Katie Laird bio and headshots

Katie Laird Communications Manager of Schipul

Katie Laird is the Communications Manager for Schipul—The Web Marketing Company, creators of the Tendenci software application. Katie oversees both internal and external communications, marketing and public relations. She is a fixture on the Schipul and Tendenci blogs (http://blog.schipul.com) and the Tendenci software blog (http://blog.tendenci.com) and coordinates the company’s Social Media efforts.

Katie’s extensive public speaking history includes presentations for Mom 2.0, the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), the American Marketing Association (AMA), the Houston Technology Center and South by Southwest (SXSW) interactive.

Katie Laird - speaker on social media and strategic marketing

She has also served as a guest lecturer at Rice University, University of Houston and Texas A & M Prairie View, and counsels parents and teachers throughout Houston on Internet safety concerns for children. Katie also co-hosts The Overtime Show, a business and entrepreneurship-focused radio show.

You may have seen Katie featured in the NY Times, CNN.com, Dublin Public Radio, Houston Chronicle and numerous other news channels. She has been interviewed and published on topics as varied as using search for relationship building, nonprofit technology engagement, online video for membership organizations and the revival of the modern burlesque movement.

Ever the online and offline active community member, Katie is an active participant in nonprofit, hoop dancing, crafting and parenting networks. Katie’s personal blog (www.happykatie.com) covers a vast array of topics, ranging from Social Media and PR to graphic/industrial design. Her happykiddo blog (www.happykiddo.com) is devoted to the world of modern parenting, providing tips and tricks for parents in the digital age.

Katie co-founded the Houston chapter of NetSquared, a non-profit technology group designed to help NPOs use online technology to advance their objectives. She also founded the Houston chapter of Dr. Sketchy, a burlesque life-drawing club for local artists.