Our MVP Speakers

Known for his ability to transform a company’s vision into effective corporate strategy and implementation, Rod Brooks has enjoyed tremendous success during his 35-year career in sales, marketing, and business development. He has been the marketing force behind successful start-ups, emerging growth companies, and well-established businesses such as Schuck’s Auto Supply, Egghead Software, WordPerfect Corp., and Coinstar. In 1999, Rod took the marketing helm at PEMCO Mutual Insurance Company, where he helped to transform an analytical, operations-based enterprise with a largely commoditized product into a dynamic, customer-centric, results-oriented organization. Rod has served in numerous volunteer leadership capacities and is especially proud of his longstanding service to Washington DECA, which granted him its Award of Merit—the organization’s highest volunteer recognition. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications from Washington State University.

Stephanie Gray oversees all advertising and branding for both the Seahawks and Sounders. Her eight-year track record includes assisting in the launch of Seattle Sounders FC—recognized as one of the most successful franchise launches in sports history. Stephanie is a graduate of the University of Arizona and holds a Masters Degree in Sports Administration and Leadership from Seattle University. She currently serves on the marketing board for the Boeing Classic and Downtown Seattle Association.

Early in his career, Gregg Greene worked at the Fisher Radio stations (STAR, KVI, KOMO) in various capacities, which eventually led to a part-time stadium DJ position during the Mariners’ magical 1995 season. In the 16 years since then, he has helped to shape the Mariners brand and the fan experience at Safeco Field. His duties include marketing, advertising, promotions, giveaways, team website, social media initiatives and in-game entertainment. Gregg also assisted Major League Baseball Special Events with six All-Star Games. He completed his undergraduate degree in Communications and Political Science at the University of Washington and his Master’s degree in Business and Communications at Syracuse University.

An innovative strategist and out-of-the-box thinker who believes in pushing creative boundaries, Porter Gale has over 20 years’ experience in marketing, advertising, branded content development, social media, independent filmmaking, and more. She joined Virgin America in 2007 and currently manages its Brand and Online Marketing, In-flight Content and Loyalty teams. Previously, she was a consultant with a diverse array of clients such as Country Music Television, Blue Shield of California, and Delta Dental. As General Manager at Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners, her clients included Vegas.com, Coach, Snapple Natural Beverages, Van Cleef & Arpels, Judith Leiber, and Grand Marnier. Porter has also produced or directed documentaries that have aired on Lifetime, PBS, Britain’s Channel 4 and in film festivals around the globe, and she is a frequent guest lecturer, panelist and public speaker. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Boston University and a Masters in Documentary Film and Video from Stanford University.

Paul Anderson is a career transition consultant and speaker whose work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, US News & World Report, USA Today, Business Week, The Seattle Times, The News Tribune, and other media outlets around the Puget Sound area. He is considered a thought leader on professional relationships, career strategy, negotiations, and communication. Paul has trained thousands of mid- to upper-level executives on how to find employment or change industries in a tough job market. He hosts the largest monthly career mixer and leads public seminars and workshops on how to stand out from the crowd in today’s hiring world. Paul currently writes “NWjobs Hire Ground,” a career column for The Seattle Times.

Dina Apostolou is an expert in integrated marketing communications, digital marketing, direct marketing, and agency management. She has held several marketing positions at Microsoft, including her current role as Group Marketing Manager and her previous experience as Sr. Channel Marketing Manager, in which she was responsible for driving
software and solution revenue through U.S. reseller partners. She began her career as a Marketing Manager at Arthur Andersen. She holds a BA in Marketing, Technology & Innovative Management from the University of Washington, Michael G. Foster School of Business.

Award-winning marketer Chris Baggott has been a leader in marketing for more than 20 years and was recently named 21 of 100 Most Influential Marketers of 2009. Chris has been quoted in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc. and ADWEEK. Chris is a co-founder of ExactTarget and is currently the CoFounder/CEO of Compendium, a software as a service marketing software for businesses and organizations. Compendium focuses on organizational blogging and its role in search marketing. Finally, Chris is author of a book from Wiley: Email Marketing By The Numbers. He is also one of the featured marketers in the new book from Wiley: Online Marketing Heroes: Interviews with 25 Successful Online Marketing Gurus.

Valerie joined PMI in 1995 with 16 years of experience in design, product development, quality and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). In 1997, Valerie initiated PMI’s first CSR program. Today, she is responsible for overseeing global CSR, Liability, Philanthropy and Quality functions at PMI. Valerie’s work at PMI in CSR has enabled PMI to be recognized in its field for its work in this area. Most notably are the 2006 & 2008 American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai Corporate Social Responsibility Awards for CSR program excellence in China. Since, 1998, Valerie has worked closely with PMI factories to enable continuous improvement on both social and environmental initiatives. Valerie was part of the 2005 PMI Environmental Task Force that researched and mapped out environmental initiatives for PMI. In 2009, Valerie launched PMI’s new Environmental Program that will drive and document environmental improvement in the supply chain. In 2010, Valerie lead a team of both employees and consultants that produced PMI’s first CSR Report per GRI guidelines. Valerie is a member of the following professional organizations: American Society for Quality, Business for Social Responsibility, Center for Corporate Citizenship, International Society of Sustainability Professionals, Outdoor Industry Eco Working Group and Network for Business Innovation & Sustainability.

At Banyan Branch, Blake Cahill is responsible for client acquisition, customer execution strategies and marketplace awareness efforts. Previously, he was CMO at Visible Technologies where he led marketing, branding, social initiatives, analyst and media relations in addition to leading development programs for their Social Intelligence platform and solutions. Blake has 18 years of executive management experience leading marketing, sales, branding, product management, customer acquisition and customer support organizations in a variety of technology, consumer, and telecommunications companies such as SafeHarbor Technology Corporation, AT&T, Belgacom, Qwest, SBC, and ServiceMaster.com. He holds bachelor’s degrees in political science, history, and business from Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island.

Kathy Cox develops strategies that meet bottom-line objectives. She started her career on the agency side managing accounts such as Carnation Company and helping launch seven pioneering subscription TV entities. She then moved to the client side at top media companies including Viacom, Times Mirror, and TCI Cablevision. She won several cable industry awards and was the president of the Bay Area Cable Cooperative. After moving to the Pacific Northwest, she negotiated the Seattle Mariners’ first cable television rights contract and launched NorthWest Cable News (NWCN), which became the nation’s highest-rated regional cable news network. She also founded FilmPix, a movie information service ultimately acquired by Hollywood.com, and ParentOrganizer, an online communications tool used by schools and community organizations to inform and interact with families. Kathy graduated cum laude in broadcast journalism and political science from Ohio State University and received her MBA from Pepperdine University. She developed a new planning system for the PSAMA as the current VP of Planning. 

Jacqueline Drumheller is a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager with over 19 years of experience in the environmental industry, covering just about every topic from audits to underground storage tanks. In 2008, she helped found Alaska Airlines’ corporate sustainability program. She raised awareness of the importance and value of environmental stewardship through the launch and leadership of a cross-divisional Green Team, which lead to a company-wide adoption of new “greener” business initiatives and strategies. She recently completed Alaska Airgroup’s first ever Corporate Environmental Responsibility Report. By institutionalizing sustainability and integrating environmental decisions into routine business decisions, Ms. Drumheller believes that companies can improve their brand value and corporate image, increase employee engagement, cut costs, and reduce risks. Ms. Drumheller is an enthusiastic public speaker who enjoys turning dry technical information into something simple, fun, and understandable.

Patrick Flanagan is a seasoned digital advertising and marketing professional who has extensive experience bridging the gap among clients, businesses, and technology stakeholders. His primary focus is creating products and solutions that help advertisers leverage the web to drive in-store sales, and bridge the gap between traditional vs. new media. Patrick is responsible for all of the digital touch points—social, mobile, out-of-home, email, web and distribution partnerships—that Simon Property Group has with the nearly 3 million visitors to its mall properties each year. He currently manages 200 million page views from 17 million consumer visits across a network of branded, fully hosted internet application sites. His leadership has helped to take the company from an investment mode to sustainable profitability. 

Barry Hurd is the President of 123 Social Media, a Seattle-based digital firm and think-tank that provides online competitive intelligence, digital business strategy, and social media business integration across the enterprise. He also serves as a managing director for Epiphany Metrics, offering guidance on complex business processes being affected by new technology trends. He is an acknowledged leader in business and social media strategy, pioneering digital product campaigns, online reputation, and comprehensive business metrics. He volunteers as strategic director for Social Media Club Seattle, where he promotes ethical and effective utilization of social media for business.

Stuart Jenner assists companies with website planning, search engine optimization and other online marketing initiatives. Search engine services include assessment and benchmarking, implementation and training focused on driving traffic, building brands and protecting trade secrets and confidential information. Marketek is currently serving clients in e-commerce, travel, health care, finance, software and technology, professional services and other areas. Stuart previously worked for Microsoft, SureFind Classifieds By Telephone and Hewlett-Packard. He has an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor’s in Economics and International Studies from the UW. He is a former board member of the MIT Forum of Western Washington and is active in the Seattle Direct Marketing Association. 

Sharon is a highly regarded creative professional and nationally published author experienced in many facets of copywriting and Content Marketing. After graduate school, she founded, published and edited her own arts and antiques magazine, and later served as managing editor of the Puget Sound’s largest computer magazine. She wrote her first website in 1997, fell in love with copywriting, and founded We Know Words in 2000. Today We Know Words is a Content Marketing resource for everything from blogs to books, websites to whitepapers. Sharon is a past president of the Seattle Direct Marketing Association, and the author of the small-business marketing ebook “Marketing in a Minute.” As you read this, she’s frantically writing her first real book, “Marketing Is Like Dating, and I Can Help You Score.”

Carrie is Internet Marketing Manager for Clarisonic, the Bellevue-based sonic beauty innovator. She is responsible for the company’s multi-faceted social media programs and associated new customer acquisition. Over the past 16 years, Carrie has worked with companies such as Microsoft, FedEx, HP, and Nextag, developing, implementing and managing Online Marketing programs. She focuses on linking leading edge technology and creativity to drive traffic, increase sales, and at the same time, maintain the highest level of customer satisfaction. She is a graduate of California State University-Sacramento.

Prior to coming aboard as CEO of Zooppa, Wil Merrit made a career at the intersection of media and technology. For four years he served as a Senior Vice President for the Corbis Corporation, Bill Gates’ wholly owned private digital media company. Wil also spent eighteen years with Time/Warner, Inc. in posts around the globe including President for Europe/Middle East/Africa for the Time and Fortune Publishing Division. 

Christina Opalka helps startups during their critical first two to three years. Her traditional marketing agency background combined with deep startup experience brings her an unconventionally effective perspective on how to make visionary things happen when resources are at a minimum. At Orbridge Inc. she is helping to redefine group travel for today’s generation of travelers. Previously, as VP Marketing at SpeedTax and Director of Marketing and PR at Avalara, she was instrumental in creating a disruptive new category in the accounting technology space. Her efforts were recognized with the K2 Enterprises Quality Award for Marketing Communications. Christina has worked with other nascent organizations including CleverSet, Adapx, Bainbridge Art Museum, and Health Marketing Solutions. She has also held client management roles at marketing technology firm Xchange Inc., and Northwest agencies whose clients included Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, and Westin Hotels & Resorts.

Julie Rezek is a seasoned marketing professional with over 15 years’ experience developing and managing consumer and B2B programs. At Wunderman Seattle, she is responsible for the multi-million-dollar Microsoft Commercial account worldwide. Her work spans relationship marketing programs for key Microsoft brands and business groups such as Office, Server, Developer, Dynamics, Public Sector, SMB, Mid-Market, and Mobile. Julie’s focus is ensuring the marketing campaigns for Microsoft products and services are cutting-edge, employ the latest social networking strategies, and take advantage of emerging media to drive sales and deliver results. Prior to her move to the Northwest, Julie was VP, Director of E-marketing in Wunderman’s Toronto office, where helped to develop Wunderman’s digital marketing practice. The top-tier accounts that have benefited from Julie’s leadership include IBM, Kraft, The Loyalty Group, Citibank, AT&T, and Ford.

Russell Sparkman is a new-media craftsman with more than 25 years of visual communications experience. In 1999, he co-founded Fusionspark Media, a new media production and marketing communications firm that inspires, informs and influences through authentic online content in support of corporate, non-profit and government communications initiatives. As CEO, he has played key roles in all company projects, including business development, production, photography, videography, and content. Russell is also the founder/executive director of the Langley Center for New Media, and sits on the board of directors of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and the Whidbey Institute for the Contemporary Arts.

With nearly 15 years’ experience in online marketing, Trendline Co-founder and CEO Morgan Stewart has become recognized as a thought leader in online trends and interactive marketing. His email marketing journey began in 1999 when he managed the development of Pampers websites and email marketing programs across the globe. Previously, he served in multiple roles with ExactTarget, a leading provider of on-demand email and one-to-one marketing solutions. Morgan launched and managed ExactTarget’s strategic consulting practice before dedicating the majority of his time to studying and writing about how consumers interact with brands across web, email, mobile, and social networks. He is a regular columnist for Mediapost’s Email Insider and Engage: GenY, and his work has been featured in leading publications including Fortune, Forbes, Newsweek, and Mashable. 

A high-performing mobile marketing and advertising executive, Doug Stovall has won business from top brands such as Staples, Urban Outfitters, MGM Casinos, and Condé Nast. Over his 17-year career, he has created and directed mobile sales units for Acuity Mobile, Merkle, Inc., and TeleCommunications Systems (TCS). Other clients have included Harrah’s Casinos, Pitney Bowes, Discover Financial Services, Enterprise Holdings (Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car), H&R Block, Utah Jazz, and Washington Capitals. At Merkle, a provider of interactive and digital marketing services, Doug served as vice president of mobile business development, where he created and directed a mobile sales organization and implemented a corporate customer acquisition strategy. He previously served as the vice president of sales at Acuity Mobile, a provider of interactive mobile solutions, where he built and managed direct and indirect sales and business development groups. 

Gary Tashjian is the founder and owner of Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, a Seattle-based direct-to-consumer company that makes fresh, all-natural meals for dogs and cats. Darwin’s offers free home delivery in Seattle and Portland and ships nationwide. Gary started his marketing career at American Airlines where, as the marketing manager of the AAdvantage frequent flyer program, he helped develop what became the largest and most successful database marketing program of its time. He later moved to Seattle and went on to develop and lead direct marketing for companies including Holland-America Lines/Westours, Eddie Bauer, and Seattle FilmWorks, where he was VP Marketing. Gary attended Brown University, and received his MBA from the University of Chicago.

Martin Tobias is a serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist who has focused his career on applying technology to solve real-world business problems. He began at Andersen Consulting (Accenture), where he focused on computer programming for various Fortune 500 companies. Later, while working for Microsoft, Martin helped developed Select 3.0, the first corporate volume licensing program, and was instrumental in Microsoft’s early entry into electronic software distribution (ESD). He then founded Loudeye Technologies Inc., which would grow to become one of the predominant providers of audio and video solutions for the Internet. In 2010, Martin launched Tippr.com, a Seattle-based social commerce website that offers “accelerated deals” on local-market goods, services and events. In addition to authoring his own blog, deepgreencrystals, he has written opinion articles for Wired, Men’s Health, Details, Newsweek, Time and The Wall Street Journal. Martin attended Oregon State University, majoring in Marketing with a background in Computer Science.