Conference Chair

Deborah Wiltrout
Assistant Vice President for University Marketing
American University

Deborah Wiltrout is the assistant vice president of marketing for American University. She provides direction for the marketing and branding of the university, supervising the advertising and video production units. Major accomplishments include heading up the university's in-house brand team and the development of the WONK campaign, the university's first institution-wide image and branding campaign to include the integration of enrollment marketing materials, the new Admissions Welcome Center and graduate recruitment advertising.

Prior to coming to AU in August 2009, Wiltrout held a similar position at the University of Maryland for eight years where she developed two brand campaigns including the Fear the Turtle brand campaign (CASE National Circle of Excellence Grand Gold winner); lead the marketing and communication efforts surrounding the university's 150th Anniversary including being the Executive Producer of Keeping the Promise, an 83-minute documentary on the history of the university; oversaw the marketing and launch of the university's new School of Public Health; and promoted a campus-wide open house which attracts 80,000 visitors annually.

Wiltrout started her career working in the private sector as an advertising copywriter, freelance copywriter, and then moved into the position of Senior Account Executive for a well-respected, full-service advertising agency.

Wiltrout has B.S. in Business Administration from The Ohio State University and an MBA from Marymount University.  She was an affiliate faculty member teaching a graduate-level marketing course for Webster University for close to ten years.

Deborah Wiltrout has been professionally involved with the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and the American Marketing Association.

Faculty

Michele Selby
President
Media Works

Michele Selby has been in the advertising industry for more 30 years. Her first employment in the industry began one week after college graduation with a full service agency in Baltimore. She then moved across town to work with another full service advertising agency, TBC, where she stayed for 20 years, moving in rank from media buyer to account manager to media director. In 2006, Selby joined Media Works, a media-only agency. 

She has a wealth of experience and knowledge working with all types of clients, concentrating primarily with retail accounts, travel, healthcare, tourism, automotive and education. Believing the best way to stay connected to the ever-changing media landscape is to actually do the work, she not only manages the Media Works staff, but also personally handles the media planning and buying for several of Media Works' clients.

Selby graduated from Goucher College with a bachelor's degree in mass communciations.