of audiences within the context of evolving shifts in broader culture. Prior to Highdive, Joe served in strategy leadership roles, managing and mentoring strategy talent for agencies such as Leo Burnett, TBWA Chiat Day, Ogilvy, and VSA Partners. Joe is also a musician, runner, and father of three teenagers who love challenging his cultural fluency (cool factor) on a daily basis.
About Suzanne Stovall:
With over 17 years of client management experience, Suzanne has spent her career building teams and leading strong creative partnerships that solve business problems. At Highdive, Suzanne helps lead the State Farm, Airheads, Mentos, NHL, and Frito-Lay businesses, focusing on healthy client relationships first and foremost. Before Highdive, Suzanne was a Group Account Director at Arts & Letters Creative Co., where she ran accounts including Google, Zola, NBC News, and Constant Contact. Prior to that, she led the Capital One account at DDB Chicago as SVP, Group Account Director. Her early career was spent in Nashville, TN at The Buntin Group and in San Francisco, CA at Mortar. Originally from Richmond, VA, Suzanne moved back with her husband, Chris, in 2017 and they have two very energetic boys, Wesley (8) and Charlie (4), and the sweetest dachshund, Bella (11).
About Jonathan Richman:
In 9th grade, Jonathan took an Advertising & Design class at Huntington High School on Long Island (which he later learned is kind of weird for a high school to offer) and he was hooked. Since then he’s gotten his driver’s license, graduated from Syracuse University, worked at Trader Joe’s, led the portfolio program at Northwestern, and spent time winning awards at several agencies, including FCB Chicago, DDB Chicago, The Martin Agency, and now Highdive, where he is a Group Creative Director. While he’s spent a lot of time helping to grow the business of brands like Jersey Mike’s, McDonald’s, Skittles, Starburst, Milky Way, Rocket Mortgage, and DoorDash, he also enjoys helping his son build epic Lego cities and helping to brush the knots out of his daughter’s hair before giving up and handing the brush to his wonderful wife.