Welcome to the inaugural AI Lighthaus Summit powered by The Social Lights. We are committed to exploring how technology can elevate our mission by using creativity to foster genuine human connection on the internet and across social platforms.
Guided by our purpose to Power Brighter Futures, we believe AI has the potential to spark positive change within our work, our clients’ businesses, and our industry at large.
9:15 – 10:00 am
Arrival + Check-In
Enjoy Caribou Coffee and a selection of pastries from French Meadow Bakery (GF and vegan selections available)
📍 Main Entrance
10:00 – 10:15 am
Opening Remarks: Why AI, Why Now?
Speaker: Emily Pritchard, Founder and CEO @ The Social Lights
📍 Steelman Exchange Rooftop, Floor 13
10:15 – 10:45 am
Why Creatives Will Be The Next Tech Giants
Speaker: Caroline Swift Holden, Founder @ Swift Start Go
📍 Steelman Exchange Rooftop, Floor 13
10:45 – 11:30 am
Panel: AI Is Learning, Are We?
Featuring:
Mark Strong, CEO @ Strong Training
Carter Jensen, Director of Curriculum Development @ The Uncommon Business
Issac Hicks, Owner @ Doxci.
Moderated by Stephanie Schafer, President @ The Social Lights
📍 Steelman Exchange Rooftop, Floor 13
11:30 – 12:30 pm
Lunch Break
Baba’s Falafel Waffle Bar, exclusive feature from the MN State Fair New Foods of 2025 (GF and vegan selections available)
📍 Steelman Exchange Rooftop, Floor 13
12:30 – 1:30 pm
Demystifying AI
Speaker: Austin Ambrozi
📍 Steelman Exchange Rooftop, Floor 13
1:30 – 1:50 pm
Break + Move Downstairs
Escorted access to The Social Lights HQ, Floor 1
📍Move from Rooftop to TSL Office
1:50 – 2:10 PM
Breakout Session 1 +2
Session 1: AI Notes That Actually Do Something
Presented by Greta Brecht, Project Manager + Maggie Brick, Project Manager
📍Flex Room
Session 2: AI Glow-Ups: Content That Hits Different
Presented by Brent Barkey, Social Media Director
📍Content Studio
2:20-2:40 PM
Breakout Session 3 + 4
Session 3: Turning Research Into Relevance With NotebookLM
Presented by Lee Cerier, Group Strategy Director
📍Flex Room
Session 4: AI Policy: Guardrails For Greatness
Presented by Ali Olson, Chief Operations Officer + Steve Helland, Attorney @ Fredrikson & Byron
📍Content Studio
2:50-3:10 PM
Breakout Session 5 + 6
Session 5: Group Discussion: Make It Make Sense for You
Facilitated by Jen Novak, Associate Account Director + Annaleah Magnuson, Senior Strategist
📍Flex Room
Session 6: Everything You Need To Build A Custom GPT
Presented by Louie Shearon, Marketing Manager
📍Content Studio
3:10 – 4:00 pm
Social Hour + Goodbyes
Wine, beer, and soft drinks + Wrecktangle Pizza appetizers (GF and vegetarian selections available)
📍Café
Emily Pritchard, Founder and CEO of The Social Lights, has been a driving force in reshaping the social media landscape since 2011. Recognizing the transformative power of social media early on, she built a nimble, social-first agency that has earned recognition from Fortune 500 companies, household-name brands, and top industry awards.
Under Emily’s leadership, The Social Lights has expanded rapidly, pioneering new approaches to social strategy while fostering a talented, industry-leading team. Now, Emily focuses on guiding the next generation of marketers and investing in innovative brands and businesses.
A native of Iowa and avid surfer, Emily is on a mission to surf every continent—a fitting pursuit for someone who has spent her career breaking barriers and defying expectations.
Emily Pritchard, Founder and CEO of The Social Lights, has been a driving force in reshaping the social media landscape since 2011. Recognizing the transformative power of social media early on, she built a nimble, social-first agency that has earned recognition from Fortune 500 companies, household-name brands, and top industry awards.
Under Emily’s leadership, The Social Lights has expanded rapidly, pioneering new approaches to social strategy while fostering a talented, industry-leading team. Now, Emily focuses on guiding the next generation of marketers and investing in innovative brands and businesses.
A native of Iowa and avid surfer, Emily is on a mission to surf every continent—a fitting pursuit for someone who has spent her career breaking barriers and defying expectations.
Austin Ambrozi is the leader of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Group for the Forbes Business Council and is also an AI advisor to numerous presidents and prime ministers via the Lives Amplified institution. Mr Ambrozi is a Managing Partner of the technology company, Autonomi and COO of it’s subsidiary company, Doxci. Autonomi is a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) company and Doxci is an AI-powered unstructured document processor. He is also a mental health influencer on TikTok, with over 150k organic followers.
Emily Pritchard, Founder and CEO of The Social Lights, has been a driving force in reshaping the social media landscape since 2011. Recognizing the transformative power of social media early on, she built a nimble, social-first agency that has earned recognition from Fortune 500 companies, household-name brands, and top industry awards.
Under Emily’s leadership, The Social Lights has expanded rapidly, pioneering new approaches to social strategy while fostering a talented, industry-leading team. Now, Emily focuses on guiding the next generation of marketers and investing in innovative brands and businesses.
A native of Iowa and avid surfer, Emily is on a mission to surf every continent—a fitting pursuit for someone who has spent her career breaking barriers and defying expectations.
Emily Pritchard, Founder and CEO of The Social Lights, has been a driving force in reshaping the social media landscape since 2011. Recognizing the transformative power of social media early on, she built a nimble, social-first agency that has earned recognition from Fortune 500 companies, household-name brands, and top industry awards.
Under Emily’s leadership, The Social Lights has expanded rapidly, pioneering new approaches to social strategy while fostering a talented, industry-leading team. Now, Emily focuses on guiding the next generation of marketers and investing in innovative brands and businesses.
A native of Iowa and avid surfer, Emily is on a mission to surf every continent—a fitting pursuit for someone who has spent her career breaking barriers and defying expectations.
Issac is a seasoned technology executive and AI expert who has led teams across dozens of organizations, guiding AI transformation initiatives from concept to full maturity. His experience spans organizations of all sizes, from early-stage startups to large enterprises, with expertise in mass document processing, large-scale data aggregation, and agentic workflow orchestration for operational automation. The products and initiatives he has led have raised millions of dollars in funding, generated millions in revenue, and saved thousands of hours of resource time.
Issac excels in situations requiring deep analytical and technical insight while maintaining a strategic focus on how technical objectives drive business outcomes. His unique ability to bridge the gap between complex technical implementations and business value makes him an exceptional leader for AI-driven transformation initiatives.
Connect on LinkedIn
Emily Pritchard, Founder and CEO of The Social Lights, has been a driving force in reshaping the social media landscape since 2011. Recognizing the transformative power of social media early on, she built a nimble, social-first agency that has earned recognition from Fortune 500 companies, household-name brands, and top industry awards.
Under Emily’s leadership, The Social Lights has expanded rapidly, pioneering new approaches to social strategy while fostering a talented, industry-leading team. Now, Emily focuses on guiding the next generation of marketers and investing in innovative brands and businesses.
A native of Iowa and avid surfer, Emily is on a mission to surf every continent—a fitting pursuit for someone who has spent her career breaking barriers and defying expectations.
Mark spent 25 years working at boutique and global ad agencies such as Fallon and McCann in many roles ranging from EVP, Chief of Staff, Director of Business Development, Director of Account Management and Director of Learning. In 2004, he started Strong Professional to fully step into his joy space of helping other people learn and grow.
Mark’s favorite quote is “Always be learning.” In another life, Mark is a comedic actor. In this life, Mark calls Minneapolis home.
Connect on LinkedIn
Stephanie, President and Chief Growth Officer of The Social Lights and a leader in Coaching For Leaders Academy, drives business innovation and next-gen marketing. Known for her strategic expertise, she has elevated brands like Sherwin-Williams, Saucony Running, and Wet ‘n Wild Beauty. A multi-award-winning leader, Stephanie excels in shaping high-performance teams and fostering mentorship and community engagement. A passionate advocate for mentorship and community engagement, Stephanie’s contributions have been honored with multiple industry awards, including Effies, Kellys, and Creative Media Awards.
Stephanie, President and Chief Growth Officer of The Social Lights, has 2 AI certifications through the AI Marketing Academy and is active in the Forbes Agency Council, a graduate of the Coaching For Leaders Academy and a former member of Chief. She’s known for driving business innovation and next-gen marketing. Her strategic expertise has elevated brands like Sherwin-Williams, Pepsi, Saucony Running, and Wet ‘n Wild Beauty. A published thought leader and multi-award recipient, Stephanie excels in shaping high-performance teams that drive results for brands. A passionate advocate for mentorship and community engagement, Stephanie’s contributions have been honored with multiple industry awards, including Effies, Kellys, Shortys, Webby’s and Creative Media Awards.
Emily Pritchard, Founder and CEO of The Social Lights, has been a driving force in reshaping the social media landscape since 2011. Recognizing the transformative power of social media early on, she built a nimble, social-first agency that has earned recognition from Fortune 500 companies, household-name brands, and top industry awards.
Under Emily’s leadership, The Social Lights has expanded rapidly, pioneering new approaches to social strategy while fostering a talented, industry-leading team. Now, Emily focuses on guiding the next generation of marketers and investing in innovative brands and businesses.
A native of Iowa and avid surfer, Emily is on a mission to surf every continent—a fitting pursuit for someone who has spent her career breaking barriers and defying expectations.
Emily, Founder and CEO of The Social Lights, has been a driving force in reshaping the social media landscape since 2011. Recognizing the transformative power of social media early on, she built a nimble, social-first agency that has earned recognition from Fortune 500 companies, household-name brands, and top industry awards.
Under Emily’s leadership, The Social Lights has expanded rapidly, pioneering new approaches to social strategy while fostering a talented, industry-leading team. Now, Emily focuses on guiding the next generation of marketers and investing in innovative brands and businesses.
A native of Iowa and avid surfer, Emily is on a mission to surf every continent—a fitting pursuit for someone who has spent her career breaking barriers and defying expectations.
