VELOCITY

 July 16 - 17 | Chicago, IL

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Marketing. Communications. Leadership. Reinvented.

Velocity Color (5)

The Velocity Summit is where the future of marketing, communications, and leadership takes shape. Designed for senior leaders, it’s a forward-looking, carefully curated brand-side experience that helps executives shape what’s next and lead with clarity and confidence.

This uniquely curated experience is a collaboration between Medill Executive Education and The Athena Project, combining the rigor of world-class research, thought leadership, and a powerful network of senior-level alumni with a deeply curated community of accomplished executives focused on influence, growth, and impact. Together, we are operationalizing a standard that prioritizes substance, not surface.

Medill Executive Education

Medill Executive Education empowers executives with a comprehensive understanding of how audience- and customer-centricity can drive stakeholder engagement and generate value.​

Participants gain cutting-edge knowledge and practical skills to make meaningful contributions to their organizations and advance their own goals.

Medill Executive Education
Athena Logo

The Athena Project

Founded by Rishad Tobaccowala and Drew Ianni, The Athena Project is a by-invitation, referral-based community, content, and convening platform focused on modern leadership and designed to help current and future leaders as they ascend into the C-Suite, senior operating, and board roles and build out portfolio careers.

Featured Sessions

Rishad Tobaccowala The Athena Project

Getting Published

Co-led by Athena Project Co-Founder Rishad Tobaccowala,  twice published by HarperCollins,  this practical workshop explores the realities of writing, positioning, pitching and publishing a book in today’s market, from shaping a compelling thesis to finding the right publishing path and building an audience that matters.
Helen Lin Publicis Groupe Tara Walpert Levy Americas YouTube 800x534 (400 x 265 px)

Fireside Chat

In this candid fireside conversation, Helen Lin and Tara Walpert Levy, two of digital’s most respected pioneers, reflect on leadership, reinvention, and staying ahead of constant change. The discussion will explore what it takes to build an enduring career, lead through disruption and continue evolving as the industry reinvents itself in real time..
Sherina Smith

Keynote: Sherina Smith 

This conversation explores why modern marketing leadership has become less about managing campaigns and more about creating organizational clarity, alignment, and momentum across increasingly complex businesses, and why the ability to connect people, functions, and strategy may become one of the most important drivers of sustainable growth.

Don Schultz Award

Don Schultz

Father of IMC

The Don Schultz Award for Innovation in Teaching, Theory and Practice of Integrated Marketing Communication honors the legacy of late Medill Professor Don Schultz, who played a pivotal role in creating the field of Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) and helped establish the IMC department at Medill in the early 1990s.

This international award is open to marketing professors or professionals who have demonstrated excellence in teaching the principles of IMC and have developed new frameworks for communicating with customers and driving financial performance.

Learn more about Don Schultz and his legacy.

Wendy Clark

Wendy Clark, 2026 Don Schultz Award Recipient

Northwestern’s Medill School, the Schultz Family, and The Athena Project are proud to present this year's Don Schultz Award to veteran marketer, operator, and agency executive, Wendy Clark.

Wendy's career accomplishments have been widely recognized, including her 2007 induction into the American Advertising Federation's Advertising Hall of Achievement and, in 2017, Advertising Age's naming Wendy their "Executive of the Year". 

Featured Speakers

Charles Whitaker

Dean and Professor
Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications
Northwestern University

Helen Lin

Chief Digital Officer
Publicis Groupe

Bradley Akubuiro

Partner
Bully Pulpit International

Tara Walpert Levy

VP, Americas
YouTube

Sheena Rubin

Head of Earned & Social Media
US Army

Shelby Saville

CEO
Starcom
Medill IMC Chicago

Venue

Velocity will be held at 303 East Wacker Drive, home to Medill's downtown Chicago campus. Located in the heart of the city along the Chicago Riverwalk, the building is easy to reach whether you're coming from across town or across the country.

Directions
Sheraton

Hotel: The Sheraton Grand Chicago

Located in the heart of the River North district and a six-minute walk from Medill's downtown campus, the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk is an urban sanctuary amid iconic downtown Chicago attractions.

Book a Room

FAQ

Is Velocity right for you?
Velocity is designed for senior-level brand-side executives with a passion for anticipating what’s next and leading the change in communications, marketing, and media.
How many tickets are there?
 Velocity is limited to 100 attendees 
Where is Velocity?
 The event will be hosted at Medill’s downtown Chicago campus at 303 East Wacker, Chicago, IL 
When do ticket sales end?
Velocity is a limited-ticket event with only 100 spots available. We encourage prompt registration once you’ve received your invitation. Once the event is sold out, we won’t be releasing extra tickets.
Do you offer group ticket sales?
Yes, once you receive an invitation to register, you may purchase up to 4 tickets for brand-side colleagues at the VP level or above.