Concurrent 3B: Online Communities: What Does It Take To Make Them Succeed?

Melissa Burke joined Sermo in May 2007 as Director, Strategic Partnerships. In her position, she has managed Sermo’s relationships with medical publishers, medical associations such as the American Medical Association and government agencies such as the Center for Devices and Radiologic Health division of the Food & Drug Administration.

Prior to Sermo, Melissa directed the Application Service Provider divisions of WebCT and Blackboard Inc. (eLearning software companies) including P&L as well as operational responsibilities. Her degrees are in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon (BSME) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MSME with specialization in heat transfer).

Jeff De Cagna is chief strategist and founder of Principled Innovation LLC, and the association community’s leading voice for innovation. After serving as an association executive for more than a decade, Jeff founded Principled Innovation LLC in 2002 to help associations realize their full potential through the pursuit of sustainable innovation. He is an author, speaker and advisor to associations across the country and around the world.

Jeff is a Fellow of ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership, and has served the association community throughout his career in a wide variety of formal and informal contributor roles. He currently serves on The Center for Association Leadership Board of Directors, the Joint Planning Committee and the Research Committee, and is immediate past chair of the Executive Management Section Council.

Jeff is one of the “Five Independent Thinkers” who wrote the groundbreaking book, We Have Always Done It That Way: 101 Things About Associations We Must Change, published by Lulu Enterprises. A graduate of The Johns Hopkins University, Jeff earned a master’s degree from Harvard University.

Corie Lok is Senior Editor, Nature Network (http://network.nature.com), Nature Publishing Group. Corie’s background is in science journalism. Before coming to Nature, she was an editor with Technology Review, MIT’s magazine on emerging technologies where she covered biotechnology, nanotechnology and IT. She began at Nature as an editor with Naturejobs, Nature’s careers section. She then moved into the online world as the senior editor of Nature Network, the professional networking and community website for scientists that includes groups, forums and blogs. She was closely involved in the design and launch of Nature Network in early 2007 and now spends much of her time building an online community of scientists. She also comissions and edits news stories, blogs and directs the continuing
technical development of Nature Network.