Donna Wertalik

Donna Wertalik is a **Professor of Practice** and **Director of Student Engagement** at Virginia Tech's Pamplin College of Business. She also founded and advises **PRISM**, a student social media organization. Her roles include strategic marketing leadership for the college, digital transformation initiatives, and bridging academia with industry.

Educations: B.S. in Marketing (Fairleigh Dickinson University), M.S. in Marketing (Southern New Hampshire University), and a Graduate Certification in Social Media & Data Analysis (Southern New Hampshire University).

Research Interests: Social Media Strategy, Data Analysis, Brand Management, and Real-World Marketing Applications. She has pioneered initiatives like PRISM, which earned multiple Telly Awards and a Gold MUSE Award for its campaigns. PRISM also won nominations as Student Organization of the Year and Advisor of the Year.

Recognition: Recipient of National Telly Awards (2009, 2010, 2016–2023), Addy Awards, Bloomberg Business Week's 'Favorite Professor,' and Virginia Tech's 'Favorite Faculty.' Notable for her work with Senator Mark Warner on women in business and entrepreneurship.

Professional Contributions: Advisor to **PSE**, **PRISM**, and **AMA**; raised over $250k in sponsorships for student initiatives. Key roles in the $250M **Global Business and Analytics Complex (GBAC)** campaign and strategic partnerships with Coca-Cola and Ferguson.

Media & Outreach: Co-host of *Voices of Privacy*, a digital initiative addressing information privacy. Invited speaker at Dreamforce, Sales Connections, and industry conferences. Maintains a consulting firm (**Speak Marketing**) to balance academia and industry insights.