ASQ Section 0511 August 2026 Meeting Announcement
Wednesday, 12 August 2026
When AI Search Becomes the Company's Front Door:
From SEO to AEO and the New Risks to Information Quality
presented by Karla Lawson
Senior Director, Digital Experience at Infor
Short Description:
AI-powered search is rapidly replacing traditional search as the primary interface between organizations and their audiences. As this shift occurs, control over content, messaging, and accuracy is moving from owned channels (websites) to AI-generated answers. This session explores how the transition from traditional SEO to Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) introduces new quality risks, governance challenges, and opportunities for organizations to maintain trust and accuracy at scale
Speaker's Background:
Karla Lawson is Senior Director, Digital Experience at Infor, where she leads global digital strategy across more than 25 web, ecommerce, and product properties in 13 languages. With 15+ years of experience leading digital transformation at companies including Infor, Pantheon, Capital One, Freddie Mac, and BSI, she has built a track record of turning enterprise digital ecosystems into measurable growth engines, including a 200% lift in organic visibility through AI-driven search, a 35% increase in conversion through DXP modernization, and 107% YoY traffic growth through integrated content, SEO, and CRO strategy.
Karla's current focus is the rapid shift from traditional search to AI-mediated discovery, and the implications that shift carries for content quality, brand citation, and information governance. As LLMs and answer engines become the primary front door to enterprise brands, the disciplines of SEO, content strategy, and quality assurance are converging in new and unfamiliar ways. She speaks with industry audiences on how digital and quality leaders can adapt their practices for a world where the answer, not the link, is the destination.
Karla holds an MA in International Commerce and Policy and a BA in International Studies from George Mason University, with additional study at Jonkoping International Business School in Sweden.
Optional Preparatory Review (OPR)
The OPR is an educational add-on to the main Meeting that you may complete if you so choose.
This OPR requires watching three (3) videos for approximately 32 minutes total.
Completing and certifying its completion grants you an additional 0.05 RU credits on top of the RU credit you will earn by attending the 4/8/2026 Meeting, for a total of up to 0.2 RU!
How to complete and certify the completion of the OPR
1. Watch ALL the videos:
(1) Understanding the Emergency Room Journey at Nicklaus Children’s — 9 minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qtvRUfs_88&t=22s
(2) Your Care Team— 10 minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZYjvQhYLcU
(3) 24 Hours in the ER: Health care's front lines — 13 minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5iewcBt4RI&t=2s
Disclaimer: ASQ Section 0511 is not affiliated with, nor does it endorse, any third-party websites, products, or services that may be linked or mentioned in the above videos.
2. Click the “Register Now” button at the upper right corner of the Memberplanet registration page (see link below). Choose “1” (ticket quantity). Enter your name and email on the next page. Please enter the proper name to support RU issuance. At the bottom of the page, check “I certify that I have completed all three activities (32 minutes total of videos related to the Emergency Room) for 0.05 RU.” Then Click “Submit”.
[Important]
(1) The submission must be completed BEFORE the Meeting by 7:00PM, 4/8/2026 (enforced by the Ticket Sales Ending Time in Memberplanet).
(2) If you have not checked the box on the “Ticket” at the time of registration, Section 0511 will not record the additional RU credits for you.
3. Attend the April 2026 ASQ 0511 Member Meeting (which itself grants you RU). This is the prerequisite to earn the add-on RUs. If you do not attend the Meeting, you will forfeit your claim for the add-on RU, even if you certified for completing the video.
4. Be willing to use your knowledge of the OPR materials during the Meeting.
Memberplanet OPR Registration link (registration closes on 4/8/2026 at 7pm): https://mp.gg/zhyepgt
Dr Meister's Recommended Additional Background Articles and Links
- Dr Meister is largely going to be talking about operational challenges in emergency departments. Here are a few articles and links for background:
- From The NY Times April 14, 2025: ‘The Pitt’ Captures the Real Overcrowding Crisis in E.R.s. From the “chairs” to the hallway medicine, the show’s depiction of an emergency medicine system that is beyond capacity rings true for medical experts.
- The American College of Emergency Physicians has a full website about the issue
- This article from Health Affairs has a nice introduction to the problem and demonstrates the difficulty of using metrics to make improvements
- And finally, an article from the Annals of Emergency Medicine that examines the financial cost of ED boarding. Its introduction is also good for showing the scope of the problem and its citations are a good review of the literature thus far.
Presentation Slides
Webinar Link / Meeting Instructions:
7:00pm — 8:30pm – Section Meeting Information
Joining by a direct link:
Meeting link: https://asq.webex.com/asq/j.php?MTID=md7b51d35a3b8efcb35d04e7efb115ad1
Joining by meeting information (requires entering the password):
Web address: https://asq.webex.com/asq
Meeting number: 2556 788 1959
Password: MnNJGYiP686
Joining by phone (you will have to identify yourself by name when you have joined):
Phone number: 1-408-792-6300 Call-in number (US/Canada)
Access code: 2556 788 1959
6:00pm — 7:00pm – Section Leadership Committee meeting
Joining by a direct link:
Meeting link: https://asq.webex.com/asq/j.php?MTID=mf9eacfe383eb679d2189a2bc3466debf
Joining by meeting information (requires entering the password):
Web address: https://asq.webex.com/asq
Meeting number: 2558 731 5440
Password: vcXvNJjF372
Joining by phone (you will have to identify yourself by name when you have joined):
Phone number: 1-408-792-6300 Call-in number (US/Canada)
Access code: 2558 731 5440
Reservations:
There is no charge to attend. To register, please use our on line reservation form which can be used up to the day of the meeting. If your plans change, please contact dba26@asq0511.org, and let us know.
Next Meeting:
17 May 2026 — Ranger Outing: Green Spring Gardens, Lincolnia, VA
Call for Speakers!!!
Would you or someone you know like to speak at a future ASQ meeting? We're always looking for volunteers. Be creative! Exercise your public presentation skills! Earn recertification credits! Get a free dinner! Please contact programs26@asq0511.org.
About Us:
ASQ Section 0511 is a geographic community in Northern Virginia that lives intertwined with the network of ASQ Divisions and technical communities specializing in specific quality domains and supporting ASQ Certifications in their domains. Its members have tremendous cumulative experience across multiple industries, companies, and government agencies. Any single one of you in our ASQ Section is a formidable source of takes, opinions, and lessons on a number of Quality Matters.