IGNITE! 2025 Session: Insights & Ethics Panel – 1:15-2:15 p.m. Friday, September 26 upstairs at Cintas Center
Trust & Transparency: The New Currency of Customer Loyalty
When consumers demand authentic transparency while guarding their privacy, marketers face an unprecedented balancing act. Customers want personalized experiences, but opt out of the data collection that enables them. As AI becomes central to generating insights, we must question where our insights truly come from. Is it human understanding, algorithmic patterns, or something in between?
This panel tackles the practical ethics of “getting real” in 2025. Our diverse panel explores:
The Insights Challenge: Where insights originate, how we validate them, and when to trust AI-generated patterns vs. human intuition
The AI Trust Gap: Understanding how LLMs are trained, recognizing built-in biases, and being transparent about algorithmic decision-making
The Personalization Paradox: Delivering custom experiences when customers opt out of enabling technology
Strategic Transparency: Showing just enough of the ‘how,’ including AI’s role, to build trust and align with the brand’s vibe without overwhelming customers.
We’ll explore the push-pull between leveraging AI’s power and acknowledging its limitations, between efficiency and human judgment, between data-driven insights and ethical considerations. Our panelists will share frameworks for building trust when algorithms influence everything from insights to interactions.
Because in the Vibe Economy, trust isn’t just about being honest—it’s about being transparent about how we know what we know, and why customers should believe us.
Perfect For:
Leaders, marketers, researchers, and agency pros who want to ensure that their brand is showing up in a way that is tone-attuned, trustworthy, and true to both who YOU are and who you serve. Join our lively discussion!
PANELISTS
Connie Rankin Ross
Talent Manager – Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, 84.51˚
Connie Ross leads the charge for organizational progress with respect to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) at 84.51°. She ensures that an inclusion and belonging lens is applied across organizational decision-making and transformation, while also supporting Leadership, Talent Development, Recruiting, and Business Partners in executing on the vision and values of 84.51° to deliver on business goals. Connie boasts more than 20 years of experience, formerly serving as the VP and chair of diversity, equity and inclusion at Empower Media, an advertising and marketing agency where she helped to lead internal and external DEI initiatives such as listening sessions, an agency-wide implicit bias training, facilitated a plan for media-supplier diversification, launched a DEI speaker series and an initiative to identify creative ways to support minority-owned businesses, AAPI and LGBTQ+ communities. She was inducted as a 2022 AMA Cincinnati Marketing Legend and was the recipient of the 2022 CLIMB Award for “Seizing Every Angle to Do Better”. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Bowling Green University and an MBA from Xavier University. She sits on the board for ArtWorks and Learning Thru Art – two art organizations with missions that help support youth employment, literacy and community engagement. Connect with Connie on LinkedIn.
Tracy Ruberg
CEO & Fractional CIO, T6 Group and Executive Director, The Circuit
Tracy Ruberg is a dynamic leader in the technology industry, serving as President of T6 Group and Executive Director of The Circuit, Greater Cincinnati’s non-profit IT association. With more than 30 years of experience in operations, technology, and sales, Tracy helps organizations navigate digital transformation and align technology with strategic business goals. At The Circuit, she is dedicated to connecting IT professionals across the region, creating opportunities for collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and professional growth. Under her leadership, The Circuit has strengthened the local tech community and raised the Technology IQ of the region. Tracy’s career began in the early days of IT, where she quickly earned a reputation for her technical expertise and problem-solving skills. Over time, she held roles at companies including Dell, HP, and EMC, which shaped her ability to bridge the gap between technology and business. She later founded T6 Group to help organizations avoid common pitfalls she had seen repeated, offering strategies grounded in both technical acumen and business insight.
Her approach is defined by curiosity, clarity of outcomes, and transparent communication. She has led initiatives across industries, including healthcare, finance, and manufacturing, delivering technology solutions that drive efficiency and growth. Tracy’s contributions have earned her numerous awards and recognition for leadership and impact. She holds a degree in Quantitative Business Analysis and Marketing from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and continues to be driven by a passion for technology, community, and empowering others. Connect with Tracy on LinkedIn.
Jenell Walton
Vice President – Content, Cincinnati Public Radio
Jenell is a Cincinnati native and has a long career in media and nonprofit management and governance. She was a reporter and anchor at WCPO-TV, a reporter for The List, a nationally syndicated news magazine, and a reporter with WLWT for 16 years before working for Cincinnati Metro, the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio, and the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau. She has served on numerous governing and advisory boards, including the Women in Film Cincinnati board and is currently Board Chair for Public Media Content Collective. Jenell oversees all programming on classical music WGUC-FM and non-news programming on WVXU-FM, as well as marketing, outreach, events and online/social media activities. Connect with Jenell on LinkedIn.
Nate Sowder
Ecosystem Innovation Manager, Fifth Third Bank
Nate Sowder advises Fortune 1000 executives and startup founders on AI strategy and corporate innovation. He writes unquoted, a weekly series on overlooked thinkers who shaped how we design, decide and innovate. Nate also serves as an executive-in-residence with Cintrifuse and The Entrepreneurs Center, where he mentors founders and leads tactical workshops on AI adoption. His work bridges boardrooms, accelerators, and research labs with one through-line: challenging people to think better before they build. Connect with Nate on LinkedIn.
MODERATOR
Betty Rodriguez Hakes
Owner & Marketing Technology Consultant, Gourmet Betty
Betty Rodriguez-Hakes is a seasoned MarTech consultant, business analyst, and project manager with over 20 years of experience helping marketing teams make smarter technology decisions. She partners with organizations to evaluate tech stacks, lead cross-functional teams, and translate complex business needs into scalable, results-driven solutions. From AI implementation and customer data platforms to programmatic media buying and content operations, Betty bridges the gap between marketing and IT with a business-first mindset. Most recently, Betty led the selection, implementation, and long-term execution of a global programmatic media buying and data warehouse solution for a Fortune 500 company. She has also spearheaded marketing automation initiatives and developed strategic roadmaps that align platforms, people, and processes to deliver measurable business outcomes. Outside of consulting, Betty is the founder of GourmetBetty.com, a platform focused on healthy cooking, meal planning, and food education. She creates content, teaches interactive cooking classes, and leads corporate Lunch & Learns and family-focused workshops that integrate AI tools and strategy for personalized planning. With an emphasis on local, seasonal foods and reducing reliance on processed meals, she empowers individuals and communities to cook with confidence. Betty proudly serves on the Board of AMA Cincinnati and is honored to contribute to this year’s CX conference as part of the steering committee. Connect with Betty on LinkedIn.
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