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The 2008-2009 Board of Directors is comprised of the following industry practitioners:
Meet the board members who are eager to serve you throughout this anniversary year.
Risa Burgess, President
Risa Burgess, Director, Schwarz Communication has more than 10 years of healthcare communications and provides strategic PR counsel to a variety of public and private companies in the medical device, pharmaceutical, biotechnology and life sciences industries. She is thrilled to serve the Pub Club community for this anniversary year and sees taking this position as a highlight in her professional career. She and her husband have a six month old son and when he is not keeping her busy she cooking at home and going out to try new restaurants.
Lauren Drost, Vice President, Bell Ringers
Lauren Drost, Account Manager, Lois Paul & Partners, couples more than seven years of experience at this agency with five years of service on the Pub Club's board of directors. Her high tech and life sciences public relations skills have captured much success for her clients and she believes proof that she did her job first came when a reporter called her unprompted to discuss a story on a small client. A graduate of Wentworth Institute of Technology, Drost enjoys sports, music and horseback riding when she is not promoting her clients to the press.
Caroline Pierce, Vice President, Media Relations
Caroline Pierce, Senior Account Executive, 360 Public Relations, is a guru when it comes to entertainment and lifestyle clients. She has secured a wide range of high-profile placements, with media including The Today Show, HGTV and The Wall Street Journal. Born and raised in Boston, Pierce knows the true heartache of being a Red Sox fan and is thrilled that the curse has finally been broken. During the baseball season she can often be found on her roof deck with her puppy and husband watching every last inning of Red Sox games.
Meagan Ellis, Vice President, Membership
Meagan Ellis, PR Account Manager, Kel and Partners, a leading Web 2.0 marketing and public relations agency for consumer and emerging technology brands. Her love for technology leads her to spend endless hours twittering, on Facebook and reading politico and foodie blogs. Fortunately, this only aids her clients as well. Her passion for her job has led to securing coverage for zero-awareness clients in major media outlets including Maxim, The Today Show and The New York Times. Although she did have childhood aspirations of becoming a movie star, she is now content to aim for PR rock star status.
Hilary Blowers, Vice President, Programs
With a strong background in media relations, event management and execution and communications strategy, Hilary Blowers, Account Supervisor brings solid consumer brand marketing experience Cone. It is this experience that aided her in securing USA Today coverage for one client on the day of the client's New York City program launch. In addition to her work for the agency, Blowers prides herself in securing and executing programs for the Pub Club's members. She holds a BA from University of Massachusetts, Amherst and her true passions are shopping and traveling.
Courtney English, Vice President, Newsletter
Although she never made it to the Olympics as a track and field athlete, Courtney English, Internal Communications Specialist, New Balance, did find a way to combine her passion for running and communications. At New Balance, English is responsible for the development and execution of the company's strategic plan communications. She utilizes the company's key communication vehicles to keep the global audience abreast of the brand's initiatives. When not at work, English can be found, running, of course.
Caitlin Melnick, Student Liaison
After a triumphant year of attracting the future of Public Relations, Caitlin Melnick returned to the board this year to again serve as Student Liaison. Up and coming stars are not the only ones to which Melnick appeals. As Account Executive at Schneider Associates she is a go-to resource for clients and colleges alike. Melnick honed her skills at Marist College where she earned a BA in Communications, Public Relations.
Ani Bardakjian, Vice President, Web site
With youth hood ambitions of being both a lawyer and a violist, Ani Bardakjian must have had an inkling that she was both left and right-brained. As PAN Communications Marketing Manager, Bardakjian is in charge of the agency's corporate presence and visibility. Her analytical abilities allow her to develop strategic plans, but she must do so in by incorporating creative marketing initiatives. Her more than 10 years experience in the field helps her plays a key role in building and reinforcing the company's distinctive brand. Of course, she does have an adventurous side. In addition to traveling, cooking and exercising Bardakjian's hobbies include tackling anything new.
Katie Sullivan, Secretary
Katie Sullivan, Public Relations Manager, is Staples' go-to for brand initiatives and seasonal PR programs such as back-to-school, holiday and tax. Among her accomplishments for the brand is her management of a cause marketing program's development. When away from the office, Sullivan can be found in one of two places, in a pool or in a mall as she loves both swimming and shopping. She and her husband reside in Medfield.
Michael Dowding, Treasurer
Although he once wanted to be a surgeon, Michael Dowding, President, Wordscape Communications, is now better know for his dissection of words. His freelance writing practice specializes in writing for business-to-business technology firms. This Pub Club past president does boast that his most proud career moment is winning a Bell Ringer Award, but does find the Red Sox winning the World Series equally enticing. He earned a bachelor's and master's of science from Boston University and an M.B.A. from Suffolk University. He currently resides in Millis with his wife and two children.
Liza Heapes, Vice President, Bell Ringers, Elect
Liza Heapes, Principle, Heapes of Media, is a PR expert in the healthcare industry. Her biggest career moment was announcing the FDA approval of her client's product. As a Vice President, Bell Ringers, Elect, Heapes looks forward to a year of preparation for the Pub Club's Bell Ringer Awards when others are honored for their public relations successes. A Syracuse University graduate, Heapes currently resides in Charlestown with her husband, but can also be found reading, hiking and sailing.
Karen Reynolds, President, Elect
Karen Reynolds, Sales Manager, Business Wire, put aside her dreams of playing second base for the Red Sox when she found her true calling, the field of communications. In her role, Reynolds oversees the Business Wire team in New England including newsroom, media relations and client services. Away from the her desk she enjoys her newest hobby, gardening and she especially loves the gratification of planting bulbs in the autumn and watching them bloom in the spring - just in time for Fenway's opening day.
Beth Bailey, Immediate Past President
Director of Public Relations, RDW Group, a full-service agency, Beth Bailey has a long list of accomplishments. At the top of the sheet is aiding her client envision, plan and launch the first statewide plastic bag recycling program in the U.S. What keeps this flourishing PR professional going? The answer is simple - her desire to succeed and fuel in the form of chocolate as she is a self-proclaimed chocoholic. Fortunately, when she is not in the office she is able to work off the chocolate calories by chasing around her son with her husband, Bob.
Christine Comey, Member at Large
Christine Comey, Account Executive, Solomon McCown & Company has quickly moved up the ranks at the agency by earning two promotions in less than two years. She has done so by keeping a keen eye on her clients' industry. Following market trends, shifts and media coverage has enabled her to stay on top of the changing industry and position her clients as experts in an effort to communicate their messages to key audiences. When she takes a breather from studying industry trends Comey can be found playing tennis, traveling and shopping.
Kristian Darigan, Member at Large
Kristian Darigan, Vice President, Cone, an agency leader in cause branding. She has particular expertise in marketing strategy, corporate citizenship, business management and fundraising. As an expert on cause programs, she serves as a spokesperson for Cone on cause branding and social marketing trends, and has been a featured keynote and panel speaker at many conferences. Going to work is anything but the daily grind for Darigan, who is estactic to have a job that she loves doing. Her passion is working with nonprofits and corporations to improve business and social returns. She does have one other passion, U2 and she has the handfuls of concert ticket stubs to prove it.
Maryanne Keeney, Member at Large
Maryanne Keeney, Principle, MKPR, has made her ambition to own her own business a reality. Keeney's company focuses on outdoor sports, consumer packages goods and lifestyle products. She takes most pride in securing a story which catapults a client's sales or status and has done so by securing placements in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Glamour. She earned her undergraduate degree from Hartwick College and a master's degree from Boston University. She lives in Boston with her husband, but loves to take off to Nantucket to bike.
Andrea Krull, Member at Large
Andrea Krull's childhood dreams of becoming a pilot have come true, she is just missing the plane. Although she has yet to taxi a plane down a runway, Krull's career has taken off and as Account Supervisor at Racepoint Group she provides strategic PR counsel to clients, delivers media relations results and crisis planning. She has led teams across technology, energy and healthcare verticals, but is most proud of positioning one client as a solution for both the military and professional sports teams to quickly identify and treat traumatic brain injuries. Krull holds a BA in Mass Communications from Boston University and will complete her Masters in Administrative Studies this December. When she does not have her nose in client paperwork or textbooks, Krull enjoys reading for pleasure, spending time with her husband and traveling.
Chris Stamm, Member at Large
Chris Stamm, Vice President, Schwartz Communications, and an avid skier, runner, swimmer and cyclist is not only active outside the Schwartz's doors, but also goes non stop in his nine to five life. This go-go-go lifestyle was surely key when he helped one client create a new on demand jet service that brought the benefits of private jet travel to the masses, an accomplishment that he is most proud of. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Stamm currently resides in Andover.
Amy Sweeney, Member at Large
In her role, Amy Sweeney, Associate Director, Public Relations, Children's Hospital Trust, is charged with media relations, cause marketing, corporate philanthropy, brand marketing, event planning, communications/marketing consulting and strategy. She got her practice for running from meeting to meeting when she ran with the Olympic torch - an honor which she earned after being nominated by a client. Sweeney also undertakes a number of activities outside of work as she enjoys gardening cooking, exercising and has even enrolled in a stained glass-making class.
Kerry Walker, Member at Large
Kerry Walker, Vice President at Porter Novelli Boston, is the account lead for|business-to-business|accounts and in her current role is responsible for global account team management, strategic planning and client counsel, media relations, partner activities and materials development. In years past Walker considered herself a runner, but had to hand up her shoes for a different kind of running | chasing after her two children with the aid of her husband.
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