San Francisco Group

Noël Adams is president of Clearworks where she and her team of product experts help clients define and launch new products and services integrating customer insights and user research from idea through launch. The team has worked with large and small companies in both the consumer and business space across a variety of industries. The Clearworks client list includes companies like T-Mobile, Dell, Symantec in industries as varied as solar energy, wireless, financial services and non-profit.

Noël has extensive experience in new product development, product management and product marketing. She founded Clearworks in October 2002 to leverage her passion for customer focused new products and help companies with challenges ranging from new product concept testing to outbound product marketing launches. Previously, Noël managed cross functional product and service launches for large companies as well as startups including companies such as BellSouth, T-Mobile, Aether Systems and Typesoft. Often called on for strategic new projects, her broad background also includes projects in various other disciplines including channel management, inside sales and customer care, IT and business systems, process reengineering and relationship marketing.

Noël holds a BS in Business from the University of Maryland and earned her MBA at Emory University in Atlanta. Noël is Past President of the Board of the Northern California Chapter of the PDMA (Product Development and Management Association) and Member of the HandsOn Bay Area Board.
noel@clearworks.net, 415-722-3661

Celeste Bishop is the president of Bishop Market Resources. Celeste has extraordinary expertise as an Internet strategist and marketing expert. Her business assists a wide range of organizations to achieve results that are more powerful and predictable through creative and effective use of their website, blogs and the ever-growing army of social media, search engine optimization and Internet marketing tactics.

As a recognized Internet marketing expert, Celeste is a frequent pubic speaker and published author on a variety of topics relating to creative ways to achieve business results through emerging Internet technologies, techniques and pragmatic tactics. Celeste has also been featured in the Wall Street Journal, "PBS Lehrer News Hour" and "National Public Radio" programs, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Celeste’s approach to Internet marketing is highly influenced by her experience creating AT&T’s first Consumer Communications Competitive Analysis organization, noted for its strategic and tactical span as well as innovative approaches to resolving volatile competitive challenges. Celeste brings an unusual combination of classic and emerging strategic thinking, tactical experience and pragmatism to the table when she works with clients, speaks, and writes. Celeste’s unique background in classic business competition promotes pragmatic approaches to identifying opportunities competitors miss, and managing online competitive challenges.
csb@bishopmarketresources.com, 415-256-9515

Elise Brownell, PhD, is the San Francisco Leaders Network Chair. She is the Founding Partner of ZephyrBiotech, a firm that specializes in Interim Executive and Project Management support for emergent, virtual and transitioning bio/pharmaceutical companies. She has extensive experience in senior project management and executive level leadership positions in the global pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

Most recently Elise was a founding member, head of project management and senior director of Aerovance, Inc, a venture-backed biotechnology company spun out from Bayer Healthcare. At Aerovance she created and managed effective team processes to bring four product candidates into full scale clinical Phase 1 and 2 development. Prior to Aerovance, Elise acted as head of project management for Bayer’s Biotechnology Unit, where she integrated project strategies to meet therapeutic and market needs. Other roles were directed toward building and negotiating partnerships with third parties to support the development programs, and leading research teams through early bench-to-clinic development phases.

Elise received her MS, MPhil and PhD (Biology) from Yale University, and her BS (Biology) from Allegheny College.
elise.brownell@zephyrbiotech.com, 925-639-0444

Maureen Gevertz's passion is making change and transition easy, for individuals and organizations, to enable the attainment of their goals, business strategies and desired future state. Her approach starts with helping to develop the high-level strategy and vision of 'what is possible' and ends with detailed, yet, practical plans of 'how do we get there'.

Through her 20+ years in Human Resources Management and Organizational Development Maureen has worked in global organizations ranging from seventy-five to 160,000 employees in ten industries and across five continents. She is an expert in large-scale change efforts with extensive experience in integration strategy, organizational and cultural change planning, and strategic communication. During her notable career, she has applied her change management expertise and organizational behavior knowledge to a broad cross-section of events ranging from initial public offerings to rapid growth, multi-national expansion, global merger and acquisitions, downsizing, outsourcing, system implementation, re-branding, competency development, and culture transformation.

Maureen published “Change Navigation Made Easy in 2009” and is currently completing her Masters Degree in Transformative Leadership at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco.
mogevertz@comcast.net ,650-740-8311

Jennifer LeBlanc, M.S., CEO and founder of ThinkResults Marketing, is a talented marketing strategist with over 15 years experience in building results-driven branding programs. She has led marketing strategy for several company and product launches, and brand repositioning initiatives for numerous high-growth companies including the repositioning of PeopleSoft Global Services and the launch of Hara, a Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers-backed environmental and energy management software company. The launch of Hara created a quadrupling of incoming leads in the first quarter following launch, partially due to the strong brand and online presence created by Jenn and her team at ThinkResults Marketing. Jenn is known as a visionary leader with a passion for innovation, and for getting the job done right, and on time.

Jenn’s first career in the field of environmental biology gives her a depth of scientific and technical experience, including advanced analytical methodologies, that allow her to easily understand the complexities of high tech. Jennifer holds a B.S. in Biology from Queen’s University, Canada, an M.S. in Biology from the University of Waterloo, Canada, and a certificate in BioEntrepreneurship from the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley.

She is a published author and speaks on a variety of marketing topics including brand development, effective market positioning, and successful brand integration. Jenn was recognized in 2007 as one of the "Top 25 Women Redefining Success," an award sponsored by Flexperience, in San Francisco. Women named to this list are singled out for their leadership in making flexible career strategies work for themselves and for others.
jenn@thinkresultsmarketing.com, 925-336-1382

Lorie Loe leads Eccolo Media. With more than 20 years of experience in marketing communications, Lorie Loe is a recognized leader in developing and executing content strategy for technology clients.

At Eccolo Media, Lorie primarily consults on comprehensive content strategies and provides a broad range of account management services. Her client work includes planning for content-intensive marketing communications programs, including lead generation and nurture campaigns, thought-leadership programs, and new market launches. Over the course of her career, Lorie has developed and applied best practices that offer her clients clear advantage through the development of more effective collateral assets. Her extensive experience, creative thinking, and steady leadership have been key in establishing Eccolo Media’s unique value proposition: superb copywriting and visionary content strategy informed by deep industry expertise.

Lorie holds an M.F.A. from Western Illinois University and a B.S. from Western Michigan University.
lorie@eccolomedia.com, 415-543-4042

Sara Roberts is President and Chief Executive Officer of Roberts Golden Consulting. Sara has championed multiple change management and performance improvement efforts for Fortune 500 leaders in a variety of industries. A seasoned leader, she and her team have partnered with executives on driving successful organizational change in business scenarios such as mergers and acquisitions, business process optimization, technology implementations and rebrandings.

Sara is also a widely recognized thought leader in inside/out marketing and branding solutions which help bridge the gap between what customers expect in their experience with a brand versus what the brand’s employees actually deliver. Prior to founding Roberts Golden, she held senior consulting positions within companies including Sprint, Andersen Consulting and Ketchum.

She is the co-author of the best-selling book, "Light Their Fire: Using lnternal Marketing to Ignite Employee Performance and Wow Your Customers" published by Kaplan in June 2005. Sara holds an M.S. in Instructional Technology from the University of Nebraska, is a respected and sought-after keynote speaker and workshop facilitator at leading industry conferences, and has been quoted as an expert resource in numerous publications including BusinessWeek, Inc. Magazine, and Forbes.
sara@robertsgolden.com, 415-641-5523

Deb Siegle Principal of Strategic Marketing Solutions, is a Board Member for Women in Consulting, where she is the Director of Strategic Audiences, and the strategist for the Leaders Network. Deb helps clients 'get it right': right products and services - using the right message - to the right people - in the right market - with the right user experience and cultural approach. Deb is a recognized marketing leader, problem solver and communicator, who is an authority in market research, strategy, and customer loyalty and experience. She understands what drives buyer and customer behavior, and is expert at hearing and translating the market and customer voice into actionable strategies and tactics that matter.

Deb assists clients with strategic research, branding, positioning and messaging, market and product development and launch, competitive and technology analysis, and customer loyalty and experience projects. Deb has more than 25 years of marketing, customer service, and sales experience in public and privately-held companies in high tech, healthcare / wellness, biotech, sustainability and professional services. She brings a unique combination of strategic and tactical skills developed through hands-on line management experience at fast-growing companies.

Prior to founding Strategic Marketing Solutions, Deb held senior and executive level positions in customer satisfaction and service, marketing, product management, and market development. Deb is currently president of Women in Telecom. Deb graduated Beta Gamma Sigma with a M.B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and Phi Beta Kappa with a BBA from the University of Michigan. She is a popular speaker, and has been featured in executive pod- and web-casts on "Customer Voice", "Building Customer Loyalty," "The Power of Retention Marketing", and "How Research Can Reveal New Insights into Your Customers, Your Product, & Your Brand."
dsiegle@marketingsolns.com, 650-654-2737

Suzanne Skyvara is Content Management Chair for the Leaders Network. As principal of Skyvara Communications, Suzanne is an award-winning public relations consultant with extensive experience working with emerging and high growth companies as well as established brands. She is known for her creative approach to challenges and her ability to leverage trends (or create them) on behalf of her clients.

Suzanne has won the recognition of her a clients as a strategic partner who delivers communications programs that help move businesses to the next level. With 20 years experience working with clients in the US, Australia and England, Suzanne focuses on consumer-facing businesses, primarily working with brands in health, retail, telecommunications and travel. In addition to her communications work for clients, Suzanne also conducts PR agency searches for US clients moving into international markets, including England, Japan, Korea and Australia.
suzanne@skyvaracommunications.com, 415-453-4880