Work with thought leaders and academic experts from Loyola University Chicago

Dr. Jenna Drenten is an associate professor of marketing in the Quinlan School of Business where she studies *digital consumer culture*: the sociocultural role of social media platforms in everyday consumer life. Her research explains how digital culture—from social media algorithms to the influencer attention economy—structures social and cultural consumption ideologies and how consumers’ lived experiences are mediated, translated, and commodified through digital culture. This includes multiple facets of digital consumer culture—from individual consumer behavior to systemic macro-level structures—across a range of social media platforms. Jenna is an expert in the field of marketing on qualitative social media research methods. Jenna’s work has been published in leading academic journals such as *Journal of Consumer Research*, *Journal of Advertising*, and *New Media & Society*, and her expertise has been featured extensively in media outlets including *The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times,* and *The Washington Post*. For more information, go to [www.jennadrenten.com](http://www.jennadrenten.com/). Jenna serves as an associate editor for the *Journal of Advertising Research*, as the communications chair for GENMAC: Gender, Markets, and Consumers, and as an associate board member for the Chicago Public Library Foundation. In the Quinlan School of Business, she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in marketing, integrated marketing communications, social media marketing, and brand storytelling. Before pursuing her Ph.D., Jenna worked in corporate communications at BMW Manufacturing Co. in Greer, SC and worked in special events and marketing at Minyanville Media, Inc., an Emmy-Award winning online financial publishing company in New York City.

I am an Associate Professor in Psychology involved in scholarly research, teaching, and graduate-level training of mental health practitioners. I have particular expertise in research that centers on multiple dimensions of identity development (e.g., racial-ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, etc.,), family and environmental socialization, and implications of adoption throughout the lifespan. I typically use frameworks of contact theory, intersectionality, and minority stress theory in my scholarship and teaching. I also am a private practitioner who works with clients and families who are in some way, connected to the adoption triad (i.e., adoptee, birth parent, and adoptive parents) and face a variety of intersectional concerns related to race-ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender diversity, immigration status, religion, and disability status. I am also the co-founder of a non-profit group in Chicago, Korean Adoptees of Chicago, an organization dedicated to promoting education and awareness about issues surrounding transracial and international adoption.

Daniel Maday is a highly educated and experienced professional in the field of Industrial Organizational Psychology. He received his Master's degree from Roosevelt University in 2016, and his Bachelor's degree from Loyola University Chicago in 2014. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Illinois Institute of Technology specializing in training and gamification. With over 10 years of experience, Daniel has worked in various roles within the field of psychology, including as an Adjunct Faculty at the University of Hartford, a Virtual Classroom Producer at DDI, and a Co-Founder at The Ozymandias Project. He has also worked as a Writer/Producer at Heavy Thought Studios and as a Coordinator for Curriculum Development at the Chicago Transit Authority. Daniel's expertise lies in areas such as human resources, talent management, organizational development, and leadership development. He has a strong passion for helping individuals and organizations reach their full potential through effective strategies and interventions. In addition to his professional experience, Daniel is also published in The Organizational Psychologist (TIP) with his work as SIOP UN's internship coordinator and has presented at the SIOP conference on student led DEI initiatives. He is dedicated to staying up-to-date on the latest developments and research in his field and is committed to continuous learning and growth. In his free time, Daniel enjoys playing and DMing Dungeons and Dragons, brewing mead, and making jewelry. He also volunteers with various organizations that focus on history communication / access and diplomacy crafting.

I have worked on host-microbiome interactions in mice investigating signature/keystone bacterial genera in a clinical outcome, as well as microbiome analysis from environmental samples. Furthermore, I have analyzed 16S amplicon sequencing data, Shotgun metagenomic data, and differential gene expression. I have been part of microbiome data analysis for our collaborators working on resident urobiome of women with rUTI, microbiome associated colorectal cancer, Leukemia, hematopoietic cell and kidney transplant, and on bacterial epiphytes on *Cladophora* algae. My research has been accepted/published in peer-reviewed journals such as *Nature Immunology*, *Gut Microbes*, *Plant Physiology and Biochemistry*, *The Plant Journal*, *PLoS One*, *Research in Microbiology*, *Microbiological Research, Journal of Plant Physiology* etc.

I am an experienced IT professional. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Loyola University Chicago in 2007. After graduation, I decided to switch careers from healthcare to technology. I knew I wanted to be a developer, but had to work my way up there. I have over 6 years of experience as a backend java developer. I have worked at various reputable companies such as iManage, Morningstar, and IBM. Currently, I'm employed at iManage with the position of Senior Software Engineer. In my free time, I play with my kids and spend time with family. I also play videogames and enjoy watching anime.

Dr. Melanie LaForce has twenty years of experience in research and evaluation. She has developed many grant proposals, academic journal articles and conferences presentations, and practitioner-focused publications. She is an expert in research design, project management, analysis and synthesis. Dr. LaForce was the principal investigator of multiple large-scale grants at the University of Chicago, where she worked for 12 years. Her work has influenced public policy at the district, state, national, and international level. LaForce has a human-centered perspective on research, developing comprehensive methods that best capture and describe the experiences of those we serve. LaForce has broad experience in program evaluation, particularly quasi-experimental and mixed-methods designs. A social psychologist, LaForce develops social research measures (such as surveys, interviews, and secondary data analysis) with a focus on precision and power.