High Tech Connect

A corporate communications expert with over 20 years of progressively responsible experience; a proven track record of successfully translating company strategy and objectives into high-impact communications programs that directly impact company brand, credibility and the bottom line results.

* Outstanding staff management, interpersonal, team building and communication skills used to successfully manage and lead change for five mergers/joint ventures – MillerCoors Brewing, Molson Coors Brewing Company, HP-Compaq, Compaq-Digital and Compaq-Tandem

* Creates strategic communication and marketing programs that build and enhance corporate brand and reputation

* Concrete approach to driving worldwide communication and marketing programs that span functional and group lines and organizational levels

* Ability to inform and influence press, industry analysts, financial analysts, customers, and prospects while motivating employees

* Exceptional ability to turn complex content into simple, highly charged and effective external and internal communications

* Recognized as a high-performance leader, motivating and collaborating with key stakeholders to build consensus

My specialties: Corporation communications including internal branding; internal communications; executive communications, visibility and brand; analyst, public and investor relations; customer communications; corporate brand and reputation; high-performance and collaborative leader; led change for five mergers or joint ventures

Melanie Rice, meerice@yahoo.com

Twitter, LinkedIn

Help a PR Pro Out (HAPPO) Day is a community-based initiative to help friends and colleagues struggling to find jobs in the current economic climate. We are proudly posting bios from talented pros available for hire.

Sara Nealy is a strategic thinker with a depth of expertise in meetings, events, multimedia production and out of the box creativity.

Working in corporate environments such as AT&T Network Systems and the financial industry for Prudential Securities, she is a recognized meetings industry expert who has created and directed annual meetings, large-scale community events, investor gatherings, press launches, performing arts events, corporate awards events and live shows. Sara’s innovative marketing programs and films are targeted and honed to deliver a message and create calculated results. They are also designed to engage participants in relevant and meaningful activity and thought – purpose that feels like play. Mergers, bad news or transitions that feel like adventure.

With a background in the arts and marketing, Sara is able to find the resonant chord to build brand and give voice and presence to organizations and campaigns. Her background includes being a Director of Sales and Marketing at a top luxury resort and managing global marketing communications, advertising, e-marketing, meetings and trade shows. As a documentary filmmaker and painter, she is sensitive to the components of conceiving and designing communications that people care about. On a personal note, Sara is Marketing Chair of the Livermore Valley Opera, and resides in the East Bay. Projects? Particularly interested in corporate giving, executive meetings, and projects where passion and purpose are combined.

Sara Nealy, saranealy.com, LinkedIn

mobile: 808.987.8098, office: 925.399.5242

Help a PR Pro Out (HAPPO) Day is a community-based initiative to help friends and colleagues struggling to find jobs in the current economic climate. We are proudly posting bios from talented pros available for hire.

I’m a consummate senior High Tech PR Professional looking for part-time, contract or full-time work in the greater San Francisco area. I have more than 15 years experience in strategic public relations, marketing communications and corporate communications, especially for business-to-business and business-to-consumer high technology companies, in every vertical from semiconductors to crowdsourcing.

I have planned and managed hundreds of product launches and other outreach campaigns, resulting in increases in brand credibility and publicity of up to 1500%. I have broad-ranging experience with top-tier analyst organizations, national business media, trade and vertical industry editors and bloggers, and four years experience working with Twitter, Facebook and other social media.

Most of my big name brands are in the past, as I primarily work with start-ups and mid-size companies these days. A lot of my recent work is in the mobile wireless arena, which with Apple, Google Android and others is a pretty happening place these days. My personality is practical and hard working rather than flashy. I love learning about new technologies and getting results for my clients. My recent successes include a roll out of the “Nirvana Phone” concept for my client Open Kernal Labs (a small mobile virtualization company) and its partner Citrix. We got coverage in Engadget, SlashGear, VentureBeat, ReadWriteWeb and dozens of other venues; rave reviews from analysts; and Tweets and ReTweets in the hundreds. Now that’s what I call fun!

Patricia Colby, 408-828-2861, trishcolby@gmail.com

LinkedIn, Twitter

Help a PR Pro Out (HAPPO) Day is a community-based initiative to help friends and colleagues struggling to find jobs in the current economic climate. We are proudly posting bios from talented pros available for hire.

Terry Welch has more than 17 years of public relations experience, is accredited in public relations (APR) and has a long, successful record of planning and conducting major public relations/marketing campaigns. His most recent position was with the Naval Education and Training Center, where he managed public affairs specialists at seven distant training locations; was the publications manager for the entire NETC command structure; and served as the national brand manager for the Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps.

He is highly skilled in media placement and media relations, having run media operations on three continents, working with journalists from around the world. He has extensive research, social media and media analysis experience and is proficient in Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop. He’s a PR Swiss Army knife and he’s looking for a gig in San Diego. http://bit.ly/cewRxl

Help a PR Pro Out (HAPPO) Day is a community-based initiative to help friends and colleagues struggling to find jobs in the current economic climate. We are proudly posting bios from talented pros available for hire.

I am a Communications, Change Management, Organization Adoption expert. I also have fantastic demonstrated experience in marketing communications, executive communications, and public relations.

Just some of the top flight companies I have helped meet their business objectives include: Cisco, HP, IBM, Genentech, Palm, VeriSign, and Boston Scientific.

You can reach me at: (408) 828-0240, jcashman01@gmail.com, LinkedIn

Help a PR Pro Out (HAPPO) Day is a community-based initiative to help friends and colleagues struggling to find jobs in the current economic climate. We are proudly posting bios from talented pros available for hire.

If I can start a business on September 10, 2001, and then survive and thrive for more than eight years, imagine what I can do for your business. If I can win industry awards for communicating telephone area code splits, imagine the attention I can generate for your story.

My career path has included extensive experience in message development, media relations, executive communications (including the preparation of executive speeches and coaching executives in delivery and audience analysis), communications planning, event planning, merger communications, and community relations. I believe the key to successful communications is understanding the audience, knowing where we want to take them, and then communicating to make a memory.

I have work experience with Fortune 500 companies (Cisco, AT&T, Sun), non-profits (Kaiser Permanente), public utilities (Pacific Bell), my own private practice, and start-ups (Care Touch, Evoke Software). There is very little in Corporate Communications that I have not seen or done, and I would be thrilled to put that experience to work for companies participating in HAPPO.

Clients (Partial List): San Francisco 49ers, Cisco Systems, Sybase, Carpenter/Robbins Commercial Real Estate, Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co., Waterford Family Dental Group, Summit Financial Services, Crooked Vine/Stony Ridge Wineries, Lazarex Cancer Foundation, Alliance of CEOs, Society for American Baseball Research

Paul Hirsch: (925) 736-0976, paullhirsch@yahoo.com, LinkedIn, Facebook

Help a PR Pro Out (HAPPO) Day is a community-based initiative to help friends and colleagues struggling to find jobs in the current economic climate. We are proudly posting bios from talented pros available for hire.

I’m an energetic, capable and seasoned communications professional with expertise in telecommunications, IT, business analysis and freelance communications developed while serving in management positions for such Fortune 500 companies as ATT, SBC and IBM Global Services. I particularly enjoy integrating analytical understanding with effective verbal and written communication skills to convey complex issues in an understandable way.

During the last decade I reported on the news, trends and personalities that populate the tech sector worldwide. Recently expanded her scope to include writing about the convergence of technology and hospitality sectors. Major clients include East Bay Agency for Children, University of California Haas School of Business, Comstock, Prosper, Acura, San Joaquin, Bay Area Kids, Port O Call, Valley Lifestyle and Solano magazines, Office.com, Upside Magazine, Tech Republic, ZDNetUK and Australia, Business Communications Co, Emerging Business Magazine, California Technology Magazine, Executive Traveler, and Journeys Magazines, Tourism-Review and TravelTalkRADIO.com.

Scope of my writing genre includes: features, white papers, news and views, company profiles, case histories, ghostwriting, copywriting, online media kits, advertorials and product reviews.

My latest venture, the Vallejo Community Examiner blog, expresses my passion to celebrate the people, places and events that make my home, the city of Vallejo, such a compelling place to live and visit.

Patricia Kutza: LinkedIn, 707.319.4184 (cell), pkutza@pacbell.net
I post all my blog entries under the Twitter handle, Hiredhand.

Help a PR Pro Out (HAPPO) Day is a community-based initiative to help friends and colleagues struggling to find jobs in the current economic climate. We are proudly posting bios from talented pros available for hire.

Che’ (Cheryl) Vyfhuis is a seasoned public relations professional with more than 20 years’ experience and has worked in industries, ranging from Chemical to Information Technology. She started out as an editorial writer at ABC-TV in Chicago and since then has migrated up the ranks at several corporations that include IBM, The Clorox Company, SGI, Cisco Systems and others. She began her career on the West Coast as regional public relations manager for the American Electronics Association in Santa Clara.

Vyfhuis currently is a consultant working on Information Technology, Healthcare and Consumer projects and focuses on Internal & External Communications, Crisis Communications, Media Relations Strategy, Events Planning , and Social Media Networking. A stellar writer with a master’s degree in Journalism from the University of Illinois, Champaign, Vyfhuis also is an author of a motivational book. She serves on the Silicon Valley Network’s Healthcare and Energy/Environmental Committees. Vyfhuis is active on Twitter, FaceBook and LinkedIn. Contact her via email: chevyfhuis@vyfhuis.com

Help a PR Pro Out (HAPPO) Day is a community-based initiative to help friends and colleagues struggling to find jobs in the current economic climate. We are proudly posting bios from talented pros available for hire.

Launching the company blog at Silicon Valley startup DiVitas Networks three years ago put me on the forefront of the social-media marketing trend, and it allowed me to witness first-hand the marketing power that social media offers. Following the blog launch, and in keeping with social media trends, Facebook and Twitter additionally became critical to my efforts to raise brand awareness and company visibility as a thought leader. As a combination, Blogging, Facebook and Twitter enabled previously unattainable customer/partner/media touch points, and I was responsible for content on each social media portal.

Thanks to my journalism background, I am an avid researcher, a key strength in identifying industry trends, defining social media content strategies and topics, and writing content with authority and confidence. I work equally well autonomously or with a team in identifying content. I am also a quick study when learning new products and markets. As an additional layer of expertise, for the past three years I have been the Social Media Manager for a company that competes in the enterprise social networking space. As a result, I am thoroughly up to speed on social media from multiple perspectives.

I have proven expertise in the following:

* Ghost writing (blogs, contributed articles, etc.)

* Writing marketing collateral (newsletter, case studies, solution briefs, web content).

* Managing social media (i.e. Facebook and Twitter) content.

* Defining online content, researching market trends.

* Managing blog-host vendor, blog traffic and SEO strategy.

* Participating on web content and corporate messaging teams.

* Coordinating efforts with Product Management and PR depts.

Amanda Mitchell Henry, 925-548-7974, mandymitchellx2@gmail.com

Personal links: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter

Previous company, DiVitas: Facebook, Twitter, Blog

Help a PR Pro Out (HAPPO) Day is a community-based initiative to help friends and colleagues struggling to find jobs in the current economic climate. We are proudly posting bios from talented pros available for hire.

Roberta Silverstein is a 21 year veteran of marketing and sales, public relations and writing. She doesn’t waste your time. With over 19 years in Silicon Valley, she gets to work, ensuring success is based on her clients’ overall goals and objectives. She continues to create successful integrated marketing communications initiatives and focused comprehensive corporate and product public relations, sales & marketing programs for companies including MoCA (home entertainment trade alliance), Cypress Microsystems, IPIX, Hewlett Packard, JustGive.org, ACCPAC, Telegent Systems, Maxtor Corporation, Cocoa Pete’s Chocolate Adventure, Avago Technologies and FXPAL.

Currently, Roberta develops strategically focused marketing, communications and sales initiatives for technology-focused businesses and non-profits, service businesses, early stage service industry businesses, food businesses and CE companies. Want it done right the first time? Roberta uses her brain and fingers for mutual benefit.

Roberta Silverstein, Brain to Fingers, A Marketing BrainTrust

408-416-6501, roberta@braintofingers.com

Help a PR Pro Out (HAPPO) Day is a community-based initiative to help friends and colleagues struggling to find jobs in the current economic climate. We are proudly posting bios from talented pros available for hire.