MCEI Seattle holds a dinner meeting each month with a distinguished marketing or communications presenter. Presenters bring a behind the scenes perspective and high-level industry marketing insights. Speakers share provocative stories, ideas, positions, and concepts, including controversial topics.
See below for our current upcoming program.
No Dinner in August 2026: Summer Break
MEMBERS: Feel free to join us at our August Board Meeting in Ballard on Wed. Aug. 12. For more details, email president@mcei-seattle.org.
September 2026
WEDNESDAY, september 9, 2026 - 5:30 P.M. - IVAR’S SALMON HOUSE
Marketing the Brain: Building a Brand in a White Space Category
How do you market a concept that no one has ever heard of, using technologies most people don’t even know exist? That is the exact challenge that faced Xenia Kachur, biomedical engineer and founder of Mindeo Brain Fitness. Born out of her own recovery from a life-altering rock-climbing accident, Mindeo pioneers "biophysical brain fitness"—using physical, biological mechanisms and cutting-edge tech to combat neuroinflammation and optimize brain health. In this presentation, Xenia will take us behind the scenes of building a brand in a completely uncharted white space. She will share the unique hurdles of navigating consumer education versus conversion, translating complex neuroscience into compelling messaging, and introducing unfamiliar technology to a skeptical market.
Xenia Kachur
CEO, Mindeo
LinkedIn Profile
Xenia Kachur is a bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and the Co-founder and CEO of Mindeo, a Seattle-based company pioneering new approaches to cognitive longevity. With a background in biomedical engineering, she brings a rigorous, science-based lens to brain health—helping thousands of people improve memory, clarity, and mood as they age. A recognized leader in the field of cognitive wellness, Xenia is known for making complex neuroscience accessible, relevant, and actionable. Her bestselling book Mindfire distills a decade of brain health research into strategies for staying sharp in an increasingly distracted world. Her mission is to help people stay mentally strong for life—so they can lead, contribute, and enjoy what matters most.
October 2026
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2026 - 5:30 P.M. - IVAR’S SALMON HOUSE
From Boardroom to Business Owner: Building a Premium Brand in an Unexpected Industry
After more than 30 years leading product management, merchandising, and brand initiatives for companies like Brooks Running, lululemon, Columbia Sportswear, and REI, I made an unexpected leap into entrepreneurship by launching PureClean Outdoor—a company built around elevating the homeowner experience in an industry where branding is rarely considered a competitive advantage.
In this session, I'll share why leaving corporate wasn't the biggest challenge—letting go of my assumptions was. We'll explore what surprised me most, how decades of experience building global brands became my greatest competitive advantage, and why entrepreneurship gave me the opportunity to express that thinking by building something that reflects my own values, vision, and purpose.
Heather Cvitkovic
Owner, PureClean Outdoor
LinkedIn Profile
Heather Cvitkovic is the founder of PureClean Outdoor, a woman-owned premium home services company serving the greater Seattle area. Before launching her business, she spent more than 30 years leading product management, merchandising, and development for brands including Brooks Running, lululemon, Columbia Sportswear, and REI, where she specialized in building products, leading teams, and creating exceptional customer experiences.
Today, Heather brings that same strategic thinking to an industry where it is rarely expected, proving that the principles behind great brands—trust, consistency, and customer experience—can transform even the most traditional businesses.
November 2026
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2026 - 5:30 P.M. - IVAR’S SALMON HOUSE
What's Your Egg? Designing for Human Agency in the Age of AI
We open with a short film about Betty Crocker, a failed product, and the fix that saved it. When you remove all friction from an experience, you don't create delight — you create disconnection. People need to feel like they matter in the process.
Then we get to work.
This session unpacks a set of principle-based design patterns for building agentic AI experiences that keep people genuinely engaged. Not interface rules or platform playbooks — durable principles you can apply whether you're designing a marketing tool, a customer service agent, or a consumer app.
We'll explore how to give people meaningful moments of contribution, make AI actions visible without overwhelming, and design human-to-machine handoffs that feel like collaboration, not abdication.
**The big idea:** The best AI experiences aren't the ones that do the most — they're the ones that make people feel like they did.
James Tee
Principal Experience Designer
Liberty Mutual, Ex Microsoft
LinkedIn Profile
January 2027
WEDNESDAY, january 13, 2027 - 5:30 P.M. - IVAR’S SALMON HOUSE
Leadership Lessons from 30,000 Feet
Drawing on 27 years as an Air Force instructor pilot and senior leader, Ben Morley delivers a candid, story-driven look at what real transformation requires for leaders and organizations alike. Built around four themes—Transformation, Influence, Communication, and Vision—this talk moves beyond leadership platitudes into the specific, often uncomfortable work of navigating change at altitude, literally and figuratively. Expect vivid cockpit stories translated into practical takeaways for today's senior marketing and communications leaders.
Ben Morley
Executive Coach & Operational Excellence Consultant
LinkedIn Profile
Ben Morley grew up on Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, and is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel with 27 years of service as an instructor pilot flying the C-17 and C-141, including operations on all seven continents. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, he now works at the intersection of leadership, transformation, and organizational performance, advising senior executives through Vector Partners, guiding business owners through M&A transitions with Nokomis Advisory Services, and driving operational excellence as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt with Impact Washington, serving clients like Collins Aerospace, Canada Post, and Danone. He is the author of the National Bestseller Caterpillar Soup at 30,000 Feet: The Leader's Guide to Mastering Your Greatest Transformation (2026). Ben lives in the Covington area with his wife and two daughters, where they also raise future Guide Dogs for the Blind.
February 2027
WEDNESDAY, february 10, 2027 - 5:30 P.M. - IVAR’S SALMON HOUSE
How to Ensure Digital Access for All
By 2028, Title II of the ADA requires state and local governments to ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to all government services, programs, and activities. This means that all digital communications must be accessible and comply with a complex global accessibility standard. Any business that receives federal funding must be compliant. But what does that mean, how much work is it, and how do we get there? Help is on the way to decode the technical standard and show you how any organization can make their digital materials accessible.
Cathy Swift
Senior Manager, Content Marketing and Digital Communications
LinkedIn Profile
Cathy Swift manages all owned and paid content for the Port of Seattle and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) like email newsletters, social media, advertising, and the website. She’s also managing digital accessibility for the entire organization and had to learn the standard the hard way – by reading the 275 page statute. But don’t worry, she’ll boil it down and share some quick tips to help your business provide access to all.
March 2027
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2027 - 5:30 P.M. - IVAR’S SALMON HOUSE
The Work Beneath the Work: How a Difficult Childhood Becomes a Professional Methodology
Some leaders walk into a room and instantly sense what's happening beneath the surface — reading fear, feeling the dynamics, holding groups together without anyone knowing how. Ted Leonhardt spent more than fifty years working in, managing, and advising creative firms before understanding where that capacity came from: not from training or talent, but from surviving a difficult childhood. This talk is about naming that intelligence — and what changes when you do.
Ted Leonhardt
Advisor, Coach, Writer, Illustrator
LinkedIn Profile
Ted Leonhardt has spent the last 20 years advising creative firms. He co-founded and grew The Leonhardt Group to $10 million in fees. Then, serving as Chief Creative Officer of Fitch Worldwide, he led 500 creatives across 27 offices globally. He has spent the past twenty years as an independent advisor to creative firm founders and leaders. His new book, The Work Beneath the Work, is available now on Amazon and at tedleonhardt.com.