Jennifer Zick to Speak at Private Directors Association Panel on AI
Minneapolis, Minnesota, June 9, 2026 – Today, Authentic® announced that Jennifer Zick, Founder and CEO of Authentic®, will serve as a featured speaker at the Private Directors Association® (PDA) Minnesota Chapter event hosted on June 16, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. at Town & Country Club in St. Paul.
Zick founded Authentic in 2017 and is widely recognized as a pioneer of the Fractional CMO model. Under her leadership, the firm has grown into a nationally respected community of senior marketing leaders serving clients across the U.S. and internationally. As AI reshapes how marketing leaders think, plan, and operate, Zick has been at the forefront of helping organizations integrate AI deliberately, ensuring it strengthens strategic judgment rather than replaces it.
Zick will join Chris Heim, CEO and Board Director of Atomic Data, and Phillip Topham, Founder of SavionAI, to explore how AI can serve as a structured co-thinking partner at the board level — strengthening judgment, surfacing blind spots, and accelerating clarity without outsourcing responsibility. The discussion will explore how AI is changing the conditions of governance itself — shifting from a tool that shapes what leaders produce to one that shapes how they think.
“I’m honored to join this panel at the Private Directors Association,” said Jennifer Zick, Founder and CEO of Authentic. “Board leaders need to understand how to support today’s CEOs as they navigate the tension between AI opportunity and overwhelm. I’m happy to share my perspective from the ground level as a leader who is living inside of this transformation every day – and building a team that is guiding clients forward with confidence.”
About Private Directors Association
The Private Directors Association, established in 2014, is an independent 501(c)(6) organization based in Chicago. It stands as the sole national association devoted to enhancing the growth and sustainability of private 501(c)(6)companies through effective board governance.
PDA’s mission is to drive private company success through the creation and optimization of governance boards, composed of qualified and diverse members.
Learn more at: privatedirectors.org
Event Details:
What: Co-Thinking at the Board Level: Preserving Judgement in an AI-Shaped Environment
When: June 16, 2026, 3:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Where: Town & Country Club, 300 N. Mississippi River Blvd, St. Paul, MN 55104
Registration/Tickets: https://privatedirectors.glueup.com/event/co-thinking-at-the-board-level-180095/
About Authentic®
Authentic® is a national fractional CMO and marketing transformation firm serving growth-stage, founder-led, and private equity-backed companies across the United States. Founded in 2017, the firm pioneered a scalable model for delivering senior-level marketing leadership without the risk, limitations, or overhead burden of a full-time executive hire.
Through its proprietary framework, Authentic helps organizations Overcome Random Acts of Marketing® by aligning strategy, leadership, and execution. Its model combines experienced fractional CMOs, structured marketing methodology, and a collaborative community of executives to build mature marketing functions that drive measurable growth and increase transferable enterprise value.
Authentic serves clients across diverse industries and is recognized for elevating marketing from a tactical function to a strategic growth engine.
Learn more at: authenticbrand.com
