In today’s unrelenting, fast-paced corporate landscape, knowing your stress triggers, as well as those of the people around you, is the key to success. This is where Joanna Dodd Massey, Ph.D, MBA shines. She is a seasoned C-level communications executive and Board Director with 30 years of experience in the media industry at companies such as CBS, Viacom, Lionsgate, Discovery, Hasbro, and Condé Nast.

 

Dr. Massey is an expert on change who became fascinated with how people react to stress while working as a high-powered executive in Hollywood. She has managed crisis communications, brand reputation, culture transformation, corporate social responsibility, and multi-million-dollar P&Ls. When it comes to high stress situations, she has experienced more than most, and while she has an innate high tolerance for change and has even been called the “Queen of Pivoting,” it wasn’t until she took a deeper dive into the psychology of how we handle stress that she found everyday strategies to manage her own stress triggers and ultimately help her teams do the same.

 

With graduate degrees in psychology and business, as well as 30 years of practical experience as an executive in Fortune 500 companies, Dr. Massey  brings unparalleled insights to mastering stress and emerging stronger than ever before, which she does in an entertaining way weaving in stories from her career in Hollywood.

 

Keynote Speeches

Corporate

Uber

Capital One

LVMH

NBCUniversal

OWN Television Network

White & Case, LLC

Meriwest Credit Union

Eleven Canterbury

 

Academia

Columbia University

Harvard University

Pace University

 

Special Interest Groups

Golden Seeds

Hollywood IT Society

Hollywood Radio & Television Society

International Women’s Forum

Mayshad Choice

Senior Women in Media, Australia

Women in Cable and Telecommunications

Women in Tech Hollywood

 

CV

Board Director

• TessPay Inc., Chairman of the Board (2022–present)

• KULR Technology Group (NYSE: KULR), Lead Independent Director (2021–present)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Independent Director (2021–present)

• The Planting Hope Company (TSXV: MYLK), Advisory Board (2023–present)

• Thumzup Media Corporation (OTCQB: TZUP), Advisory Board (2023–present)

• 8B Education Investments, Advisory Board (2018–present)

 

Corporate Roles

• Condé Nast Entertainment, Head of Communications (2017-2019)

• Lionsgate, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications (2015-2017)

• Discovery Communications Inc./Hasbro Inc., Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications & Publicity, Hub Network (2013-2015)

• JDMA Inc., Management Consultant (2007-2013)

• CBS Corporation, Senior Vice President, Communications, West Coast (2006-2007)

• CBS Corporation, Senior Vice President, Media Relations, UPN (2001-2006)

• LMNO Productions, Vice President, PR Marketing & New Business Development (1998–2001)

• CBS Corporation, Senior Publicist (1994–1998)

• Fleishman-Hillard, Account Executive (1991–1994)

 

Education

Cornell Law, Master of Science in Legal Studies (expected completion 2025)

Harvard University, Graduate Certificate, Corporate Finance (2018)

University of Southern California, Master of Business Administration (2016)

Sofia University, Ph.D. Doctor of Psychology (2012)

Antioch University, Los Angeles, Master of Arts in Psychology (2010)

University of Southern California, Bachelor of Arts in Journalism (1990)

Dr. Joanna Dodd Massey is a public company Board Director experienced in change management, M&A integration, crisis communications, and governance. In her board roles for public and private companies, Dr. Massey has served as Chairman of the Board, Lead Independent Director, Chair of Nominations & Governance, Chair of Compensation, and a member of the Audit, Strategic Finance, and Pricing Committees. Her current Board rolesinclude KULR Technology Group (NYSE:KULR), TessPay Inc. (private), and The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (private). She is also on the Advisory Board of Thumzup Media
Corporation (OTC:TZUP) and 8B Education Investments, a fintech startup.

 

Dr. Massey has a PhD in psychology, an MBA, and 30 years of experience advising Chairmen and CEOs during the most challenging times, including major crises, whistleblower complaints, public-facing lawsuits, and M&A transactions. As a corporate communications executive, Dr. Massey managed integration during major M&A transactions at Lionsgate, CBS, and Discovery; corporate turnaround as Condé Nast pivoted from print to video; and crisis communications with consumers, employees, investors, regulators, and politicians. She is based in the United States and has international experience working with partners in Europe, the UK, China and India.

 

She is a frequent keynote speaker for global companies, such as Uber, Capital One, LVMH and NBCUniversal. Dr. Massey helps employees navigate change and conflict so they are more effective at their jobs. She is the author of two books:  "Culture Shock: Surviving Five Generations in One Workplace” and “Communicating During a Crisis: Influencing Others When the Stakes Are High.”

 

Dr. Massey holds multiple degrees in both business and psychology, including an MBA from USC and a Graduate Certificate in Corporate Finance from Harvard; as well as a Doctorate in Transpersonal Psychology from Sofia University, and a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, Los Angeles. While receiving her psychology degrees, Dr. Massey served as a therapist in a community clinic and then as a personal coach working with individual clients and holding public workshops to help people recognize conditioned thinking and achieve higher levels of personal and professional success.

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