Bronstein Ethics lecture to host ethics-focused discussion on AI, market research

Joe Colacurcio, senior vice president of analytics and insights at Weber Shandwick, will meet with students and faculty members from March 18 to 20 as part of the 13th annual Bronstein Lecture in Ethics. Colacurcio will present and participate in class discussions on March 19, including a session open to the public at 9 a.m. in Paterno Library’s Foster Auditorium.

The student-focused ethics series is hosted by the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications and organized by the Page Center. Colacurcio will share his expertise and experience in market research, specifically the role of innovation and culture. He will also discuss the inner workings of data-powered business communication and the use and ethical implications of artificial intelligence in these areas.

During his time on campus, he will speak with students taking COMM 420: Research Methods in Advertising and Public Relations, as well as participate in meet-and-greets and presentations with faculty members and graduate students from the Bellisario College.

Colacurcio joined Weber Shandwick’s Analytics & Insights team in June after having spent the past several years in Edelman DXI's Human Intelligence practice. There, he led the development and deployment of research programs, measurement frameworks and issues/crisis reporting for U.S. and global clients in food and beverage, CPG, aviation/travel and finance.

His prior experience includes leading Ipsos' Social Intelligence Analytics in the United States, where his team earned "finalist" status in the Quirk's 2019 Marketing Research and Insight Excellence award for its global Media Intelligence Program at Uber. Colacurcio also spent time with Omnicom at Ketchum-Zocalo Group and got his start in “social listening” while at Nielsen – BuzzMetrics.

Colacurcio graduated from Penn State's Smeal College of Business in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in finance. He minored in Spanish and economics.

The Bronstein Lecture is made possible by an endowment from Penn State alumnus Ben Bronstein. Bronstein, who earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1961, was the founding director of public relations at the Penn State College of Medicine and Hershey Medical Center and held director positions in public relations at two statewide healthcare associations.