Gigi Carroll
SVP, Creative Director
Draftfcb Chicago

Gigi Carroll is an unbridled thinker and designated hitter for the Draftfcb Group around ideas and inspirations linked to (among other areas) women’s behavior and the entertainment world.  She is a veteran of ad agencies, the movie world, the promotion arena, and motherhood.  Gigi is responsible for the creative strategy and ideation behind a wide ranging group of major female initiatives including the breakthrough “24/24 Milk Your Diet: Lose Weight” campaign (an effort that escalated selected milk sales close to 12 percent over the previous year in addition to winning upwards of 30+ awards); CVS Skin Effects new product line launch; launches and positioning for several P&G products; and the launch of a new product for a major pharmaceutical firm.  

Married and the mother of two young children, Gigi brings skills from soup to nuts to marketing. She has spent more than 20 years honing those skills as an innovator in advertising and promotions.  As a leader in the Concept Group at Draftfcb Group, specializing in ideation, she has helped create additional innovative, successful campaigns for many other Draftfcb clients including Kellogg’s and MasterfoodsUSA.  

Early in her career, which includes executive posts at promotional agencies Frankel and Simon Marketing, Gigi developed winning efforts for a long list of clients including Burger King, Chevron Oil, Hallmark, McDonald’s, Old Navy, and Toys R Us.

A graduate of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, Gigi possesses wide-eyed exuberance, a passion for redecorating, and the firm belief that taking risks is one of the unheralded joys in life.   

Laura Tomasetti
Managing Director
360 Public Relations

As managing director of 360 Public Relations, Laura has helped brands and marketers such as LEGO, Crock-Pot, Vicks, The Walt Disney Internet Group, Hasbro, The First Years, The Every Baby Company and Diapers.com make meaningful connections with moms online and off.  Laura leads the agency’s MomSquad and works closely with an array of traditional and social media and grassroots organizations that target moms.  She held senior positions with global PR agencies and served as vice president of public relations for a division of Hasbro, Inc., prior to founding 360PR in 2001. She is a frequent speaker at industry events.

Kara Forney
Founder The Bump Media, Inc. VP and Publishing Director
The Bump
The Knot, Inc.

Kara Forney founded The Bump Media, Inc. in 2003 as a direct result of a glaring need in the marketplace. Her inspiration came from her own two bumps (now nine and six), along with the desire to simplify the maternity maze and directly connect soon-to-be moms with their local product and service providers. Under Kara’s vision and leadership, the company grew from one local guide in Phoenix, Arizona to 11 guides across the country including New York and Los Angeles, while developing TheBump.com online vehicle and partnering with leading industry experts to become the go-to local resource for new and expectant moms. Wall Street soon took notice, and in February 2008 The Bump Media was purchased by The Knot, Inc. as a part of The Knot’s strategy to expand into additional life-stages. Kara currently oversees The Bump division within The Knot Corporation and is thrilled to have The Bump be a part of The Knot’s family of brands.

With a BS in marketing from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management, Kara has 20 years in the sales, marketing, and advertising field. She honed her sales skills out of college as an account executive for IBM, and after graduate school moved on to be the Director of Marketing at The Del Webb Corporation as well as running her own marketing consulting company, KF Marketing Partners, before launching The Bump Media, Inc. in 2003.

Kara lives in Phoenix with her supportive husband Greg and her two sons, who are excited to have a mom who “makes books for mommies with babies in their tummies.” She is a regular speaker at leading industry conferences and events such as M2Moms and Mom 2 B.

Carolyn Kremins
Vice President/Publisher
Cookie

Carolyn Kremins is the Vice President and Publisher of Cookie, Condé Nast’s family lifestyle magazine for the modern mom, which launched in 2005.  Cookie is an all encompassing magazine for busy yet discerning moms for advice on fashion, interiors, health, food, books, and travel, as well as first-person critique and commentary on the issues that matter most to mothers.

In her first year at Cookie, the magazine was named Advertising Age’s “Launch of the Year” for 2007 and Carolyn was named to Adweek’s “Hot List” in the 10 under 50 category for 2008.  Under Carolyn’s direction Cookie’scirculation has grown 43%.

Carolyn is one of the only publishers in the industry to secure a place on Adweek’s “Hot List”three times in a single decade with three separate magazines.  In addition to Cookie, she was recognized for Maxim (2001), followed by The Week (2006).

Prior to joining Cookie, Carolyn had been group publisher of The Week Magazine at Dennis Publishing since 2002.  Prior to that, she was group publisher of Maxim, Maxim Online and Maxim Fashion. She began working at Dennis Publishing in 1996 as Publisher of Stuff Magazine.

Her appointment at Cookie marked a return to Condé Nast for Carolyn. She first joined the company in 1992 as beauty director for House & Garden, and from 1993-1996 was ad director of Bon Appétit.  She started her publishing career with sales positions at Elle and Shape magazines.

Carolyn graduated from SUNY Oneonta/ F.I.T with a B.A. in marketing, advertising and communications.  She lives in Manhattan with her husband and two children. 

Kelley Murray Skoloda
Partner/Director, Global Brand Marketing Practice
Ketchum

Kelley Skoloda is a mom, an author, an MBA and a public relations executive.
A partner/director of Ketchum's Global Brand Marketing Practice, Kelley is a recognized authority on marketing to women.  She is the architect of the widely-publicized Women 25to54, a communications offering that offers a better way to reach “multi-minding” female consumers. 

Her book, Too Busy to Shop: Marketing to Multi-Minding Women, (Praeger, March/2009) has been named a “must read” by Publishers Weekly and is already in its second printing. Kelley’s blog, toobusytoshop.blogspot.com, helped to collect input from women for several chapters of the book.

Kelley and her work have been featured in ADWEEK and BRANDWEEK, cnbc.com, tompeters.com,  Business Week Online, Forbes.com, PRWeek Magazine and many others. She was named one of the most influential women in business in the Pittsburgh region by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in its "Women at the Helm" special edition.  She has also served on the advisory board for PINK Magazine and was featured in a BBC-produced show for children, Beat the Boss USA, which aired in January, 2009.

In her distinguished career with the global, top-ten public relations firm, Ketchum, she has counseled dozens of companies and blue-chip brands including the American Iron and Steel Institute’s Canned Food Alliance, Aetna, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, Daimler Chrysler, Kellogg’s Special K and other Kellogg’s brands, Kimberly-Clark, Libby’s and Rite Aid Corporation. 

Previously, she was the agency’s director of business development, working with agency staffers around the world to build new business.  She oversaw the implementation of the firm’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System and activated a global new business network.  Kelley holds a certification in Customer-Focused Selling.

Kelley earned her M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business and her undergraduate degree from Seton Hill University, where she now sits on the Board of Trustees.  She and her husband, David, reside in Pittsburgh with their two children, Jake and Ellie.

Genevieve Thiers
Founder and CEO
Sittercity.com

Genevieve Thiers took the nugget of idea she developed in college and turned it into what has become a successful, multi-million dollar business.  In September 2001, Genevieve founded Sittercity.com®, an online resource to help families and individuals across the nation find the care provider who meets their needs quickly, easily and most importantly safely.  With this, Genevieve not only started a company but created an industry that has skyrocketed in terms of size and popularity.

Genevieve, the oldest of seven children including two sets of twins, has logged more than 2,500 babysitting jobs in her lifetime, so you could say babysitting is in her blood.  In fact, she babysat for more than 30 families while pursuing her undergraduate degree at Boston College.  One day, from her dorm room window, Genevieve saw a nine-month pregnant woman climbing the many steps from Boston College’s lower to upper campus, distributing flyers in an attempt to find the perfect babysitter.  That’s when Genevieve had an epiphany: What if there was one central place where parents could meet all the sitters in a city?  With that, Sittercity was born with the mission to ensure no parent would ever have to say “I can’t find a sitter” again.

When working to get Sittercity off the ground, Genevieve pitched her idea to investors who said they weren’t interested because they didn’t fund “babysitting clubs”.  Determined to see it through, Genevieve borrowed $120 from her father to buy the Sittercity.com domain and a business was launched. She spent her days at IBM, her nights singing and getting her Masters degree in opera, and her free time distributing 20,000 babysitter recruitment flyers across Boston on foot - including canvassing 20 colleges in the Boston area to get the word out.  It worked.  Today Sittercity.com is the largest and most trusted source for in-home care, including babysitters, nannies, petsitters, senior caregivers, housekeepers and tutors.  Sittercity.com now has more than 1 million caregiver profiles across the nation and a huge population of care seekers, as evidenced by the fact that a new job is posted  post a new job on Sittercity.com every three minutes.

The babysitter-turned-entrepreneur published her first book, Love at First Sit: A Parent’s Guide to Finding and Keeping the Perfect Babysitter, in 2006.  She has also serves as the iVillage Babysitting Expert and Momlogic’s child care expert. Genevieve has appeared on the Today show, CBS Early Show, CNN, The Big Idea with Donnie Deutsch, Martha Stewart Living Radio and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Redbook, Parents, Parenting, Real Simple, Better Homes and Gardens, and Working Mother, as well as on news programs in markets across the nation.

Genevieve has been recognized for her innovative vision and unique business-savvy, securing 13 national and international awards on behalf of herself and the company.  In 2007, Genevieve was listed on Forbes Junior Power League and in Crain’s Chicago Business ‘40 Under 40.”  Prior to that, she was recognized in a ceremony by President Bush at the White House as the Small Business Administration Young Entrepreneur of the Year for 2006 and also received the Women’s Business Development Center Rising Star Award for 2005.  Noted for her expertise and business acumen, Genevieve has spoken at hundreds of entrepreneurial forums, young executive forums, mothers’ forums, colleges and conventions across America, and is a popular keynote speaker.  She has been a guest speaker at Harvard Business School and Kellogg School of Management, Babson College, Boston College, Columbia Collage in Chicago and University of Illinois.  In addition to advising students, Genevieve has also shared her small-business expertise with various political figures, from former Secretary of the Treasury, Hank Paulson, to head of the SBA, Steven Preston, to Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.

Zanny Oltman
Director, Marketing Partnerships
Destination Maternity Corporation

Zanny Oltman oversees all marketing partnerships for Philadelphia-based Destination Maternity Corp., the world’s largest maternity apparel retailer, including the brands A Pea In the Pod, Motherhood Maternity, Destination Maternity and the Futuretrust Mastercard. Zanny is responsible for all marketing opportunities created for companies serving expectant mothers and new families. She leads all data licensing initiatives, sampling programs, in-store signage campaigns, e-marketing, web sponsorship, and in-store and online subscription based programs.  Tailored to each partner’s needs, these programs connect with Destination Maternity customers in search of the best products and services for them and their families.

With over 15 years of experience in lifestyle marketing, Zanny has created programs which leverage traditional media, online environments, and retail space. She graduated from the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College with a B.S. in Television Production and received an MBA with a major in Marketing from Drexel University. Zanny lives in the Philadelphia area with her husband and son.

Tim Sullivan
President
School Family Media, Inc.

A recognized leader in all aspects of parent involvement in schools, Tim Sullivan has spent his entire career in the education world. Tim’s unique perspective comes from a variety of angles – first as a teacher and administrator at a NYC high school, then as a senior manager for a New England-based fundraising concern.  In 1999, Tim founded PTO Today, the company that has evolved into School Family Media, Inc. – which today delivers parent-focused publishing and brand-sponsored school-family involvement programs to millions of parents with school-age kids every year.
 
He has spoken at hundreds of parent group (PTO and PTA) meetings and to tens of thousands of parent group leaders all across the country. In print, on the radio and on national TV, Tim is a frequent contributor to national discussions on the importance of parent involvement in schools and the best practices for encouraging and enabling that involvement. He also maintains a role as a senior writer for PTO Today Magazine and as a featured blogger on both ptotoday.com and schoolfamily.com.

A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Tim lives in Attleboro, Massachusetts with his wife Ellen and their four young children. Tim also serves as the HSA (Home & School Association) president at his children’s school.

Colleen McKenna
Global Marketing Director, Consumer Business Unit
Symantec Corp.

Colleen McKenna serves as global marketing director of Symantec’s Consumer Business Unit. Colleen brings more than eighteen years of experience building and implementing public relations strategies for technology products and services. In her current role, Colleen oversees the development and execution of all online marketing and PR programs related to the line of Norton products and services, including OnlineFamily.Norton, OnlineFamily.Norton is an online service that links parents to their children, giving parents the comfort to set their kids free online while still keeping them safe and sound.

Prior to joining Symantec, Colleen held positions at Mistubishi Electric Corporation, including a assignment in Tokyo, where she worked to enhance the company’s global communication structure. Before her tenure at Mitsubishi, Colleen also held various positions at Hill & Knowlton, The Phelps Group and Rubin Postaer Advertising.

Colleen received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from California State University, Long Beach.

John Driscoll
Vice President, Sales & Business Development
School Family Media, Inc.

John brings more than 20 years of experience to his senior role with School Family Media, including Vice President of Physician Sales for Web MD, Vice President of Field Sales for Whittle Communications, and Vice President of  A+ America – a start-up fundraising where John worked extensively in building mutually beneficial marketing programs focused on families with school-age children.

For the past ten years, John has directed School Family Media’s Marketing Solutions Group where he has led the growth and development of award winning marketing to mom programs such as School Family Nights® and Back2School for some of America’s most renowned, consumer brands such as Nestlé, Target, Disney, Kodak, Lowe’s and Kellogg’s.

John has been a featured speaker on the topic of marketing to moms through schools at conferences such as Kid Power and M2Moms (Marketing to Moms), and has been quoted in discussions on the topic in industry trade publications such as Ad Age, Marketing Sherpa, and MediaPost.

John is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and lives in Medfield, MA with his wife and three children.

Marti Barletta
Founder
The Trendsight Group

Marti Barletta helps organizations get smart about marketing to women.  She is the author of the groundbreaking book, Marketing to Women and co-author with Tom Peters of Trends.  Her book, PrimeTime Women: How to Win the Hearts, Minds, and Business of Boomer Big Spenders (released in January 2007), breaks the story on the extraordinary, unprecedented opportunity represented by PrimeTime Women™ (women 50-70) and details why companies that don’t get it will get left in the dust.  This is one consumer solution you could literally call “the silver bullet.” 

Marti founded her consulting think tank, The TrendSight Group (www.TrendSight.com), to help companies grow their business and pull ahead of the competition by boosting their marketing, sales, recruiting and retention effectiveness with women.  The recognized international authority on marketing to women, Marti’s dynamic style and passion for her topic make her a popular speaker at corporations and conferences. Combining gender expertise, marketing experience and a lively sense of humor, she delivers eye-opening insights and practical “how to” pointers that audiences find enlightening, entertaining and easy to apply.

Ian Wolfman
Partner and Senior Vice President
Imc2

Ian Wolfman, imc² Partner and Senior Vice President, has an accomplished career in business development, executive leadership, and marketing strategy. Ian's career began with an entrepreneurial online relationship marketing venture in the mid '90s, followed by over a decade of interactive marketing and entrepreneurial leadership with some of the world's most admired companies and brands. Ian currently leads imc²'s business development and marketing team, where he plays an instrumental role in supporting new business growth for the company, one of the leading digital marketing agencies in the United States. Some of the accounts that Ian and his team have engaged and grown in recent years include Procter & Gamble, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Coca-Cola, Blockbuster, Eli Lilly and Company, Norwegian Cruise Line, Sharp Electronics, and Pizza Hut. Prior to his current role, Ian directed strategy and delivery at imc² for client accounts including Johnson & Johnson, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Sunbeam, and Pfizer.

Before joining imc², one of Ian's early companies was responsible for creating an independent online artists' channel for Kazaa, This independent channel was a pioneering ecommerce business model, which was instrumental in defining the shape of the P2P file sharing economic models that are still evolving today. Ian also previously worked in sports marketing and general advertising on accounts such as the NFL, Nokia, Corona, and Bombardier.

Ian received his MBA from the Cox School of Business at SMU and his Bachelor of Science in corporate communications from the University of Texas.

Dr. Mary Manz Simon
Consultant & Parenting Expert
www.marymanzsimon.com

An educator, consultant, media personality and award-winning author, Dr. Mary Manz Simon has embodied thought leadership in the Christian market for more than 20 years.

Publishing with Scholastic, Random House and many others, Mary’s books have sold three million copies in English in the Christian channel alone. Her titles are available in ten languages. My First Read and Learn Countdown to Christmas is releasing now. (Scholastic)

Mary has consulted for a wide variety of entertainment entities, publishers and companies including Walden Media, Sony Entertainment, American Girl, ReelFX, Family Communications (Mister Roger’s Neighborhood) and Lyrick Studios. She has also worked with leading entertainment companies to develop “faith guides” and other materials for movies and video series’ such as Charlotte’s Web, Prince of Egypt, and The Berenstain Bears.

A popular presenter, Mary has spoken at Book Expo America, National Association for the Education of Young Children, National School Supply and Educational Association Ed Expo, National Religious Broadcasters, International Christian Retail Show, and numerous other conferences. 

Mary’s platform of “Practical Parenting” is the through-line for all her speaking, writing, and consulting engagements. Her short-format radio program, “Front Porch Parenting,” which recently celebrated its tenth anniversary and airs daily on 200 stations, offers parents useful information and suggestions on raising children.

Mary earned a bachelor's degree from Illinois State University, a master's degree from Erikson Institute for Early Childhood Education of Loyola University, Chicago, and a doctorate from St. Louis University. The Illinois State University Alumni Association presented Mary with the Distinguished Service Award for "exceptional service to mankind."

Married for 35 years, Mary and her husband, Hank, a Lutheran pastor, are the parents of three adult children and grandparents of two boys.   

Jaime Berman Matyas
EVP and COO
National Wildlife Federation

Jaime Berman Matyas is responsible for managing day to day operations, setting organization strategy, leading integrated marketing efforts and identifying new revenue generating efforts.  Prior to assuming the Executive Vice President and COO role in May 2005, Jaime was Senior Vice President of Marketing at National Wildlife Federation.

Before joining National Wildlife Federation, Jaime held marketing positions at Hamilton Projects/Hanna-Barbera, Inc. and IMG, both in New York.  Jaime has been a panelist at Licensing Industry trade shows and events, a speaker at cause related marketing conferences, and an advisor to not-for-profits looking to create or expand partnerships with the corporate community.

Jaime earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania.   Most recently she was one of 1000 people trained by Vice President Gore’s The Climate Project.

Jaime was honored in 2006 by the Washington Business Journal with their prestigious Women Who Mean Business award and in 2008 by Jewish Women International’s Women to Watch.  She lives in Maryland with her husband and two daughters.  She is an avid soccer player and loves playing outside and baking brownies with her daughters.

Mike Swenson
President
Barkley Public Relations

Mike Swenson is a nationally recognized expert within the growing field of cause branding. His Citizen Brand blog (http://www.citizenbrand.typepad.com) champions companies, nonprofits and individuals that are leading as Citizen Brands within their communities. He has been a featured speaker at events for the Cause Marketing Forum, Public Relations Society of America, International Association of Business Communicators, and the International Public Relations Exchange, among others.

Mike founded Barkley Public Relations in 1988 and has led the strategic development of cause programs for multiple clients. Since 1995, the firm’s flagship cause program for Lee Jeans, Lee National Denim Day, has raised more than $70 million to benefit breast cancer research. In 2006, Barkley’s work with the NPT Breast Cancer 3-Day generated more than $86 million for breast cancer education and treatment. Cause marketing programs under Mike’s guidance have won awards from the Public Relations Society of America, PR Week, the Cause Marketing Forum and the PRISM Awards.

Mike serves on the Board of the Kansas City Zoo, the Kansas City Free Health Clinic, and the Capital Campaign Steering Committee for Harvester’s Community Food Bank, and is a community advisor to the Junior League of Greater Kansas City. He is past president of IPREX, a global corporation of 60 independent public relations firms. Mike is a frequent guest lecturer at the University of Kansas, his alma mater, and Central Missouri State University. He is also a member of the William Allen White Foundation Board of Trustees affiliated with the School of Journalism at the University of Kansas.

Prior to founding Barkley Public Relations, Mike served as the Press Secretary to Kansas Governor John Carlin and worked as a broadcast journalist.

Jeff Pillet-Shore
Brand Manager
Stonyfield Farm

Jeff Pillet-Shore is responsible for the YoBaby and YoKids brands at Stonyfield Farm, the world’s largest organic yogurt maker.

Prior to joining Stonyfield, Jeff managed consumer marketing for Nestle Good Start infant formula where he revamped the $25MM+ relationship marketing program and helped launch the first probiotic infant formula in the United States.

Jeff received a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from the University of California-Los Angeles, and an MBA in marketing from the University of Southern California. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and daughter.

Stacy DeBroff
Founder & CEO
Mom Central Consulting

Stacy DeBroff is founder and CEO of Mom Central Consulting, the leading marketing to Moms agency, founded in 2006, which specializes in viral marketing and social media campaigns to activate the Mom consumer. In the last year, Mom Central Consulting has partnered with over 200 national brands, Fortune 500 companies, PR firms, and venture-backed start-ups to build brand awareness and activate Moms to significant retail purchases and online participation. Stacy’s expert marketing advice and insights have been featured in such publications as USA Today, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, as well as TV shows from CNN’s American Morning and Headline News to Fox News and Bloomberg News.

Prior to this, Stacy, heralded as a “parenting guru” by the Wall Street Journal, authored four best-selling parenting books (Simon & Schuster) and launched Mom Central, Inc. (www.MomCentral.com), a company devoted to providing savvy advice to simplify and enrich the lives of busy Moms and their families. Stacy appears as a regular parenting expert on national TV shows, including NBC’s Today Show, CNN, The View, The Tyra Banks Show, the CBS Early Show, The Daily Buzz, Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, and the Rachael Ray Show. Stacy also serves as a corporate spokesperson, trendspotting for the media on behalf of over 50 national brands.

In the 1990’s, Stacy founded and ran, as an attorney, the Public Interest Office at Harvard Law School. Stacy lives with her husband, Ron, and happily engages in imperfect parenting of their two teens, Kyle and Brooks, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Liz Hawks
VP & Global Co-Chair, FH Moms Practice
Fleishman-Hillard Kansas City

A mom of two boys, Liz Hawks is founding co-chair of FH Moms, Fleishman-Hillard’s global practice group specializing in marketing to moms. In this role, Liz counsels clients to strategically dialogue with moms in ways that translate to better acquisition and retention of the lucrative “mom market”.

In her tenure with Fleishman-Hillard, Liz has partnered with clients to manage product launches and extensions, consumer awareness and education programs, social media, cause-related marketing initiatives, contests and promotions, celebrity seeding, consumer advocacy, and digital strategies. Liz was part of the PR team that launched Hallmark’s “Cards with Sound”, which won a prestigious Silver Anvil award in 2007. In addition, she managed the launch of Hallmark’s “Journeys” card line, including a digital media component that was awarded a Gold Quill from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) in 2008.

Liz has worked with various national clients while at Fleishman-Hillard, spanning the B-to-C, food/ag, and healthcare industries, including Hallmark Cards, Midwest Dairy Council, Silpada Designs, Bayer Animal Health, Quintiles, Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Teva Neuroscience, Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and H&R Block.

Liz came to Fleishman-Hillard from the not-for-profit sector, where she worked with Habitat ReStore, an arm of Habitat for Humanity. She is a former member of AmeriCorps VISTA, the U.S. government’s domestic service organization.

Liz currently is pursuing a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from the University of Kansas, and holds a bachelor’s degree with departmental distinction in the communication arts from Southern Methodist University, with an emphasis in broadcast media.

Candice Hinds
Director
Luth Research

Candice Hinds joined Luth Research in 2006 and plays an integral role in collaborating with key clients committed to next generation marketing and innovative research practices.

Candice has been instrumental in the evolution of Luth’s business offerings. With a focus of delivering richer, more meaningful insights to clients, Candice helps companies understand how and why consumers’ behaviors are changing- and how to leverage research to identify otherwise unforeseen growth opportunities. She works closely with Luth’s analytical staff to offer clients a suite of enriched data products such as trending data, visual images and life-style information positioning her clients to make better, more informed business decisions.

Known for thoughtful consultation and asking tough questions, Candice works with the nation’s most promising brands such as Ford Motor, ProFlowers.com, Bright House Network, and Eastman Kodak. She is responsible for understanding the strategic and long term needs of Luth’s clients, and to facilitate the exploration of potential collaboration.  She has a Masters of Science in Executive Leadership from the University of San Diego and a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science from the University of Southern California. Candice previously held the position of Director of Business Development for a real estate advising company she co-founded in 2003.

Janet Ryan
Vice President of Sponsorships
Shutterfly

Janet Ryan is responsible for building the Shutterfly Sponsorship Program, an initiative that enhances the customer experience by combining value added content and special offers from Shutterfly partners with existing website experiences.

Janet brings more than 20 years experience in media, marketing, sales and general management in online, print and television media businesses. Prior to joining Shutterfly, Janet ran an industry–leading media consultancy, focused on making online media properties more customer–centric and profitable by integrating digital and traditional media businesses. Her clients included MSN, Alta Vista, and CNET, as well as hundreds of special interest dotcoms and print publishers.

Prior to consulting, Janet was vice president of sales at BigBook.com, the first online yellow page business (now part of Verizon). Janet also spent over a decade at Ziff Davis, where she held roles ranging from founding Executive Director of ZD TV, Publisher of MacUser Magazine, Associate Publisher of PC Computing Magazine and Advertising Director of PC Magazine.

Janet received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology/Marketing/Management from Lehigh University. She lives in Belmont, CA with her very photogenic pets, Roxie and Merlin.

Maxine Wolf
CEO and Publisher
KIWI Magazine

Maxine Wolf is the CEO and founder of May Media Group, LLC, publisher of KIWI Magazine, a national parenting resource, as well as producer of the KiwiFlies healthy family sample program (a partnership with American Airlines) and MyHealthySchool.com, an educators’ resource for green schools.

Inspired by the challenges of raising a physically and emotionally healthy child, Maxine formed May Media Group to help parents with the same mission. KIWI Magazine… Growing families the natural and organic way, was launched to give parents the tools to make good decisions for their families while achieving a balance between the real world and the ideal world. 

Prior to starting May Media Group, Maxine co-founded Mambo Sprouts Marketing, a company in the natural and organic arena. She also has had over 20 years of consumer-packaged goods marketing with companies such as Campbell Soup Company, Nabisco, Borden and Melitta USA.  Maxine has an MBA and a BA from the University of Delaware. She is the mother of an 11 year-old daughter and is dedicated to helping other families learn to live a healthy, natural lifestyle.

Kris Charles
VP, Global Communications
Kellogg Company

Kris Charles has been Kellogg Company’s vice president of global communications since September 2007.  She chairs the global communications leadership team.

Kris is accountable for corporate communications, media relations, brand public relations programs, employee communications, investor communications, and oversight of the U.S. Advertising & Promotion Review committee. She is also responsible for Kellogg Company’s annual global Corporate Responsibility report.

Kris joined the company March 2006 as senior director, marketing communications – corporate communications.  She has more than 17 years of food industry communications experience.

Prior to joining Kellogg, she was with Kraft Foods in a variety of communications roles including leading global corporate communications and issues management. Previously, she led public relations programs for food industry clients at both Edelman Public Relations Worldwide and Powers & Associates Advertising and Public Relations.

Kris graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and public relations from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Kristen Laney
SVP/Group Manager
Ketchum

Kristen Laney has worked in the consumer brand and food business for more than 14 years at Ketchum.  Kristen uses her knowledge of brand marketing and food/wellness issues and opportunities to create results-driven programs and media strategies for many consumer packaged goods, including food, over-the-counter and beauty/grooming products.  Kristen is active in the Global Brand Marketing and Food & Nutrition Practices within the agency.  Some of Kristen’s clients have included the Canned Food Alliance, Domino’s Pizza, Rite Aid Women’s Health Foundation, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, Bristol-Myers Squibb Consumer Medicines, Del Monte Canned Fruit and General Nutrition Centers. Currently Kristen runs the Kellogg Company account.

With Kellogg, Kristen’s team helped to announce Kellogg’s 2007 industry-shifting announcement, in which the company pledged to establish a global nutrient criteria and change the way it markets to children. Some of the Kellogg brands Kristen’s team currently supports are: Special K, All-Bran, Corn Flakes, Pop-Tarts, Frosted Mini-Wheats, Rice Krispies, Frosted Flakes, Eggo, FiberPlus Antioxidant Bars, Mother’s Cookies and Cinnabon Bars.

Kristen also was named as a Renaissance Rising Star by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, and she was named a “Fast Tracker” in 2005 by the Pittsburgh Business-Times.

Stephanie Bryant
Manager, Business Development/Emerging Marketing
DaySpring, a subsidiary of Hallmark

Stephanie Bryant believes in the power of relationship. She started practicing those skills as a girl who played office rather than school and began her entrepreneurial endeavors with homemade stationery and lemonade stands. Life soon added to those experiences through her education at Baylor and study in Europe. Professionally, she’s moved far beyond lemons through her work in product development in publishing, marketing for non-profits, and the role she now holds in business development and emerging markets for DaySpring, a subsidiary of Hallmark. Her focus has recently been on social media as a way to reach new consumers. Ultimately, Stephanie is a gatherer of people, ideas, and creativity. Those closest to her, like her best friend and husband Barry, know that’s what makes her who she is—strong and vibrant, bold and full of grace, a woman whose faith is at the heart of all she does, and who is passionate about the hearts of others… because she knows that’s what visionary business is all about in the end.

David Kinnaman
President
The Barna Group

David Kinnaman is the President of the Barna Group in Ventura, California.

Since joining Barna in 1995, David has designed and analyzed hundreds of studies for a variety of organizations, including those in publishing, media, non-profit, and faith-based work. His clients include the American Bible Society, Columbia House, Easter Seals, Habitat for Humanity, Integrity Media, InterVarsity, NBC-Universal, The ONE Campaign, The Salvation Army, Sony, Time-Life, World Vision, Zondervan (Harper Collins) and many others.

As a spokesperson for the firm's research, he is frequently quoted in major media outlets such as USA Today, TIME magazine, Fox News, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Dallas Morning News, and The Wall Street Journal. He is also in demand as a speaker about faith and culture, vocation and cause, teenagers, and generational change.

He is the author of the best-selling book, unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity.

David and his wife, Jill, live in Ventura, California, with their three kids.

Margaret Lewis
Executive Vice President, Sr. Partner
Catapult Marketing

Margaret Lewis spent the first 20 years of her agency career focusing on Consumer Packaged Goods and National Consumer Promotions Marketing, developing impactful, award-winning programs for mom-targeted brands ranging from Mott’s and Nabisco to Campbell Soup and Pizza Hut.  Mixing a passion for kids’ entertainment, licensing and toy properties with her well-honed marketing-to-moms skill set, she became, by far, the coolest mom in her daughter’s car pool – and the go-to expert at her agency for marketing to moms & kids. 

For the past 7 years, Margaret has focused on influencing consumer purchase behavior at retail.  As Executive Vice President and Sr. Partner, she helped launch Catapult Action-Biased Marketing - PROMO Magazine’s 2009 Agency of the Year - an integrated marketing services company that provides brand marketers and shopper marketing teams with action-oriented solutions to marketing challenges, based on a unique understanding of the brand, the consumer and the retailer.  She leads the planning and execution of programs for top CPG companies including Dannon, Colgate, Novartis, Mars, Inc., and Reckitt Benckiser; is a frequent speaker at PMA conferences and events; texts, tweets, and updates her Facebook regularly; and never leaves home without her Blackberry.

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Wendy Clark
SVP, Integrated Marketing Communications & Capabilities
The Coca-Cola Company

Wendy Clark joined The Coca-Cola Company in September 2008 as senior vice president, integrated marketing communications and capabilities.  In her role, Wendy oversees global design, marketing communications, media, sponsorships, interactive marketing and the Company’s Live Positively sustainability platform.

Prior to joining The Coca-Coca Company, Wendy was senior vice president, advertising for AT&T, the world’s largest telecommunications company. She was responsible for all global advertising efforts and brand management for the new AT&T.  

From delivering the AT&T “globe” logo into the 21st Century to making the
“Your World. Delivered.” tagline synonymous with AT&T, Wendy was at the helm of the company’s most ambitious and aggressive re-branding and advertising campaigns in its history.

Under her watch, AT&T launched numerous, multifaceted initiatives that transitioned, and transformed SBC, BellSouth and Cingular brands into the new AT&T – a company committed to connecting people with their worlds everywhere they live and work.

Wendy was responsible for breathing new life – and a 2.0 feel – into the iconic AT&T brand. Her efforts were recognized in November 2007, upon her induction into the American Advertising Federation’s (AAF) “Advertising Hall of Achievement.” In addition, AdAge magazine cited Wendy as “one of the most important women in marketing” in its “Women to Watch 2007” issue.

Prior to joining AT&T in 2004, Wendy served as the senior vice president and director of client service at GSD&M, an internationally recognized advertising agency based in Austin, Texas. During her time with the agency, she managed an account services department of 100-plus people and provided day-to-day oversight of the SBC account.

Wendy also held a variety of field and corporate positions in advertising and marketing for BellSouth Mobility. During her six-year tenure, Wendy managed strategic direction and implementation of BellSouth Mobility’s multimillion-dollar advertising and sponsorship efforts.

Before joining BellSouth, Wendy provided marketing communications support to a variety of Atlanta-based companies, including an online database company, a real estate investment firm and a boutique advertising agency.

Wendy is a board member of the Association of National Advertisers and the Jack & Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation and lives in Atlanta with her husband and three children. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English/Creative Writing from Florida State University.

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Maureen Wolpert
Senior Brand Manager
Seventh Generation

Maureen Wolpert is responsible for the management of the Seventh Generation brand.  Seventh Generation is committed to becoming the world's most trusted brand of authentic, safe, and environmentally-responsible products for a healthy home. For 20 years, the closely held Burlington, Vermont-based company has been at the forefront of a cultural change in consumer behavior and business ethics. The company derives its name from the Great Law of the Iroquois that states, “In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”

Prior to Seventh Generation, Maureen honed her ‘green mom’ insights and marketing expertise through eight years at Stonyfield Farm, during which time the company grew threefold. While she managed all of Stonyfield’s brands and product lines at one point or another, she most recently served as Brand Director on the YoBaby and YoKids brands.

Maureen received a bachelor’s in psychology from Boston College and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts-Boston. She is also proud to be a ‘green mom’ herself, with two young boys, and resides in beautiful, green Vermont.

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Naomi Cramer Overton
President
MOPS International

As President of MOPS International, Naomi Cramer Overton works from a passion to see moms live fully in vital relationship with God and others. She draws on her time as a MOPS member, plus 20 years work with Fortune 50, media, government and nonprofit organizations and education from Stanford University (BA), UCLA (MBA from Anderson Graduate School of Management) and now Fuller Seminary (working toward MA in  I intercultural Studies). Actively engaged with next-generation moms and their culture, she speaks at industry conferences and has been asked to advise the Search Institute, developers of the 40 Developmental Assets for healthier kids and families. She's married to her college sweetheart and she's a mom of three . Naomi's desire is for women to embrace their value to God, their families and communities and their individual callings to influence the world.

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