AI is reshaping how work is done. With this, individuals throughout organizations need to acquire new skills to succeed in a changing world and support business innovation. Leaders and professionals need more than just access to AI tools— they need practical AI competence, governance frameworks, and co-thinking competencies. Building these capabilities will help the Kansas City region and its workforce thrive.
A flexible portfolio of learning experiences designed to meet diverse professional and organizational needs.
Kansas City’s leaders and professionals navigating the growing impact of artificial intelligence across their organizations. This initiative is designed for:
Highlighting real-world use cases, emerging issues, and organizational strategies.
What does it really take to reinvent marketing in the age of AI—at global scale?
Featured Speaker: Stephanie Winters McConnell
Wednesday, March 25, 2026 | 8am – 10am
UMKC Bloch Executive Hall
Session Schedule
In this session, you’ll hear the inside story of how Accenture, one of the world’s largest professional services companies, completely reimagined its Marketing & Communications organization. Faced with growing complexity, slower ways of working, and information overload, Accenture didn’t settle for small fixes. Instead, it redesigned how marketing work flows, how teams collaborate, and how technology supports creativity—using automation and AI to remove friction and unlock speed, clarity, and impact.
This is not a technical deep dive or consulting case study. It’s a practical, human story about modern marketing: how AI can amplify (not replace) creative work, how large teams can move faster without losing quality, and what skills and mindsets matter most for the future.
What does it cost?
$Free
About the Speaker
Stephanie Winters McConnell is the Managing Director of Pursuit & Reputation Marketing for Accenture where she oversees a global team responsible for driving sales and enhancing Accenture’s external reputation. She’s a member of the Marketing & Communications executive leadership team and Accenture’s Global Leadership Council.
Throughout her 25+ year career, she has played a variety of leadership roles including serving as the global marketing lead for global sales & strategic accounts, pioneering Accenture’s pursuit-based marketing program and driving the transformation of marketing & communications.
Stephanie has also led executive communications for Accenture’s global Products operating group, serving as the strategic director for both internal and external communications. Additionally, she was the director of marketing & communications for Accenture’s Products North America operating unit where she had responsibility for driving sales, enhancing loyalty, and building Accenture’s image across a set of consumer-relevant industries.
Prior to her marketing roles, Stephanie spent more than a decade as a talent & organizational consultant for the pharmaceutical industry where she specialized in improving business performance through operating model design, change management, and process reinvention.
She is the executive sponsor for Accenture’s women’s employee resource group and International Women’s Day in Kansas City.
Stephanie currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Graceland University and is a former board member for Connections to Success, a not-for profit organization with a vision to help individuals and families achieve economic independence.
Stephanie lives in the Kansas City area with her husband and their two children.
LinkedIn for Stephanie Winters McConnell
Parking: Free parking is available on Levels 5 and 6 of the Cherry Street Parking Garage.
[Click here to download the UMKC campus map.]
Targeted Hands-On Workshops (1-to-2-day sessions) focused on functional areas and sector-specific applications.
Leadership and Co-Thinking Seminars (1-to-2-day sessions) exploring AI’s strategic impact, governance frameworks, and co-thinking capabilities with AI.
AI Accelerators helping organizations implement AI solutions across a four-month workshop series
On-Demand Resources: Flexible access to curated learning content to support continuous growth.
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