WVU is preparing to host a series of individual, personalized ceremonies for each school and college at a variety of venues on the Evansdale Campus and around Morgantown, including the WVU Coliseum, Creative Arts Center (CAC) and Morgantown Event Center from May 9-11. The WVU P.I. Reed School of Journalism will hold its May Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 10, at 9:30 a.m. at the CAC. This year’s keynote speaker will be Amy Webb, digital media futurist and Founder of Webbmedia Group, a digital strategy agency that spots near-term emerging technology trends and develops innovative ideas and strategies for media organizations, Fortune 100 and 500 companies, large nonprofits, universities and government agencies. Recently, Amy’s team worked with American Express to re-imagine the future of credit cards on mobile phones and Time Inc to develop content strategies for screenless computing. In addition, Amy is the Co-Founder ofSpark Camp, a next-generation think tank that brings together bright minds to imagine the future and to solve problems in society.
Amy holds many professional affiliations and collaborates with a number of institutions. She is a Delegate on the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission, a Lecturer in the Sulzberger Leadership Program at Columbia University, a member of the Aspen Institute Dialogue on Libraries, and a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Interactive Media Peer Group – Emmy award judge). She is on the Board of Directors for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and and serves on several startup and advisory boards, including the SXSW Accelerator, Temple University’s School of Media and Communication and the International Center for Journalists.
Amy originally attended the Jacobs School of Music to study classical clarinet and has an M.S. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She also earned Nikyu Certification in the Japanese government-administered Language Proficiency Test and speaks fluently.
Amy began her career as a reporter/ writer with Newsweek (Tokyo) and the Wall Street Journal (Hong Kong) where she covered emerging technology, media and cultural trends. She contributes to a number of publications, including the Harvard Business Review and Slate, where she writes the Data Mine column.
In 2013, Amy published Data, A Love Story (Dutton/ Penguin), a bestselling book about the world of online dating, consumer behavior and finding love via algorithms. Amy was featured on Good Morning America, 20/20, The View, NPR and CNN, and her book was covered by numerous media outlets, including People Magazine, Time, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Wired, Elle, Slate, Huffington Post, Grazia, ReadWrite, Mashable and many others. Data has since been translated into several languages and has garnered a worldwide audience. Last year, Forbes named Amy one of the “Women Changing The World,” while the Columbia Journalism Review included Amy on its 20 Women To Watch in Media list.
To see a list of all of WVU’s Commencement speakers, visit WVU Today.