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I stepped down after eight years as Vice President of Communications at the University of…
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Paul M. Rand shared thisYou may be an adventure traveler and not even know it. If "adventure travel" only makes you picture rapids and ropes, it's time to expand your definition. Adventure travel is not a difficulty rating. It is any trip that asks something of you and gives you a story in return. The asking can be physical. It can also be cultural, emotional, or simply unfamiliar. By that definition, a great many of us have been adventure travelers for years. Adventure travel for women over 50 is projected to grow 100 percent this year. The numbers say what the brochures don't: the people taking these trips are us. The Vantage in this week's Nomadic Spirit makes the case for what the industry is finally starting to figure out. Read and subscribe at the link in the first comment.
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Paul M. Rand shared thisThe trips you remember are not the easy ones. They are the ones that asked something of you. Issue 8 of Nomadic Spirit is out today. It is about looking for the discomfort when you travel, and what you get back for the trouble. Discomfort doesn't have to be physical. It might be the small unease of a language you don't speak, an unfamiliar culture, or a meal you can't pronounce. Or it might be a long hike that takes you to the most beautiful vista you've ever seen. The point is the stretch, not the suffering. The Dispatch is a story of taking my whole family deep into grizzly country and watching the most reluctant of them come home with the best stories. The Vantage looks at what 50+ travelers want from adventure travel, and where the industry has gone wrong. A Chosen Place takes us to Hanoi, where the discomfort is cultural rather than physical. Link to read in the first comment.
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Paul M. Rand shared thisWhat's a restaurant you'd plan a whole trip around? This one is ours: Rodriguez Barbacoa in San Miguel de Allende. One dish. One morning a week. A line out the door by nine. Lamb pulled from a pit, still-warm tortillas, a stoneware mug of dark broth poured from a pot that had reduced all morning. It's the first entry in Fork First, a new section of Nomadic Spirit. We want to hear yours. Submission details are in this week's issue. Sign up free at the link in the comments.
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Paul M. Rand shared thisNobel prize winner Doug Diamond explains why it is a particularly noteworthy and perilous time for the Fed.Paul M. Rand shared thisFrom battling inflation to financial crises, the Federal Reserve has navigated decades of economic uncertainty. But as the Fed prepares for new leadership, how will it handle what's next? On the Big Brains Podcast, Nobel laureate and The University of Chicago Booth School of Business Prof. Douglas Diamond discusses his groundbreaking research on bank runs and financial crises—and explores how Fed independence and credibility may change in the future. http://ms.spr.ly/6042vy53r
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Paul M. Rand shared thisAnyone who has traveled or eaten alone knows the feeling. You arrive in a new city, scan the restaurants you bookmarked, and end up ordering room service. The restaurants aren't making it easy. Menus built for sharing. Tables sized for couples. The greeting at the door: "Will anyone be joining you?" Meanwhile, Booking dot com reports the share of travelers planning solo trips jumped from 14 percent pre-pandemic to 23 percent. Solo travelers spend more of their trip budget on food than on transportation or lodging. A few places have figured this out. Most haven't. This week's Nomadic Spirit makes the case for the solo diner, and names the restaurants already doing it right. Link in the first comment. Free to sign up.
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Paul M. Rand shared thisFor many of us, a trip is really a series of meals with some sightseeing in between. Issue 7 of Nomadic Spirit is live. It's the first issue we've built entirely around a single idea: food is the point of the trip, not a pleasure you get to once you arrive. This one also introduces Fork First, a new section for restaurants, dishes, and tables worth planning a trip around. A week in Morocco. A barbacoa stand in San Miguel de Allende. San Sebastián. A case for the solo diner. Link in the first comment. Free to sign up.
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Paul M. Rand shared thisIf your adult child invites you on a trip. Go. Just go. You'll likely see as much new about your kid as the destination. This week's Journey section in Nomadic Spirit is about a mother who traveled to the Amazon with her daughter, a reserve where her daughter had worked one summer in college. She came home from that summer different. This is about what her mother found when she finally got there. "She wasn't showing me Peru. She was showing me herself." Anyone else? Free to read at the link. [link in first comment]
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Paul M. Rand shared thisThe unspoken rule in travel is that going somewhere new is virtuous and going back is settling. A new country, a new stamp, a new story. I've stopped believing it. A first visit is an introduction. Somewhere around the fourth or fifth return (in this case to Ocracoke, NC), the place stops being somewhere you went and starts being somewhere you go. You know which restaurant to skip on a Tuesday. You know to bring peanuts. Nomadic Spirit is a weekly newsletter for travelers who care as much about the why as the where. This week's issue makes the case for going back. Link to read in the first comment. #outerbanks #ocracokenc #ocracokeisland #visitnc
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Paul M. Rand shared thisA reader wrote this recently: "Honestly, this has become my new favorite read. Thanks for delivering exactly what we needed before we even realized it ourselves." Personal dispatches, curated reads, and real-world wisdom for travelers who care as much about the why as the where. Free to read and subscribe at the link below. [link in comments]
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Paul M. Rand liked thisPaul M. Rand liked this“Every day we’re uncovering something new.” The future of quantum technology is full of opportunity. At a UChicago event, scientists demystified the technology and discussed its potential impact—in fields ranging from medicine to computing—as well as the need for a quantum-ready workforce. A collaboration between the Big Brains Podcast and 1440, the evening featured a discussion with Profs. David Awschalom, Fred Chong and Nadya Mason—whose work is shaping this rapidly evolving field. Check back on our digital channels later this month for a special Big Brains episode on “Quantum Technology, Explained.”
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Paul M. Rand liked thisPaul M. Rand liked thisThe room shifted on the last question of the night. For most of the evening, the conversation at 1440 and the Big Brains Podcast event at UChicago stayed intentionally accessible - Quantum 101 for a general audience. Good questions about security, timelines, hype. Then someone asked whether quantum's foundations in uncertainty and probability might eventually shape how humans think and operate - perhaps even help us reach more of our potential. You could feel the room lean in. One panelist noted that quantum workflows don't return a single answer. They return distributions across many runs. Paraphrased: "When someone logs into a quantum computing environment through Qiskit, the computer doesn't give them an answer. It says, 'I ran this 2,000 times - here's your distribution.'" Another observed that future generations, raised on these tools, may become more comfortable with uncertainty and probabilistic thinking - and that comfort could unlock new creativity and discovery. We already think probabilistically. We just don't operate that way yet. That was the most important moment of the night. The mechanics of quantum (qubits, superposition, entanglement) - aren't the entry point for most people. The entry point is getting comfortable thinking in distributions rather than answers. Quantum has a story problem, and the story isn't about the physics. It's about the worldview the physics points to. This is the through-line of what I've been calling Probabilistic Transformation. More on that soon. One more signal from the night: quantum sensing (atomic clocks, MRI, GPS, eventually in-home diagnostics) - may quietly reshape daily life well before computing does. Worth watching. Thanks again to 1440 and Big Brains Podcast for bringing together: David Awschalom - Director, Chicago Quantum Institute and Chicago Quantum Exchange. Fred Chong - Professor in UChicago's Department of Computer Science, Chief Scientist for Quantum Software at Infleqtion Nadya Mason - Dean of UChicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering Great event. Great questions. 1440 Big Brains Podcast UChicago Physics Chicago Quantum Exchange Quantum Shore Chicago Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park Fred Chong Nadya Mason Paul M. Rand Tim Huelskamp Michael Fassnacht Becky Carroll jean-luc cambier Alex F. Gabe Weiss Marisa Knopman Linda Perry-Lube Shantha Farris Todd Cherkasky, Ph.D. Anijo Mathew Peter Zapf Abin Kuriakose Sony Kassam Jack Norton YoWon Kim. Emily Twomey Charles Parra Kaity S. Cybelle Srour
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Paul M. Rand liked thisPaul M. Rand liked thisToo often, packaging testing measures preference without measuring performance. In this latest article from WovenWorks CEO Sean Bisceglia, he explores the gap between what consumers say and what actually drives attention, usability, and purchase behavior in the real world. One line that stood out: “The goal isn’t more data. It’s better decisions.” An important read for brands thinking beyond aesthetics and toward packaging that truly performs at shelf. https://lnkd.in/e8-PrE2d #PackagingDesign #ConsumerInsights #CPG #BrandStrategy #PackagingInnovation #WovenWorks #PackagingDigest
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Paul M. Rand liked thisPaul M. Rand liked this3️⃣ days until the 2026 Hall of Achievement! 🎉 David Rudd (BSJ88) is the executive vice president and senior counselor at Rudd Resources LLC where he advises clients on messaging strategy, executive communication, community relations and media engagement. He is a proven strategic communications adviser, directing communications for senior leaders in the medical, technology and legislative fields.
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Paul M. Rand liked thisIt's an exciting week for ChicagoCIO with the ORBIE awards on Friday for Chicago's top CIO's!Paul M. Rand liked thisAs ChicagoCIO prepares to celebrate the 10th #ORBIE Award anniversary on Thursday & Friday, we are proud to partner with Crain's Chicago Business to showcase the achievements of the 2026 ChicagoCIO #ORBIE Finalists, #ORBIE Leadership Recipient, and Advisory Board in the #ORBIE Special Section. This is a valuable read for technologists eager to learn from leaders who are driving innovation: https://lnkd.in/girtrEtm We look forward to highlighting the leadership of each #ORBIE Finalist, their teams, and organizations at the ORBIE Awards on Friday, May 8. Anuj Gaur | Kevin Boyd
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Paul M. Rand liked thisPaul M. Rand liked thisApril 30th, 2026, marked my seventh year with a company known as VisionFriendly.com. I joined the company on April 30th, 2019, as their Director of Finance & Operations. Over the past seven years, I've witnessed significant changes, including my promotion to CFO in February 2021 and the purchase of the company in July 2022 to rebranding to Blackbird Digital in January of 2024. No one prepares you for the shift from colleague to owner—an experience that is already quite rare. What was once filled with laughter, drinks, and shared stories at company outings has transformed into discussions where it often feels like the narratives are about me, and how each employee envisions running the business differently. The cost of business ownership has been steep, a challenge I had not anticipated. Gone are the days of receiving Happy Workiversary wishes, being appreciated for the many roles I've embraced, or being rewarded for the late-night strategy meetings that keep the business running. Yet, that’s perfectly fine! I didn't buy this business for those reasons. My husband and I acquired this company to continue supporting the friends—previously colleagues—who rely on us to help sustain their families. During our negotiations, another company had a more attractive offer that promised cash upfront. They wanted us to abandon our weeks of hard work and take cash to walk away, continuing our roles under their management. We chose not to take that deal, fully aware it would lead to significant turnover, leaving our friends to search for new jobs in the future. We never intended to get rich and walk away; our goal has always been to support those we have grown close to over the years. Although my seven years of service may not be recognized, that's okay because I remain committed to building my team, increasing our revenue, and being part of a venture that almost didn’t exist. I am a business owner who does not plan to give up.
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Nomadic Spirit
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Education
Licenses & Certifications
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Artificial Intelligence and Data Science for Leaders
University of Chicago
Volunteer Experience
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Board Member
Rural Education Institute of Mexcio
- 5 years 1 month
Education
Supports rural communities throughout Mexico with education programs and facilities -- helping students continue past the required 8th grade level
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Board Member
Council of Better Business Bureaus
- 6 years 1 month
Board member for organization comprised of 113 Better Business Bureaus, the Wise Giving Alliance and the National Advertising Review Council (NARC). Led CEO Search team in 2014.
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Vice Chairman - Kellstadt Graduate School of Business Board of Advisors
DePaul University
- 16 years 1 month
Education
After serving as adjunct faculty member in Graduate Department of Management, was asked to join Dean's Board of Advisors in 2007. Became Vice Chair in 2012.
Publications
Languages
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Spanish
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Organizations
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Chicago Public Media
Member, Board of Directors
- Present
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Michael O'Mara
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Colleen Alderman
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Katie Huang Shin
This is a story every PR and corporate communications professional should read and sit with. In light of the recent headlines about leaders speaking out (or stepping away) over the trajectory of AI, Hunter-Torricke’s story is another cautionary signal. The future of AI cannot be shaped solely by companies or “Davos-going elites”. It requires broader public scrutiny and stronger institutional guardrails to define the rules of engagement. For those of us guiding and shaping client and company narratives, this is also a good reminder that integrity isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s the foundation. Without it, trust erodes, and once lost, it’s incredibly hard to rebuild. You might secure short-term wins by smoothing the edges or delaying hard truths. But the long-term business and reputational costs almost always outweigh the discomfort of honesty upfront. Many years ago, I worked for Bob Winslow, the former Global Managing Director of FH’s Technology Sector. He taught me the “look in the mirror test”: at the end of the day, can you look at yourself and know you did the right thing, or at least the best thing you could with the information you had? I’ve carried that lesson with me ever since. If we believe the former founder of Microsoft is right, that AI may be the most transformative technology of our time, then the stakes are too high for anything less than that standard. Technology will move fast. Capital will move faster. Our values are the only thing that should not move at all. https://lnkd.in/gCmxVMgY
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Mike Rowlands
What is the purpose of a board of directors? What ought to be the role of its individual members? This great, brief piece by Helle Bank Jørgensen, GCB.D, NACD.DC asks the provocative question… “Are we just here to minimize risk or to enable responsible, courageous decision-making in service of society?” Some readers will smugly dismiss the question, arguing their only role is to uphold shareholders’ interests. That thinking is antiquated. Some will argue they consult stakeholders and interest groups and argue that’s enough. That work is necessary, but insufficient. Leading boards continually optimize the firm’s strategic contribution to the long term wellbeing of all people and the rest of nature. And these purpose-led companies are winning: more talent, more customer loyalty, more innovation…. The list goes on. #socialpurpose #goodgovernance #purposeeconomy
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Nicole Tidei
I recently authored a new piece for PRNEWS Online outlining four strategic imperatives every communications leader should prioritize heading into 2026. Across the industry, one theme is clear: organizations that treat communications as a strategic driver — not a tactical function — are the ones gaining ground on trust, influence and performance. What leaders need to focus on now: 1. Ditch vanity metrics and measure what truly moves the business. 2. Use AI with intention to sharpen insight and decision-making. 3. Leverage the creator economy to meet audiences where influence actually lives. 4. Elevate the human voice — authenticity remains the strongest currency. These priorities aren’t just trends; they’re fast becoming the new standards for effective leadership. https://lnkd.in/gXFCszYF #PR #Communications #CommsLeadership #ThoughtLeadership #PRStrategy #ReputationManagement #AIinPR #FutureOfWork #Leadership #Strategy
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Donna St. Jean Conti
A great consumer feature article doesn’t start with writing. It starts with asking the right questions. From defining the context and editorial intent, to clarifying the single most important message, to gathering real-world examples, data, and quotes, the right questionnaire provides the raw material that turns abstract insights into relatable, human-centered stories. By answering key questions, content teams can give writers the clarity and structure they need to craft feature articles that resonate with consumer audiences—anchored in credibility, shaped by thought leadership, and elevated with authentic voices. 👉 Read the full post: How Questionnaires Shape Consumer Feature Articles https://lnkd.in/g2BBgpxh #FeatureArticles #ContentStrategy #PR #Marketing #Communications
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