Kalahari Resorts & Conventions
Round Rock, TX

As Director of Public Safety Platforms at Futuri Media, Marc Jaromin leads the development and deployment of BEACON. In this role, Marc collaborates with public safety officials and broadcasters to deliver an exclusive emergency management platform that empowers first responders to better inform their communities before, during, and after any evolving emergency event.

Experienced in all aspects of media operations and organizational advancement, Marc is an entrepreneurial professional specializing in building groundbreaking teams that consistently deliver innovative content and community engagement.

Marc’s career highlights include owner/operator of WDBD-Fox40, WUFX-MY35, and WXMS-MeTV in Jackson, Mississippi; Mojo Brands Media, a national production company in Winter Park, Florida; and Stratus Broadcasting, a 27-station shared services facility in Davenport, Iowa.

Marc has also held VP/GM positions with the EW Scripps Company (WKBW-7ABC in Buffalo, New York) and the Nexstar Media Group (WROC-CBS8/ WUHF-Fox31 in Rochester, New York).

In Washington, DC, Marc serves as Co-Dean of the National Association of Broadcasters Educational Foundation’s Broadcast Leadership Training program. While in Albany, New York, Marc is Dean of the New York State Broadcasters Association’s Rising Leaders training program.

Kalahari Resorts & Conventions
Round Rock, TX

Matthew Straeb is Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Alert FM, where he applies over 25 years of experience in FM broadcasting, mobile-data systems, RF and digital design, and cybersecurity to improve emergency alert resilience.

He leads development of the nationwide Alert FM (GSSNet) infrastructure, which delivers encrypted, targeted alerts through FM radio subcarriers—even when internet and cellular networks are down .

Before joining GSS, Straeb served as VP of Marketing & Product Management for da Vinci Systems and as President of Orad Inc., a subsidiary of Orad Hi-Tec Systems.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Southern Methodist University, where he also lectures as a visiting professor .

Matthew is active in industry and regulatory groups—contributing to FCC CSRIC, NAB’s National Radio Systems Committee, and the Consumer Electronics Association’s CAP-to-Fixed/Mobile working group—helping shape standards and policies in emergency communications.

Kalahari Resorts & Conventions
Round Rock, TX

Dr. Edward Czarnecki is Vice President of Global and Government Affairs at Digital Alert Systems, a leading provider of emergency information solutions for the media industry.

Dr. Czarnecki serves on the Board of Directors for the Advanced Television Systems Committee, or ATSC, where he is also Vice-Chair of the Advanced Emergency Information Implementation Team. He is an active member of several important working groups, including FEMA’s IPAWS Select Working Group and Canada’s Alert Technical Working Group.

He also serves on the Steering Committee of the AWARN Alliance and has contributed his expertise to FEMA’s National Advisory Council alerting group as well as the FCC’s Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council.

Dr. Czarnecki has advised multiple countries on deploying effective public warning systems, working with broadcasters, cable, mobile, and satellite industries across the Americas and Europe.

He earned his Ph.D. from Georgetown University and holds a Master’s Degree and Certificate in International Law from St. John’s University.

Kalahari Resorts & Conventions
Round Rock, TX

Michael Schneider is Vice President for Legislative and Regulatory Affairs at the Texas Association of Broadcasters. 

He began is broadcasting career in 1980 as an assignments editor and associate producer for Houston’s KTRK-TV.  During his four decades in broadcasting, Schneider has also served as News Director, Asst. News Director and Assignments Manager at Austin’s KTBC-TV and KEYE-TV. Since joining TAB in 1996, he has been a leading advocate for Texas broadcasters, driving legislative efforts to protect and strengthen newsgathering rights.

Michael led Texas’ effort to pass the Texas reporter shield law in 2009.  In subsequent legislative sessions he worked to pass the state’s anti-SLAPP litigation law (2011), Defamation Mitigation Act (2013), protections for newsgatherers when reporting third-party allegations, and several upgrades to Texas Public Information Act and Texas Open Meetings Act.

Michael heads up TAB’s legal hotline, legal guides, and ongoing training and career enhancement programs for broadcast newsrooms.  

Schneider graduated from the University of Houston with a BA in Radio-Television-Film and a minor in Political Science.

Kalahari Resorts & Conventions
Round Rock, TX

Davina Sashkin is a Partner at Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP where she advises broadcast and telecommunications clients on FCC compliance and policy strategies, negotiates mergers and acquisitions, and counsels radio and television broadcast clients of all sizes on FCC licensing matters.

Davina regularly represents clients in written and oral advocacy before the Commission and in federal appellate courts.

Kalahari Resorts & Conventions
Round Rock, TX

Tracy Gilliam is a founding executive at Futuri and a media-tech leader focused on using artificial intelligence to solve critical challenges in broadcasting and public safety.

With a background in journalism and more than 16 years at the forefront of media technology innovation, Tracy has helped shape how news and emergency information are delivered in a rapidly evolving landscape.

She began her career as a broadcast journalist at KMOX in St. Louis and went on to hold senior leadership roles at Clear Channel and CBS Radio, overseeing major markets and driving revenue growth.

In 2010, she founded TopLine Matters, a research and sales intelligence platform for broadcasters, which was acquired by Futuri in 2015 and continues to scale as one of the company’s leading AI-powered tools.

Today, she serves on Futuri’s executive leadership team, leading strategic initiatives that bridge AI, content intelligence, and real-time communication.

Tracy was also instrumental in the development of BEACON—Futuri’s AI-powered emergency alerting platform designed to help broadcasters and public safety officials deliver timely, accurate information during crises.

Her work on BEACON reflects a deep commitment to harnessing technology for life-saving impact, empowering media organizations to better serve their communities when it matters most.