Best Startup
At Best Startup US we track over 1,000,000 US startups and over 3 million people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United States based President operating in the Public Relations space. If you think a President is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.us.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Atish Doshi
President, Founder of The Black Sheep
Atish started the company at, and graduated from, The University of Illinois. He now tries to tell people what to do and sometimes it works. Go-to karaoke song: “Regulate,” by Warren G and Nate Dogg.
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About The Black Sheep: We’re a college newspaper that’s actually about college! We post drinking games, college recipes and more!
Rick Hernandez
Commercial Innovation Leader & Vice President of Global Business Development of Pitney Bowes
Rick Hernandez leads Commercial Innovation and Business Development for Pitney Bowes. He launched Pitney’s Shipping API business and is responsible for guiding Pitney’s Global Fulfillment, Shipping and Returns strategy. A graduate of Stanford University, Rick previously led Research & Development, Customer Service and Business Development at Endicia, where he transitioned the business from a $10M startup to a $100M powerhouse. Rick has held leadership positions in Product Management and Client Services for successful startups that have been acquired by Sungard, Travelocity/Sabre, Infor, Newell Rubbermaid, and Stamps.com. He has been awarded eight patents and currently serves on a volunteer basis as a Planning Commissioner in Half Moon Bay, where he lives with his family.
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About Pitney Bowes: Pitney Bowes is a global technology company that powers physical and digital transactions that drive commerce.
Gary Johnson
Vice President, Global Technical Operations, Planning & Support of Pitney Bowes
Gary Johnson is the Vice President, Global Technical Operations, Planning & Support at Pitney Bowes.
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About Pitney Bowes: Pitney Bowes is a global technology company that powers physical and digital transactions that drive commerce.
Manish Choudhary
Senior Vice President, Global Product Management & Strategy of Pitney Bowes
As the SVP for SMB Products & Strategy at Pitney Bowes, Manish has responsibilities of the SMB Shipping & Mailing portfolio that generates over $1.7B in annual revenues. He is responsible for product and market positioning & strategy including equipment and SaaS offerings, SMB financial results, customer experience, driving market competitiveness and delivering client value to a base of 700k clients globally. He is leading a team that is at the center of transformation of the legacy mailing business of PB and is responsible to drive new value offerings with capabilities in IOT, cloud, data & analytics & AI. He is also building domain-relevant developer communities, ecosystem & partner marketplaces in shipping, mailing and ecommerce industry. Manish has held a variety of leadership roles in his 17 years at Pitney Bowes. Most recently, Manish was the SVP for Global Innovation where he led a global team of over 900 people, across 5 countries, 12 locations to create products and technologies for driving digital and physical commerce for Pitney Bowes clients worldwide. He founded PB Bowes India office in 2007, moving from Albany NY, as the first employee and grew it to 800 people. Pitney Bowes has been named one of India’s Top Workplaces consistently for the past 6 years. Manish also launched the Pitney Bowes Startup Accelerator Program in 2014 that has incubated 23 starts up and has been named one of Top 15 Startup incubators. He regularly participates in policy and decision making with Indian and US business councils evangelizing Pitney Bowes brand and solutions in the global ecosystem. He is also one of the key founding Board Members of Catalyst, a global nonprofit organization that promotes inclusive workplaces for women. Manish is an MBA from the Anderson School of Management, UCLA, Los Angeles, an MS from Ohio and a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture. He also has an executive MBA from NUS Business School, Singapore and received executive education at Harvard Business School and MIT.
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About Pitney Bowes: Pitney Bowes is a global technology company that powers physical and digital transactions that drive commerce.
Steven Green
Vice President, Finance & Chief Accounting Officer of Pitney Bowes
Steven Green is the VP Finance & CAO at Pitney Bowes.
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About Pitney Bowes: Pitney Bowes is a global technology company that powers physical and digital transactions that drive commerce.
Michael McComb
Senior Vice President Of Sales of Pitney Bowes
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About Newgistics, Pitney Bowes: Pitney Bowes is a global technology company that powers physical and digital transactions that drive commerce.
Ralph Kasuba
Vice President & General Manager of Pitney Bowes
Ralph Kasuba is the Vice President & General Manager at Pitney Bowes.
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About Pitney Bowes: Pitney Bowes is a global technology company that powers physical and digital transactions that drive commerce.
Debbie Salce
Vice President & Treasurer of Pitney Bowes
Debbie Salce is the Vice President & Treasurer at Pitney Bowes.
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About Pitney Bowes: Pitney Bowes is a global technology company that powers physical and digital transactions that drive commerce.
Phil Landler
Vice President Strategy of Pitney Bowes
Philip Landler is the Vice President Strategy at Pitney Bowes.
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About Pitney Bowes: Pitney Bowes is a global technology company that powers physical and digital transactions that drive commerce.
Jason Dies
EVP & President, Pitney Bowes Sending Technology Solutions of Pitney Bowes
Jason Dies is the EVP & President, Pitney Bowes Sending Technology Solutions at Pitney Bowes.
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About Pitney Bowes: Pitney Bowes is a global technology company that powers physical and digital transactions that drive commerce.
Michael Fellers
Vice President of Sales, Global eCommerce of Pitney Bowes
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About Convey, Pitney Bowes, Pitney Bowes: Pitney Bowes is a global technology company that powers physical and digital transactions that drive commerce.
Debbie Pfeiffer
President of Pitney Bowes
Debbie Pfeiffer is the President at Pitney Bowes Presort Services.
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About Pitney Bowes: Pitney Bowes is a global technology company that powers physical and digital transactions that drive commerce.
Christoph Stehmann
EVP & President , Enterprise Solutions Group of Pitney Bowes
Christoph Stehmann is the Corporate Strategy & Corporate Development at Pitney Bowes.
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About Pitney Bowes, Pitney Bowes, Pitney Bowes: Pitney Bowes is a global technology company that powers physical and digital transactions that drive commerce.
Rachel Samren
Senior Vice President, Chief External Affairs, and Governance & Trust Officer of Telia Company
Rachel joined Millicom in July 2014 and manages the group’s Government Relations, Corporate Communications and Corporate Responsibility functions. Her focus is on developing and driving Millicom’s global engagement with particular responsibility for special situation strategies. Rachel’s background is in the risk management consulting sector, most recently as Head of Business Intelligence at The Risk Advisory Group plc. Previously, she worked for Citigroup as well as non-governmental and governmental organisations. Rachel currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Reach for Change and Zantel. She holds a BSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and a MLitt in International Security Studies from the University of St Andrews. Rachel Samrén holds 500 Millicom shares.
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About Telia Company: Telia Company is a Swedish dominant telephone company and mobile network operator.
Nick Colucci
President & CEO, Publicis Healthcare Communications Group of Publicis Groupe
Nick Colucci is the President & Chief Executive Officer of Publicis Healthcare Communications Group. Nick leads Publicis Healthcare Communications Group—the largest healthcare communications network in the world. Under Nick’s tenure, the network has grown from a fragmented group of agencies to a global powerhouse with unrivaled capabilities, expanded global client relationships, and a footprint in pharmerging markets, China and India. Nick has a broad perspective having served both on the client and agency sides. Prior to joining Publicis 15 years ago, Nick was Vice President of Marketing and Sales at EyeSys Technologies and Marketing Director at Roche. Nick is well known in healthcare circles, leading key initiatives for the Coalition for Healthcare Communication, an industry trade association, as well as serving on the boards of the American Heart Association of New York and the Pasteur Foundation Advisory Board. Nick was honored last year by being named “Marketer of the Year” at the PM360 Trailblazer Awards.
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About Publicis Groupe, Publicis Healthcare Communications: Publicis Groupe is a digital and interactive communication services provider.
Michael Cadieux
Vice President / NA Procurement Officer of Publicis Groupe
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About Publicis Groupe: Publicis Groupe is a digital and interactive communication services provider.
Matthew Caiola
Vice President, Corporate and Technology Practices of 5W Public Relations
As Executive Vice President at 5W Public Relations, Matthew Caiola oversees the corporate, technology, and digital divisions, which include financial services, legal services & litigation, real estate, corporate internal communications, public affairs & government relations, apps & online marketplaces, ad tech & big data, marketing technology, and financial technology. Under his leadership, the teams run award-winning campaigns for clients like Sinclair Broadcast Group, SAP NS2, CareerBuilder, Payoneer, The Trade Desk, Comcast, N26, as well as more than 100 companies globally. With over 15 years of public relations experience, Matthew is a seasoned practitioner in corporate publicity, leading his team in building the brand of high-growth tech companies, launching IPOs, disrupting industries, and building global brand resonance. B I O EXE C UT IVE VI C E P R ESIDENT COR PORAT E , T E C HNOLOGY & DIGI TAL P RA C T I C ES In the 10 years Matthew has worked at 5W Public Relations, he has become responsible for the overall growth and direction of the agency’s technology, corporate and digital practices. Matthew introduced new areas of focus to the agency, including the SaaS and data divisions. He has been instrumental in acquiring new clients for the agency, including three fintech unicorn clients as well as 13 cannabis clients, who are each making a name for themselves within their respective industries. Matthew has shaped 5WPR’s technology division to be recognized as a leader in the adtech, fintech, and martech pr space. Prior to joining 5W, Matthew was at a mid-sized New Jersey PR firm where he yielded brand building results for a diverse range of well-recognized companies in the clean-tech, aviation, and consumer areas. His media relations expertise played a key role in securing top tier features for his clients, ranging from CEO profiles, company case studies, and awards. Matthew holds a Communication and Political Science degree from Iona College.
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About 5W Public Relations: 5WPR, a Public Relations and Communications Firm, specializes in public affairs, government relations & PR on B2C, & B2B market segments.
Dara Busch
President, Consumer Practice of 5W Public Relations
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About 5W Public Relations: 5WPR, a Public Relations and Communications Firm, specializes in public affairs, government relations & PR on B2C, & B2B market segments.
Steve Baker
Vice President – Vertical Markets of American Tower
Steve Baker is the vice president for vertical markets at American Tower.
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About American Tower: American Tower offers its users with a variety of wireless infrastructure solutions around the world.
Wenda Harris Millard
Vice Chairman, President & Chief Operating Officer of MediaLink
In April 2009, Wenda Harris Millard became President and COO of MediaLink LLC, a leading strategic advisory and business development firm that provides critical counsel and direction to the media, advertising and entertainment industries and to companies and investors that interact with those sectors. Before joining MediaLink, Millard was Co-CEO and President, Media for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. She joined MSLO in July 2007 after three years as a member of its Board of Directors. Millard oversaw MSLO’s media businesses, which include publishing, internet and broadcasting. She was the driving force behind creating cross-platform programs for marketers in TV, digital, magazines and radio. Before MSLO, Millard was Chief Sales Officer at Yahoo! where she led the team that drove revenue from $700 million to over $6 billion in six years and was consistently credited as the number one sales organization in the media industry. On an industry-wide level her work at Yahoo! established brand advertising on the web. Prior to Yahoo!, Millard was Chief Internet Officer at Ziff Davis Media and President of Ziff Davis Internet. Previously, Millard was a founding member of the executive team at DoubleClick, where she served as Executive Vice President responsible for establishing the DoubleClick brand and overseeing the operations of DoubleClick Media. She also served as President and Group Publisher of SRDS, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Family Circle and Executive Vice President/Group Publisher of Adweek, Mediaweek and Brandweek magazines. Millard has received numerous industry awards including being named in 2012 one of the “100 Most Influential Women in Advertising in the Last 100 Years”; the 2011 Oracle Award from Springboard; the 2009 ad:tech Lifetime Achievement Award; the 2007 John A. Reisenbach Award for Distinguished Citizenship; the 2006 “Advertising Person of the Year” Silver Medal Award from the AAF and the 2005 Matrix Award for “Women Who Change the World”. Advertising Age also acknowledged her as a “Digital Media Master” — one of the 20 most influential executives in interactive media. She was the subject of a profile by Tom Brokaw as part of NBC’s “Women to Watch” series. Active on behalf of the advertising industry throughout her career, Millard is past Chairman of the Interactive Advertising Bureau and former President of the Advertising Club of New York. She has served on the Boards of the Advertising Council, the American Advertising Federation, the Advertising Education Foundation and others. Currently, she serves on the boards of Verifone Inc., Millenial Media and Simulmedia. She also sits on the board of the James Beard Foundation. She served two terms as a Trustee of Trinity College in Hartford. Millard holds an MBA from Harvard University and a BA from Trinity College.
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About MediaLink: MediaLink is a strategic advisory firm that provides strategic advisory and implementation services to companies at all stages.
Karl Spangenberg
Senior Vice President of MediaLink
Karl Spangenberg brings 25 years of experience in general media management, advertising sales, business development, strategic marketing, online market research and media consulting. Since 1995, he has held leadership positions at four start-up companies: Infoseek (1996 IPO and later sold to Disney); @plan (1999 IPO, 2001 sold to DoubleClick and later sold to Nielsen Net Ratings); Lightningcast (2002 strategic partnership with AOL Entertainment and later sold to Advertising.com); and The Hotel Networks (2004 sold majority stake to Liberty Media and later sold to LodgeNet). As Vice President, Advertising and Commerce at AT&T, Spangenberg drafted a strategy for cross-platform, integrated advertising and commerce while serving as lead advertising liaison between AT&T and Yahoo for revenue on the broadband portal. He also worked at various magazine companies in general management and advertising sales roles including U.S. News & World Report, TIME magazine, BusinessWeek and Datamation magazine.
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About MediaLink: MediaLink is a strategic advisory firm that provides strategic advisory and implementation services to companies at all stages.
Andrea Kerr Redniss
Senior Vice President of MediaLink
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About MediaLink: MediaLink is a strategic advisory firm that provides strategic advisory and implementation services to companies at all stages.
Andrew White
Director & Vice President of MediaLink
Andrew White joined MediaLink in 2016, bringing eight years of expertise in M&A advisory, business development and corporate strategy. Andrew is responsible for advising strategic and financial investors in evaluating specific assets or sectors. Andrew’s experience at leading media conglomerates and high-growth startups has prepared him well for the diverse client base at MediaLink. His previous role was in the Strategy & Corporate Development group at Advance Publications, where he was responsible for identifying and executing acquisitions and investments on behalf of the company and as part of strategic diversification initiatives. Andrew also supported Advance’s affiliated companies (Condé Nast, Advance Newspapers, American City Business Journals, Brighthouse Networks, Reddit, etc.) on the planning and execution of their long-term growth strategies. Prior to Advance, Andrew was a manager on Condé Nast’s Digital Business Development team. He began his career with Lazard as an investment banking analyst in the firm’s Consumer and Direct Marketing group. Andrew holds a B.A. from Connecticut College and an MBA from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.
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About MediaLink, MediaLink: MediaLink is a strategic advisory firm that provides strategic advisory and implementation services to companies at all stages.
Jack Glasure
Sports & Entertainment Practice President of French/West/Vaughan
Joined FWV: 1997 |Primary Responsibilities: Connecting the dots for brands to reach the fans and friends of athletes, artists and entertainers. | Alma Mater: Saint Leo University, Tampa, FL | Outside Interests: Hiking, travel, photography | What to know about Jack: Was the first associate of FWV (formerly Richard French & Associates) when the agency was founded in 1997 & has managed the Tampa office since 1999.
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About French/West/Vaughan: French/West/Vaughan provides public relations, advertising, and digital/social media marketing services.
Kristen Levine
President, Pet + Animal Health Practice of French/West/Vaughan
Joined FWV: 2017 (Originally founded Fetching Communications in 2003) | Primary Responsibilities: Leadership of pet and veterinary accounts and development of pet strategies for corporate clients and consumer brands | Alma Mater: St. Petersburg College, St. Petersburg, Fla. | Outside Interests: Ballroom dancing, music, fashion and football. Kristen is a former Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleader! | What to know about Kristen: Nationally-known speaker, media personality, author, blogger and influencer, reaching passionate pet lovers across the country through her popular website, Kristen Levine Pet Living.
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About French/West/Vaughan, PetPR.com: French/West/Vaughan provides public relations, advertising, and digital/social media marketing services.
Katie Johnson
Associate Vice President of French/West/Vaughan
Joined FWV: 2007 | Primary Responsibilities: Account management spanning PR, branding, collateral, events and social media | Alma Mater: NC State University, Raleigh, NC | Outside Interests: Volunteering at SPCA of Wake Country, traveling (favorite cities are Paris, NYC, Istanbul, and Kyoto), running | What to know about Katie: She has extensive experience in PR and social media marketing within the western and fashion industries, winning awards on behalf of clients Wrangler Western and Tony Lama Boots, among others.
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About French/West/Vaughan: French/West/Vaughan provides public relations, advertising, and digital/social media marketing services.
David P. Gwyn
President of French/West/Vaughan
Joined FWV: 1999 | Primary Responsibilities: Senior counselor, client and associate relationship manager, new ideas | Alma Mater: Wake Forest University – Babcock Graduate School of Management, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Outside Interests: Anything near a beach, live music and sports, golf, raising good kids, arriving in a new city with no plans and just “letting it happen” | What to know about David: He has more song lyrics in his head than you could ever imagine… and he uses them every day.
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About French/West/Vaughan: French/West/Vaughan provides public relations, advertising, and digital/social media marketing services.
Natalie Best
Executive Vice President & Director of Client Service of French/West/Vaughan
Joined FWV: 2002 | Primary Responsibilities: Account service head, manager, strategist, marketer. Whatever challenge the day holds. | Alma Mater: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Outside Interests: Running, spinning, travel, golf (getting better at it!), and learning every day about how to be a parent | What to know about Natalie: She serves on the boards of the Alexander Family YMCA, NC Child and has served the Alice Aycock Poe Center for Health Education and UNC Journalism Alumni & Friends.
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About French/West/Vaughan: French/West/Vaughan provides public relations, advertising, and digital/social media marketing services.
Scott Palmer
Vice President of Digital & Social Media of French/West/Vaughan
Joined FWV: 2010 | Primary Responsibilities: Strategy and execution of digital and social campaigns | Alma Mater: Elon University, Elon, NC | Outside Interests: Running and the Washington Nationals | What to know about Scott P: He is a believer in life, liberty and the pursuit of beautiful online marketing.
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About French/West/Vaughan: French/West/Vaughan provides public relations, advertising, and digital/social media marketing services.
Jenny Pilewski
Senior Vice President of French/West/Vaughan
Joined FWV: 2004 | Primary Responsibilities: Trainer of happy employees and cultivator of satisfied clients | Alma Mater: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Outside Interests: At the moment? All things “baby.” In my dreams? Decorating houses, going for a jog, listening to music, going to a movie, watching the game | What to know about Jenny: She is a new mother, lover of laughter, total neat freak, committed to mastering an attitude of gratitude.
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About French/West/Vaughan: French/West/Vaughan provides public relations, advertising, and digital/social media marketing services.
Lindsay Andrews
Vice President & Principal of Sard Verbinnen & Co
Lindsay assists clients with a broad range of media, crisis, and investor relations support. She has assisted with activist defense planning, primarily for companies in the technology industry. She has also developed crisis communications plans and provided strategic counsel to clients facing a range of situations, including litigation, government investigations, national product recalls and accounting restatements.
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About Juul Labs, Sard Verbinnen & Co: Sard Verbinnen & Co is a leading strategic corporate and financial communications firm.
David Isaacs
Vice President of Sard Verbinnen & Co
David Isaacs is a Vice President based in the San Francisco office. Since joining the firm, he has worked on a number of corporate positioning programs, transactions and special situations, including unsolicited takeover proposals, proxy fights, product recalls and management changes.
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About Sard Verbinnen & Co: Sard Verbinnen & Co is a leading strategic corporate and financial communications firm.
Lance Maerov
Executive Vice President of WPP
Mr. Lance Maerov serves as Executive Vice President of Corporate Development at WPP Group USA, Inc. where he manages WPP’s Corporate Development team in North America and his primary focus is to identify, negotiate and execute acquisitions, investments and joint ventures. Mr. Maerov began his work for the Corporate Development Group in March 2005 in New York after WPP’s acquisition of Grey Global Group. He serves as Senior Vice President of Grey Ventures. Before joining WPP, Mr. Maerov worked at Grey Global Group as its Head of Corporate Development and made over 20 venture investments on behalf of Grey through its Grey Ventures Subsidiary. Prior to joining Grey, Mr. Maerov handled acquisitions and investments for Reed Business Information, a wholly owned subsidiary of Reed Elsevier. He was a Founder of iFusion and raised $20 million of venture capital on its behalf over 1995-1997 before joining Reed Elsevier. Mr. Maerov served as Director of Expression Engines Inc. He serves as Board Observer of Visible Technologies, Inc. and served as its Board Advisor. Mr. Maerov holds an MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School and Bachelors Degree in Political Science from the University of Vermont.
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About WPP, WPP: WPP creates transformative ideas and outcomes for its clients through an integrated offer of communications, commerce, and technology.
Eitan Schwartz
Vice President, Service Provider Line of Business of RAD Data Communications
Eitan Schwartz serves as Vice President of Ethernet Access at Rad Data Communications, Inc. and served as its Vice President of Pseudowire and Ethernet Access. Eitan Schwartz served as Vice President of Pseudo wire and Carrier Ethernet of RAD Data Communications, Ltd. Eitan Schwartz served as General Manager of TDMoIP Division and Vice President of Rad Data Communications, Inc., a subsidiary of Rad Data Communications Ltd. Eitan Schwartz served as Vice President of Strategic Product Marketing at RAD for one year. He served as Vice President, Engineering of RAD for five years, prior to TDMoIP division. He also worked for RAD as a Technical support Manager. Prior to joining RAD, Eitan Schwartz served as an Academic Officer in the test and telecommunications division of the Israeli Army. Earlier, he offered his technical skills as an Assistant Editor of Tele Productions, Inc. in New Orleans, after several years with Electricity Supply Commission of South Africa (ESCOM). Eitan Schwartz holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tel Aviv. He also holds Diplomas from the University of South Africa, and the Witwatersrand Technikon in DataMetrics and Electronics technology respectively.
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About RAD Data Communications: RAD Data Communications is a solutions and products vendor for utility and transportation companies.
Frederic Servais
Vice President, Product Management of Comtech Telecommunications
Fred manages the roadmap and go-to-market strategy for ILP, Comtech’s IoT Location Platform targeted specifically to the unique needs of IoT. ILP leverages a wide variety of Signals of Opportunity including cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LoRa, GNSS, and available sensors, all while remaining memory, bandwidth and power efficient and platform agnostic. He has more than 20 years of wireless and telecom experience, including 18 years focused on location technologies on mobile devices.
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About Comtech Telecommunications: Comtech Telecommunications designs, develops, produces and markets innovative products, systems and services for advanced
Frederic Servais
Vice President, Product Management of Comtech Telecommunications
Fred manages the roadmap and go-to-market strategy for ILP, Comtech’s IoT Location Platform targeted specifically to the unique needs of IoT. ILP leverages a wide variety of Signals of Opportunity including cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LoRa, GNSS, and available sensors, all while remaining memory, bandwidth and power efficient and platform agnostic. He has more than 20 years of wireless and telecom experience, including 18 years focused on location technologies on mobile devices.
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About Comtech Telecommunications: Comtech Telecommunications designs, develops, produces and markets innovative products, systems and services for advanced
Scott Williamson
Senior Vice President – Acquisitions and Corporate Development of Telephone and Data Systems
Scott H. Williamson became senior vice president of acquisitions and corporate development in 1998. His responsibilities include corporate development, and planning and directing the acquisition initiatives of TDS’ business units, U.S. Cellular and TDS Telecom. Williamson joined TDS in 1995 as vice president of acquisitions. Williamson came to TDS from FMC Corporation, where he was vice president of corporate development. Prior to that, he was vice president of acquisitions and development for Itel Corporation. Williamson began his career as special assistant to the chairman at Northwest Industries, where he participated in the restructuring and eventual sale of the company in 1985. Williamson is a member of the Executive Council of the International Engineering Consortium. He is also a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and its Telecommunications and Information Technology Subcommittee. Williamson holds a PhD in finance from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management, and a BS in engineering and BA in economics from Princeton University.
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About Telephone and Data Systems: Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. is a Chicago-based telecommunications service company
Kurt Thaus
Senior Vice President & CIO of Telephone and Data Systems
Kurt B. Thaus became senior vice president and CIO in 2004. He is responsible for all elements of the company’s information technology function. Thaus joined TDS from T-Systems North America, Inc.,a subsidiary of T-Systems International (Deutsche Telecom), where he served most recently as senior vice president of technology services. Prior to that, Thaus worked in the corporate and regional offices of Waste Management, Inc., where he developed corporate policy, served as primary negotiator with the U.S. government on regulations, and developed processes and information systems. He was also affiliated with Sargent and Lundy Engineers and Procon, Inc. Thaus holds an MS in engineering management from Northwestern University and a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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About Telephone and Data Systems: Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. is a Chicago-based telecommunications service company
Joseph Hanley
Senior Vice President – Strategy and Corporate Development of Telephone and Data Systems
Joseph R. Hanley is senior vice president – technology, services and strategy. He has a leading role in developing strategy and advancing strategic initiatives at TDS and its business units, U.S. Cellular and TDS Telecom. Hanley also oversees TDS’ technology vendor relations and contracts, industry relations and standards, technology and policy support for growth initiatives, and technology strategy. In addition, he is responsible for planning and implementing public policy and regulatory initiatives. Hanley joined TDS in 1988 and has held a series of positions in engineering, product management and development, customer operations, technology assessment, and strategy formulation. Most recently, he was vice president of technology, planning and services. Hanley serves on the board of directors and executive committee of ATIS, the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions, and is currently its first vice chairman. He received an MBA from Arizona State University and a BS in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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About Telephone and Data Systems: Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. is a Chicago-based telecommunications service company
Thomas Weber
Vice President – Internal Audit of Telephone and Data Systems
Thomas S. Weber has been vice president of internal audit since 2016. Weber directs the company’s internal audit function and coordinates with the TDS Audit Committee in the performance of its corporate oversight role. Weber joined TDS’ subsidiary, U.S. Cellular in 1992 and has held a number of U.S. Cellular roles including vice president and controller and principal accounting officer in 2002; vice president of financial strategy in 2005; and most recently vice president of financial and real estate services in 2010. Prior to joining U.S. Cellular, Weber held various financial and accounting positions with Chrysler Corporation. Weber, a certified public accountant earned a BS from DePaul University and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
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About Telephone and Data Systems: Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. is a Chicago-based telecommunications service company
David Gillman
Vice President – Tax of Telephone and Data Systems
David D. Gillman became vice president – tax in 2014. He is responsible for all tax matters related to TDS and its business units, U.S. Cellular and TDS Telecom, including advising on the tax consequences of transactions, financings, and business initiatives, and ensuring compliance with tax laws and filing requirements. Gillman joined TDS in 1997 and became assistant controller – tax in 2006. Prior to that, he was manager of tax planning at Medtronic, Inc. for two years, and a senior manager at KPMG for nine years. Gillman, a certified public accountant, is a member of the Tax Executives Institute (TEI). He has been a member of the board of directors of the Wisconsin chapter of TEI, and has served in each of the officer positions, including president in 2007 and 2008. Gillman is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Gillman received a BA from the University of Northern Iowa and a master’s in business taxation from the University of Minnesota.
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About Telephone and Data Systems, Telephone and Data Systems: Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. is a Chicago-based telecommunications service company
Douglas Shuma
Senior Vice President – Finance and Chief Accounting Officer of Telephone and Data Systems
Douglas D. Shuma is senior vice president – finance and chief accounting officer. He is responsible for the financial reporting, accounting policy and internal controls, and tax functions. Prior to joining TDS, Shuma owned a consulting company for large, publicly traded corporations. Prior to that, he served as vice president and corporate controller for Baxter International, Inc. for eight years. Shuma was also assistant corporate controller for Caremark International, Inc. for five years, and held positions with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP for nine years. A certified public accountant, Shuma received an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BS in accounting science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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About Telephone and Data Systems: Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. is a Chicago-based telecommunications service company
Jane McCahon
Senior Vice President — Corporate Relations and Corporate Secretary of Telephone and Data Systems
Jane W. McCahon is senior vice president of corporate relations and corporate secretary for TDS, a diversified telecommunications services corporation headquartered in Chicago. McCahon oversees the investor relations and corporate governance activities of TDS and its majority-owned, publicly traded subsidiary, U.S. Cellular. She is responsible for day-to-day communications with the investment community and financial media, corporate public relations and employee communications, and the activities of the TDS and U.S. Cellular boards of directors. She is also a member of the Company’s corporate strategy group. McCahon joined TDS in 2009 as vice president of corporate relations, and became corporate secretary in 2013 and was promoted to senior vice president in 2016.
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About NIRI, Telephone and Data Systems: Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. is a Chicago-based telecommunications service company
Theodore Herbert
Vice President – Human Resources of Telephone and Data Systems
C. Theodore Herbert has been vice president of human resources since 1985. Prior to joining TDS, he held positions with Inland Steel Company for 24 years, most recently as vice president of administration for the company’s housing and real estate development subsidiary. Herbert received an MBA from Northwestern University and a BA in liberal arts from Yale University.
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About Telephone and Data Systems: Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. is a Chicago-based telecommunications service company
Kenneth Kotylo
Vice President – Acquisitions and Corporate Development of Telephone and Data Systems
Kenneth M. Kotylo has been vice president of acquisitions and corporate development since 2003. His responsibilities include assessing the strategic and financial implications of new investments, developing business plans and valuations, negotiating deal terms, coordinating due diligence, and industry benchmarking. Prior to joining TDS, Kotylo was an equity research analyst for William Blair and Company. Earlier, he served with Ameritech for nine years in various areas, including corporate strategy and development, corporate finance, financial planning, and business development. He has also held positions with Baxter International and KPMG Peat Marwick. Kotylo is a certified public accountant and chartered financial analyst (CFA). He is a member of the CFA Institute (formerly the Association for Investment Management and Research), the CFA Society of Chicago, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Illinois CPA Society. Kotylo received an MBA in finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BA in accounting from Michigan State University.
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About Telephone and Data Systems: Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. is a Chicago-based telecommunications service company
Kenneth Kotylo
Vice President – Acquisitions and Corporate Development of Telephone and Data Systems
Kenneth M. Kotylo has been vice president of acquisitions and corporate development since 2003. His responsibilities include assessing the strategic and financial implications of new investments, developing business plans and valuations, negotiating deal terms, coordinating due diligence, and industry benchmarking. Prior to joining TDS, Kotylo was an equity research analyst for William Blair and Company. Earlier, he served with Ameritech for nine years in various areas, including corporate strategy and development, corporate finance, financial planning, and business development. He has also held positions with Baxter International and KPMG Peat Marwick. Kotylo is a certified public accountant and chartered financial analyst (CFA). He is a member of the CFA Institute (formerly the Association for Investment Management and Research), the CFA Society of Chicago, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Illinois CPA Society. Kotylo received an MBA in finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BA in accounting from Michigan State University.
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About Telephone and Data Systems: Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. is a Chicago-based telecommunications service company
Darrell West
Vice President and Director, Center for Technology Innovation of The Brookings Institution
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About The Brookings Institution: The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization that focuses on analyzing public policy issues at the national level.
Martin Indyk
Vice President and Director of The Brookings Institution
Martin Indyk is an American diplomat who has served in senior positions in the U.S. presidential administrations of Clinton, Bush ’43 and Obama. He was twice U.S. Ambassador to Israel, President Clinton’s Middle East Advisor in the National Security Council, President Obama’s Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations, and Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs under Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. From 2001 to 2018, Dr. Indyk managed, built-out and raised funds for the Brookings Institution, a think tank with an annual budget of $100 million. Dr. Indyk currently serves as a distinguished fellow and director of executive education at the Council on Foreign Relations and on several boards, including the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Australia, the Institute for National Security Studies in Israel, the Aspen Institute’s Middle East Investment Initiative, the Israel Democracy Institute and America Abroad Media. He received a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney and a Ph.D. in international relations from the Australian National University.
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About The Brookings Institution: The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization that focuses on analyzing public policy issues at the national level.
Amy Liuv
Vice President and Director, Metropolitan Policy Program of The Brookings Institution
An expert on metropolitan areas, Amy Liu is committed to helping city leaders make their cities more prosperous and inclusive. Liu combines empirical analysis with on-the-ground research to identify local challenges and design strategies to address them. She recently authored Remaking Economic Development: The Markets and Civics of Continuous Growth and Prosperity to explain why city leaders should abandon inefficient strategies to promote economic growth and articulate how they can embrace a broader vision that connects more people to opportunity. And she’s in a position to know, having worked variously with city leaders in Chicago, Kansas City, Phoenix and New Orleans, to name just a few.
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About The Brookings Institution: The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization that focuses on analyzing public policy issues at the national level.
Bill Wilson
Executive Vice President & CEO of Townsquare Media
Bill Wilson is Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at Townsquare Media, a radio station company. Previously he was the President of MediaGlow at AOL. Prior to this role he was Executive Vice President of Programming at AOL. He is responsible for user experience in all of AOL’s content sites, which include News, Movies, Lifestyle, and Celebrity Gossip. He is also responsible for user experience at a number of blog sites such as Engadget and Joystiq. Wilson was formerly Senior Vice President for Worldwide Marketing at BMG Entertainment, where he managed marketing campaigns for a number of major recording artists. He began working at BMG at Arista Records under the guidance of Clive Davis. Wilson won an Emmy for AOL’s Live 8 Program in 2006, and has been featured in a number of publications as one of the nation’s top young executives.
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About Townsquare Media: Townsquare Media, an entertainment and digital marketing services company, operates digital, radio and live event properties in the U.S.
Scott Schatz
Senior Vice President of Finance, Operations & Technology of Townsquare Media
Mr. Schatz co-founded Townsquare in May 2010 and is a Principal of FiveWire, an entity formed for the purpose of investing in the Company, which he joined in March 2009. Prior to joining FiveWire, Mr. Schatz spent nearly a decade advising companies on valuations, mergers and acquisitions, and capital raises. Most recently he worked in Bear Stearns’ Technology, Media & Telecom Investment Banking Group where he was responsible for the execution of mergers and acquisitions and capital raising transactions for clients such as Freescale, NTELOS, Cablevision, Digitas and Valassis Communications. Prior to joining Bear Stearns, Mr. Schatz worked as an associate at Brown Brothers Harriman in its Mergers and Acquisitions Group where he was primarily responsible for advising owners of closely held firms in various industries, including: health care services, medical technology, telecom services, marketing & information services and other outsourced business services. Mr. Schatz began his career as an analyst at J.P. Morgan in its Technology, Media & Telecom Investment Banking Group. Mr. Schatz received a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.
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About Townsquare Media: Townsquare Media, an entertainment and digital marketing services company, operates digital, radio and live event properties in the U.S.
Michael Josephs
Executive Vice President of Business Development & Mergers of Townsquare Media
Mr. Josephs joined Townsquare in March 2013 and has led the Company’s efforts in pursuit of non-traditional acquisition opportunities. Previously, Mr. Josephs was a Managing Director at MESA Securities, an investment bank solely focused on the media and entertainment industry. While at MESA, he sourced and led advisory and financing opportunities for early and growth stage clients. Prior to MESA, he spent ten years in the investment banking divisions of Credit Suisse and Merrill Lynch executing mergers and acquisitions as well as financing transactions for large cap media and entertainment companies. During his tenure as an investment banker he executed transactions for clients such as Cablevision, Liberty Media, McClatchy, The Thomson Corporation, Univision, Viacom, Vivendi, and YP Holdings. He was named to the Multichannel News 2013 Money All Star list. Mr. Josephs received a BBA, with Distinction, from the University of Michigan Business School.
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About Townsquare Media: Townsquare Media, an entertainment and digital marketing services company, operates digital, radio and live event properties in the U.S.
Claire Yenicay
Executive Vice President of Investor Relations & Corporate Communications of Townsquare Media
Mrs. Yenicay joined Townsquare in June 2011. Prior to her current position, she focused on business development and mergers and acquisitions at Townsquare, assisting the Company in completing transactions totaling more than $500 million in aggregate value. Previously, Mrs. Yenicay was employed at Oak Hill Capital Partners, a private equity company with more than $8 billion of capital commitments. While at Oak Hill, Mrs. Yenicay held the position of Associate in the Business and Financial Services Group, where she advised companies in an array of industries including business process outsourcing, equipment rental and third party logistics services. Prior to joining Oak Hill, Mrs. Yenicay worked in the investment banking division of Merrill Lynch, focused on mergers and acquisitions and capital raising for telecom, media and entertainment companies. Mrs. Yenicay received a B.S. magna cum laude from Georgetown University.
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About Townsquare Media: Townsquare Media, an entertainment and digital marketing services company, operates digital, radio and live event properties in the U.S.
Steve Williams
President of Dial91
Steve Williams is Co-founder of Campus Suite, a web communication platform for schools. Steve blends a highly developed creative sense with an intuitive understanding of the progressive technologies that enhance Campus Suite. Steve’s mantra in producing optimal user experiences focuses on creating “powerful connections” through content tools that are easy to use, and design that’s easy to access.
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About Campus Suite, Dial91, Smart Holograms: Dial91 is a company that provides international calling services at a discount.
Nana Banerjee
Group President of Verisk
Dr. Nana Banerjee is group president of Verisk Analytics, overseeing Verisk’s Argus, Geomni, and Verisk Retail businesses. He also has oversight responsibility for Verisk’s joint data and development environment and Verisk’s centralized advanced research and analytics group. Dr. Banerjee came to Verisk as part of its acquisition of Argus, where he was the chief operating officer. In prior roles, he served as the head of Citibank’s credit card business in the United Kingdom and as vice president of marketing at GE Capital. Dr. Banerjee was named Verisk group president in 2016. Dr. Banerjee has a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from the State University of New York; a master of science degree in mathematics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi; and a bachelor of science degree with honors in mathematics from St. Stephens College, Delhi.
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About Verisk: Verisk Analytics enables risk-bearing businesses for better understand and manage their risks.
Scott Stephenson
President and Chief Executive Officer of Verisk
Scott Stephenson is chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Verisk Analytics. During his tenure as CEO, Verisk was added to the S&P 500 Index and was named the eighteenth most innovative company in the world by Forbes magazine. In 2015, Institutional Investor named Scott Stephenson the number one CEO among sell-side analysts in Verisk’s industry category. He became chief operating officer of Verisk in 2008 and president in 2011. Before joining Verisk, Scott Stephenson was a senior partner with The Boston Consulting Group, a global management consulting firm. He also served as an advisor to Silver Lake Partners, a technology-oriented private equity firm. Earlier in his career, Scott Stephensonn designed components for missile propulsion systems. Scott Stephenson is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where he received a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering, and the Harvard Business School, where he received a master of business administration degree. Scott Stephenson has served on several civic and charitable boards, including the Data Science Institute at The University of Virginia, where he and his wife established The Stephenson Chair in Data Analytics. He is an elder of Central Presbyterian Church in New York City. Scott Stephenson is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where he received a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering, and the Harvard Business School, where he received a master of business administration degree. Scott Stephenson has served on numerous civic and charitable boards.
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About Verisk: Verisk Analytics enables risk-bearing businesses for better understand and manage their risks.
Dawn Mortimer
Assistant Vice President, IoT/Telematics Claims Product Management of Verisk
Dawn Mortimer serves as assistant vice president of IoT/Telematics Claims Product Management at Verisk.
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About Verisk: Verisk Analytics enables risk-bearing businesses for better understand and manage their risks.
Dawn Mortimer
Assistant Vice President, IoT/Telematics Claims Product Management of Verisk
Dawn Mortimer serves as assistant vice president of IoT/Telematics Claims Product Management at Verisk.
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About Verisk: Verisk Analytics enables risk-bearing businesses for better understand and manage their risks.
Bin Yu
President and CEO of Utegration
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About Utegration, Utegration: Utegration, Inc is a full service SAP consulting company focused on the Utilities industry.
Andy Liuzzi
Senior Vice President, Crisis & Risk Chicago and US Crisis Lead Data Security and Privacy Group of Edelman Digital
As the head of Edelman’s Crisis & Risk Management practice in Chicago, Andy serves a hybrid role, helping global clients with proactively mitigating issues and risk as well as working on long-term reputation management strategies. Andy’s background includes: strategic counsel and execution across a broad range of operational, strategic, and crisis management engagements, high-profile litigation assignments and comprehensive public strategy campaigns. Within Edelman’s Data Security & Privacy Group, Andy serves as the crisis lead for breach engagements. Recent work with data security and privacy have included engagements within the healthcare, retail, financial services, higher education and technology industries involving cyber attacks, hacktivists, lost devices with sensitive information and IP theft. Additional crisis engagements span a variety of other industries including food, consumer products, technology, financial services and retail. Recent client work has included strategic engagements with Microsoft, Adobe, SC Johnson, ICANN, Mars/Wrigley, Kimberly-Clark, Burger King, Barilla, Kraft Foods, Fortune Brands, Wal-Mart, Allstate, Dover Corporation, Ingersoll Rand and Kellogg’s. Andrew joined Edelman’s Reputation Management Group after six years at Manning Selvage & Lee’s Chicago Office in their Corporate practice. At MS&L, Andrew spent four years helping lead the United State Army PR account, including significant work on public affairs positioning surrounding the ongoing military operations in the Middle East and Central Asia. EDUCATION: University of Virginia, BA.
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About Edelman Digital: Edelman Digital, a public relations firm, offers analysis, advertising, marketing, branding, and content and strategy management services.
Richard Edelman
President & CEO of Edelman Digital
Richard Edelman is the president and CEO of the world’s largest public relations firm with 66 offices and 4,500 employees worldwide. The firm was recently named “PR Agency of the Decade” by both Advertising Age and The Holmes Report, and “Large Agency of the Year” in 2011 by PRWeek US. Richard has extensive experience in marketing and reputation management, with current assignments for Hewlett-Packard, SAP and PepsiCo. Richard was named the fifth most powerful executive by PRWeek in 2012. He is regarded as an industry thought leader and posts weekly to his blog, 6 A.M. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Ad Council, the Atlantic Council, the Children’s Aid Society, the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. He is a member of the World Economic Forum, the Arthur Page Society and PR Seminar. Richard has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
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About Edelman Digital: Edelman Digital, a public relations firm, offers analysis, advertising, marketing, branding, and content and strategy management services.
Phil Gomes
Senior Vice President, U.S. B2B Digital; Leader, Global Blockchain Center-of-Excellence of Edelman Digital
Phil Gomes is the Chief Communications & Marketing Officer of Bloq.
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About Bloq, Edelman Digital, Metronome, Titan Industries, TitanMining, Vesper: Edelman Digital, a public relations firm, offers analysis, advertising, marketing, branding, and content and strategy management services.
Jeff Picarello
Executive Vice President, Health Issues & Crisis of Edelman Digital
Jeff Picarello joined Edelman in 2006 and specializes in strategic communications on behalf of clients in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. He has vast experience in crisis communications, R&D communications, corporate and public relations, government relations, and stakeholder engagement. Prior to joining Edelman, Jeff spent more than a decade directing public relations, media relations, and community and public affairs for various non-profit entities. As Director of Public Affairs for Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, one of the world’s leading biomedical research institutions, he improved media coverage by more than 314% in less than one year; his work in crisis communications and corporate communications made him a lead administrator at the Laboratory. Jeff also served as the institution’s sole liaison with nearly 50 grassroots organizations which fund medical research. A frequent speaker on various topics that affect human health — from oncological research and treatment to public health initiatives to diseases of memory and cognition — Jeff managed more than $40 million in direct, private contributions by communicating the research of more than 350 scientists to both lay and scientific audiences. At Cold Spring Harbor, Jeff served as the institutional representative for the New York Biotechnology Association (NYBA); The Academic Medicine Development Company (AmDec); the National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR); the National Cancer Institute; and New York’s GeNYsis program to promote biotechnology in the state. Regionally, he served on the Long Island Association’s Bioscience committee; BIO New York; acted as a liaison with OSI Pharmaceuticals, a Laboratory spin-off; and was an advisor to the Broadhollow Bioscience Park, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s technology transfer incubator facility. Following ten years in office management for a nutraceuticals company and law firm, Jeff began his career in the field of public relations at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University. There, he began working as an editorial assistant and was quickly promoted to Assistant Director, Associate Director, and finally, Director of Media Affairs — the quickest ascent in the department’s history. Jeff received both his bachelor of arts magna cum laude (English) and Master’s of Business Administration cum laude (Marketing) from the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University. He has held board positions with professional associations in public relations, business communications and corporate and government relations, and serves on the board for several disease-based charitable organizations. He is also chair of the board of Food Alliance, an organization focused on sustainable food production and certification, and serves on its Executive Committee.
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About Edelman Digital: Edelman Digital, a public relations firm, offers analysis, advertising, marketing, branding, and content and strategy management services.
Rob Jones
Vice President of Digital Strategy of Edelman Digital
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About Edelman Digital: Edelman Digital, a public relations firm, offers analysis, advertising, marketing, branding, and content and strategy management services.
James Maloney
Vice President, Financial Communications & Capital Markets of Edelman Digital
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About Edelman Digital: Edelman Digital, a public relations firm, offers analysis, advertising, marketing, branding, and content and strategy management services.
Rob Jones
Vice President of Digital Strategy of Edelman Digital
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About Edelman Digital: Edelman Digital, a public relations firm, offers analysis, advertising, marketing, branding, and content and strategy management services.
Stacey Bernstein
Executive Vice President, Global Director of Digital Health of Weber Shandwick
Stacey Bernstein is Senior Vice President and Director of Weber Shandwick’s US Digital Healthcare practice, based out of Weber’s Boston office. She specializes in building digital engagement platforms for pharmaceutical companies and healthcare stakeholders across the globe. Stacey counsels clients on the convergence of digital channels and healthcare communications, helping to explain the complex regulatory environment and developing best practices, strategies and tactics that allow healthcare companies to authentically engage through digital channels.
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About Weber Shandwick, Weber Shandwick: Weber Shandwick is a global public relations firm with offices in major media, business, and government capitals around the world.
Gail Heimann
President and Chief Executive Officer of Weber Shandwick
Gail Heimann is the President and Chief Executive Officer at Weber Shandwick.
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About Weber Shandwick: Weber Shandwick is a global public relations firm with offices in major media, business, and government capitals around the world.
Ranny Cooper
President, Public Affairs of Weber Shandwick
Ranny Cooper is Board of Director at National Partnership for Women & Families.
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About Weber Shandwick: Weber Shandwick is a global public relations firm with offices in major media, business, and government capitals around the world.
David Krejci
Executive Vice President, Digital Crisis and Issues, North America of Weber Shandwick
David Krejci has 22 years of Public Relations experience, 20 at Weber Shandwick in Minneapolis, where he built and led the digital/social/creative practice, beginning in 2002. In 2018, Krejci transitioned to lead Media Intelligence for the Global Corporate Practice. This entails helping clients mitigate online crisis and issues, executing media forensics for communications, and developing comprehensive listening and monitoring efforts that equal the complexity of today’s complicated communications environment. David also invented and leads Weber Shandwick’s proprietary crisis simulation exercise, Firebell — winner of PR WEEK’s Innovation of the Year and PR News’ Best Digital Application of the Year. Krejci and team have executed more than 200 Firebell drills across 11 countries in 20 languages since Firebell’s launch in 2010–David has moderated more than 50 Firebell drills, globally. [http://firebell.webershandwick.com/] In 2012, David was awarded the silver medal for Bulldog Reporter’s Social Media Innovator of the Year and is a 2008 recipient of the 40 Under 40 top business professionals as awarded by the Twin Cities Business Monthly. David is a frequent presenter and author on the topic of social media and digital communications, contributing thought-leadership pieces, some of which are listed below under “publications.” From 2008-2010 David was also an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota School of Journalism, teaching a senior level course on social media.
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About Weber Shandwick: Weber Shandwick is a global public relations firm with offices in major media, business, and government capitals around the world.
Mark Prigg
Senior Vice President, Media Relations of Weber Shandwick
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About Weber Shandwick: Weber Shandwick is a global public relations firm with offices in major media, business, and government capitals around the world.
Obele Brown-West
Executive Vice President, Client Experience Digital & Innovation Lead – Central Region of Weber Shandwick
Obele Brown-West is a 2015 PRWeek Innovation 50 and a 2016 PRWeek 40 Under 40 honoree. She’s led marketing initiatives for brands like TracFone, United Airlines, and Mattel. Responsible for the 2007 launch of The Week Magazine’s website, Obele’s strategy led to 1.2 million unique visitors within its first year.
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About Tinuiti, Weber Shandwick: Weber Shandwick is a global public relations firm with offices in major media, business, and government capitals around the world.
Ronald Reno
Vice President & Corporate Treasurer of FTI Consulting
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About FTI Consulting: FTI Consulting is a global business advisory firm.
Ronald Reno
Vice President & Corporate Treasurer of FTI Consulting
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About FTI Consulting: FTI Consulting is a global business advisory firm.
Sean Yarborough
Vice President – Service Assurance of Spirent Communications
Sean is a Sr. Director at Spirent. As part of his role, Sean advises leading service providers around the world on best practices for activating, monitoring, and troubleshooting business, wireless, and residential services. Sean has over 20 years of strategy, product management, and product marketing experience in the telecommunications market. Sean has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Virginia and a M.B.A. from the University of Maryland.
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About Spirent Communications: Spirent Communications is a telecommunications company offering lab test solutions to evaluate the performance of the latest technologies.
Sameer Dixit
Vice President, Security Consulting of Spirent Communications
Sameer Dixit is a leader in cyber security with over 15 years of experience in penetration testing and security research. At Spirent, Sameer is leading the ethical hacking and security research team called Spirent Security Labs. Prior to Spirent, Sameer has worked for leading security companies such as Trustwave-SpiderLabs and Cenzic Inc. where he led the penetration testing, vulnerability scanning and managed security testing services team. Sameer has contributed research for OWASP, been quoted in various industry-leading security and business publications such as Security Week, Business Insider, ZDnet, SC Magazine, and more. Additionally, he has spoken at various Cyber Security Threat Summits, Universities, conducted webinars, and actively blogs on emerging Web & Mobile security trends.
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About Spirent Communications: Spirent Communications is a telecommunications company offering lab test solutions to evaluate the performance of the latest technologies.
Graham Bevington
Executive Vice President & Chief Sales Officer of Mitel Networks Corporation
As EVP and Chief Sales Officer, Graham Bevington leads worldwide sales for the Enterprise Division. He has executive responsibility for the sales and distribution of Mitel’s comprehensive portfolio of PBX/IP-PBX, contact center, and private cloud solutions. Graham’s mandate also includes overseeing Mitel’s extensive global network of channel partners and Mitel’s professional services teams. A pillar of Mitel’s senior sales management organization for more than 15 years, Graham has played a primary role in Mitel’s growth and success in EMEA, Asia-Pacific, and Central and Latin America, and in the integration of sales teams, channels, and offerings resulting from Mitel’s active M&A program. Under Graham’s sales leadership, the company has emerged as the market share leader in the PBX/IP-PBX market in Europe, taken the number three position in North America, and become the fourth largest vendor in the world. He began his telecom career as national sales manager for Shipton Communications in the UK.
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About Mitel Networks Corporation: Mitel Networks Corporation provides business communications and collaboration software and services.
Ernie Naylor
President of Karrot Rewards
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About Karrot Rewards: Karrot Rewards is an experienced team with a deep understanding of the point of sale.
Frank Mergenthaler
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Interpublic Group
Frank Mergenthaler is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the Interpublic Group (NYSE:IPG), one of the world’s leading organizations of advertising agencies and marketing services companies. In his role as CFO, Frank has direct management responsibility for all areas of Global Finance, Information Technology and Investor Relations. Frank joined Interpublic with extensive experience in the media and entertainment industry, having played leadership roles at Columbia House, which was owned by the Blackstone Group, as well as The Seagram Company Ltd., owners of Universal Studios, Universal Music Group, and the Universal Theme Parks. In addition, he spent more than a decade at Price Waterhouse, becoming a partner in the Entertainment and Media practice of the firm in 1996. Since January, 2009, Frank has been a board member of Express Scripts Holdings (ESRX) and is currently Chairman of the Audit Committee. ESRX is a full-service pharmacy benefit management and specialty managed care company managing more than a billion prescriptions each year for tens of millions of individuals.
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About Interpublic Group: Interpublic Group provides advertising, digital marketing, communications planning, media buying, PR and specialty marketing services.
Kevin LaHaise
Vice President of Jones-Dilworth, Inc.
Kevin is a vice president at Jones-Dilworth. He’s JDI’s resident enterprise software marketing expert and dart champion. He believes that enterprise software has more world-changing potential than the next iPhone ever will, and loves nothing more than bringing those technologies to market. Kevin has a background in technical writing and software documentation, and has consulted with B2B and B2C technology companies from seed-stage to IPO. Prior to Jones-Dilworth he was with Porter Novelli, a full-service global PR firm. In his personal time, he plays as much golf as his daughter, Audrey, and his wife, Cameron, let him. He’s also known to spend a good deal of time in front of his grill and murdering foliage in his yard.
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About Jones-Dilworth, Inc.: Jones-Dilworth, Inc. is a boutique consultancy that brings precedent-setting science companies to market.
Rebecca Ewing
Vice President of Jones-Dilworth, Inc.
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About Jones-Dilworth, Inc.: Jones-Dilworth, Inc. is a boutique consultancy that brings precedent-setting science companies to market.
Debra Ness
President of National Partnership for Women & Families
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About National Partnership for Women & Families: Our goal is to create a society that is free, fair and just. Where nobody has to experience discrimination,
Tim O’Shaughnessy
President, Founder & CEO of Graham Holdings
Tim O’Shaughnessy is the President, Founder & CEO of Graham Holdings & he Attended Georgetown University in 2000.Timothy O’Shaughnessy became president and chief executive officer of Graham Holdings, effective November 2015. O’Shaughnessy joined the Company as president in 2014 to oversee investments and acquisitions, and to help set a new direction following the sale of The Washington Post. Previously, he served as chief executive officer of LivingSocial, which he co-founded in 2007. During his tenure, the e-commerce and marketing company grew sales to nearly $2 billion. A native of Minnesota and the youngest of four children, O’Shaughnessy was born in 1981. Following his graduation from Georgetown University in 2004 with a BSBA in Marketing, Operations and Information Management, he joined AOL as a product manager. In 2006, he moved to Revolution Health, where he rose to vice president of product development. During that time, he and three others developed a successful series of apps for Facebook. That company grew into LivingSocial, where O’Shaughnessy was CEO for seven years. O’Shaughnessy is a member of the Executive Committee of the Federal City Council. He is married to Laura Graham O’Shaughnessy, a daughter of Donald E. Graham. She is CEO of SocialCode, a social marketing technology company, wholly owned by Graham Holdings. The O’Shaughnessys live in Washington, DC, and have two young children.
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About Graham Holdings: Graham Holdings Company is a diversified education and media company whose operations include educational services.
Nicole M. Maddrey
Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary of Graham Holdings
Nicole Maddrey joined The Washington Post Company in August 2007. Previously, she served as attorney-advisor and later as special counsel at the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of Chief Counsel, Division of Corporation Finance. Before joining the staff of the SEC, she was an associate in the law firm of Miles & Stockbridge, PC, in Baltimore, MD. Maddrey received a BA in communications from the University of Pennsylvania and a JD with honors from the University of Maryland School of Law.
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About Graham Holdings: Graham Holdings Company is a diversified education and media company whose operations include educational services.
Carol Ruth
Founder, CEO & President of The Ruth Group
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About The Ruth Group: The Ruth Group is a leading strategic communications firm focused exclusively on the healthcare industry.
David Burke
Vice President of The Ruth Group
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About The Ruth Group: The Ruth Group is a leading strategic communications firm focused exclusively on the healthcare industry.
Dan Kulp
Vice President of lotus823
Dan has more than ten years of marketing and public relations experience, having worked extensively in a variety of capacities in the lifestyle and consumer products industries. As Vice President of lotus823, he oversees all client and media relations, from press relations and content creation to event and strategic planning. Prior to joining lotus823, Dan was Vice President of Rachel Litner Associates, a culinary, lifestyle and housewares public relations firm. He has also been a team member at MWW Group in New Jersey and 5W Public Relations in New York City.
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About lotus823: lotus823 is an integrated marketing communications agency.
Laurent Guengant
Global Vice President – Head of Strategy, Digital Solutions and Business Operations of Hitachi
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About Hitachi: Hitachi is engaged in the manufacture and sale of electronic and electrical products worldwide.
Mark Sajjad
President & CFO of AiRISTA
Mark Sajjad is a senior executive and an entrepreneur with more than 20 years of finance and marketing experience. His organization skills and commitment to excellence is unsurpassed. With his solid and broad based financial and accounting skills, Mark assumes full responsibility for the critical task of directing and managing company’s financials. Mark’s analytical abilities have enabled him to challenge the status quo and advance already strong organizations to higher levels of performance. As the President, CFO and a permanent member of the board of directors, Mark plays an active role in strategic planning, financial analysis and financial reporting to the executive management team. Prior to joining AiRISTA, Mark as the president of the Ferro Group was responsible for directing and managing all critical financial and operational aspects of the company. Ferro Group is a Maryland based firm, specializing in commercial architectural design and space planning for the hospitality and fitness industry. His prior financial executive positions as the CFO of Lumenex for over 6 years and Future Communication Systems for nearly 10 years spanned financial systems, planning, financial controls, contract negotiations, and investor relations. He guided the company from near startup to 7 consecutive years of record profits.
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About AiRISTA: AiRISTA develops and delivers turn-key real time location solutions incorporating active RFID, passive RFID, Wi-Fi RTLS, GPS.
Robert Fickett
President & COO of CPI International
Robert Fickett became President and Chief Operating Officer in March 2002. Prior to this, Mr. Fickett was a Co-Chief Operating Officer since October 2000 and Vice President since April 1998. Robert has also been the Division President of the Microwave Power Products Division since April 1998. From January 1996 to April 1998, Robert was Vice President of Operations for the Microwave Power Products Division. From 1993 until January 1996, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Altair Technologies, Inc., a contract manufacturer. From 1982 until 1993, Robert held a number of positions with Varian Associates, Inc., including Engineering Manager of the Microwave Power Products Division’s Klystron Engineering Group, to which he was promoted in 1989. Robert received a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
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About CPI International, CPI International: CPI International provider of microwave, radio frequency, power and control solutions for critical defense.
John Beighley
Vice President of Sales of CPI International
John Beighley became a Vice President in March 1997 and currently heads our Worldwide Field Sales Organization. From May 1992 to March 1997, John was Western Hemisphere Sales Manager responsible for sales in the Americas, as well as the Far East and Australia. From June 1989 to May 1992, John was the North American Sales Manager. From March 1981 to June 1989, John held a number of Product Marketing and Field Sales positions with Varian Associates, Inc. John received a B.S. degree in marketing from San Francisco State University and an M.B.A. from Santa Clara University.
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About CPI International: CPI International provider of microwave, radio frequency, power and control solutions for critical defense.
Andrew Tafler
Vice President of CPI International
Andrew Tafler became a Vice President in December 2005. Andrew became Division President of the Satcom Division in May 2004. Andrew was previously Vice President of Operations for the Satcom Division from 2000 to 2004. From 1989 to 2000, Andrew held the Business Development Manager and then the Operations Manager positions at the Communications and Medical Products Division of the Electron Device Group of Varian Associates Inc. Andrew held a number of manufacturing and marketing positions at Varian Associates Inc. from 1984 to 1989. Prior to joining Varian Associates, Inc., Andrew served in engineering and management positions with Bell Canada Inc. Andrew holds a B.A.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto.
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About CPI International, CPI International: CPI International provider of microwave, radio frequency, power and control solutions for critical defense.
Anne O’neill
Vice President of The Glover Park Group
As a Vice President in The Glover Park Group’s Energy & Sustainability practice, Anne O’Neil assists clients with message development and press outreach, particularly to energy trade publications. She brings expertise in renewable energy and electricity sector issues and a number of energy and environmental markets. Clients include companies in the utility and transmission industry, as well as the solar and hydropower sectors. Anne joined GPG after four years as an energy trade reporter and editor with Argus Media. Her coverage area included reporting on and pricing environmental commodities markets; state-level renewable mandates and policies; EPA regulation of air pollutants; and federal climate policy.Anne has also worked for the think tank Center for American Progress and in the Washington, D.C. office of Time Warner.A Washington, D.C. native, Anne earned her BA in English from Georgetown University.
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About The Glover Park Group: The Glover Park Group is a strategic communications and government affairs firm, working at the intersection of business, media, and more.
Anne O’neill
Vice President of The Glover Park Group
As a Vice President in The Glover Park Group’s Energy & Sustainability practice, Anne O’Neil assists clients with message development and press outreach, particularly to energy trade publications. She brings expertise in renewable energy and electricity sector issues and a number of energy and environmental markets. Clients include companies in the utility and transmission industry, as well as the solar and hydropower sectors. Anne joined GPG after four years as an energy trade reporter and editor with Argus Media. Her coverage area included reporting on and pricing environmental commodities markets; state-level renewable mandates and policies; EPA regulation of air pollutants; and federal climate policy.Anne has also worked for the think tank Center for American Progress and in the Washington, D.C. office of Time Warner.A Washington, D.C. native, Anne earned her BA in English from Georgetown University.
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About The Glover Park Group: The Glover Park Group is a strategic communications and government affairs firm, working at the intersection of business, media, and more.
Katie Greenway
Vice President of The Glover Park Group
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About Finsbury Glover Hering, The Glover Park Group: The Glover Park Group is a strategic communications and government affairs firm, working at the intersection of business, media, and more.
Audrey Cooling
Senior Vice President of The Glover Park Group
Since joining The Glover Park Group, Audrey Cooling has led high-stakes public affairs and marketing programs for a wide range of clients, including major brands in the health care, technology and media sectors. Audrey’s work on some of the firm’s largest integrated accounts has helped our clients influence public policy, build coalitions, navigate antitrust litigation and corporate mergers, respond to crises and improve their reputation among opinion leaders. In the 2008 election cycle, Audrey took a leave from GPG to join Senator John Edwards’ presidential campaign as director of communications planning, where she managed the roll-out of major campaign announcements, endorsements and special events, including the three-day, eight-city “Road to One America” anti-poverty tour in July 2007. Prior to joining GPG, Audrey spent two years in the DC bureau of The Wall Street Journal as reporting assistant to Washington Editor Al Hunt, where she researched and edited Hunt’s weekly “Politics & People” opinion column, worked closely with CNN and CNBC producers and frequently contributed to the paper’s online coverage of the 2004 elections. Early in her career, Audrey helped develop targeted direct mail campaigns, worked in public opinion research and served as a deputy press secretary to Georgia’s lieutenant governor.A graduate of the University of Georgia, Audrey and her husband recently moved to her hometown of Savannah, Georgia, where they live with their young daughter and a rescue dog named Lucy.
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About The Glover Park Group: The Glover Park Group is a strategic communications and government affairs firm, working at the intersection of business, media, and more.
Pawan J. Mehra
Founder and President of Améredia
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About Améredia, Foreign Startups, Founder Institute, FWD.us, OneValley, The Refiners: Améredia enables multicultural marketing communications for global brands across U.S. and international markets.
Kimberly Setliff
Vice President of Antenna Group
Kim provides strategic guidance for a broad range of Antenna’s energy clients, including companies in the renewable generation, storage, conservation and electric vehicle sectors. She also has vast experience with managing publicity for major events in the solar energy and sustainability industries. Whether it’s working alongside Silicon Valley startups or Fortune 500 organizations, Kim understands what it takes to reach clients’ core audiences and produce lasting results. During her years with Antenna, Kim has secured numerous top-tier honors for her clients, including the Wall Street Journal’s Technology Innovation Awards and the R&D 100, as well as speaking roles at prestigious conferences such as Solar Power International, Intersolar and the Renewable Energy Finance Forum. Kim holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from The Ohio State University with a dual specialization in Strategic Communication and Public Affairs Journalism.
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About Antenna Group: Antenna has nearly two decades of experience in bringing technologies out of the lab into commercialization and beyond.
Noah Schultz
President, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of The Noah Schultz Company
Noah Schultz is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Noah Schultz Company. As President and CEO, Mr. Schultz is responsible for stewarding every facet of the New York-based digital conglomerate and provides visionary leadership across the companies integrated service offerings and businesses. With direct management responsibilities for the global operations of the company, Mr. Schultz’s attention to detail and focus on developing innovative, industry-leading brand experiences for the companies diversified accounts has shaped the agency’s reputation as an architect of the brands of tomorrow.
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About Eitan Productions, The Noah Schultz Company: The Noah Schultz Company is a full-service international marketing agency headquartered in New York City with offices around the globe.
Ryan Lawrence
Vice President, Business Development and Strategy of Relativity Ventures
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About Catalyst Sports, Relativity Ventures: We are a consortium of communication specialists and storytellers. Focus: Events, C-Suite Positioning, Brand Development, Content Creation
Judy Luk-Smit
Vice President Of Product of Onclusive
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About Onclusive: Onclusive empowers communications teams with media monitoring and PR analytics software and services.
