Speakers
Keynote Speakers
Andy Goodman, a goodman
Andy Goodman is a nationally recognized author, speaker and consultant in the field of public interest communications. Along with “Storytelling as Best Practice,” he is author of “Why Bad Ads Happen to Good Causes” and “Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes.” He also publishes a monthly journal, free-range thinking, to share best practices in the field.
Andy is best known for his speeches and workshops on storytelling, presenting, and strategic communications. He has been invited to speak at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs at Princeton, and the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.
In 2007, Al Gore selected Andy to train one thousand volunteers who are currently helping the former Vice President engage more Americans in the fight against global warming. In 2008, Andy co-founded The Goodman Center, an online school dedicated to “helping do-gooders learn to do better.”
When not teaching, traveling, or recovering from teaching and traveling, Andy also serves as a Senior Advisor for Civic Ventures and is on the advisory boards of VolunteerMatch and Great Nonprofits.
Connect with Andy on LinkedIn | Follow Andy on Twitter | Visit Andy’s Website
Susan McPherson, Fenton
Susan McPherson is a senior vice president and Director of Global Marketing at Fenton, the nation’s leading public interest communications firm, where she focuses on corporate responsibility programs for the firm’s clientele. Susan is a regular contributor to various publications, including Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Environmental Leader and Triple Pundit, writing on topics such as CSR, women’s entrepreneurship and global development. She has over 20 years experience in marketing, public relations, CSR communications, and business development. Prior to joining Fenton, Susan was vice president, CSR services at PR Newswire, a leading provider of electronic news distribution, media targeting, and measurement and multimedia services. In this role, she was responsible for creating a series of product offerings for companies to better communicate their CSR activities with stakeholders—in addition to generating new business for the newswire from CSR professionals. Earlier roles with the company included assisting in development of the firm’s first bureaus in China and the launch of MediaSense, a media measurement tool. Prior to her career at PR Newswire, she worked in the editorial and marketing departments of USA Today.
McPherson serves on the board of Bpeace, an organization dedicated to assisting women in conflict and post-conflict regions start businesses. She also is a member of Echoing Green’s Social Investment Council, Social Media Week’s New York Advisory Council, and the New York Leadership team for 85Broads. She serves as an adviser to the nonprofit organizations Plant A Fish, She’s The First, The Adventure Project and The OpEd Project.
Connect with Susan on LinkedIn | Follow Susan on Twitter |Visit Susan’s Company
Conference Speakers
Nick Cavarra, Incite—Social Impact Marketing
With over 25 years of experience in the marketing and entertainment industries, Nick Cavarra leads the new business strategy and outreach for the Incite portfolio with an emphasis on behavior change marketing campaigns for state and municipal entities throughout the nation. His has worked on water conservation campaigns with the Lower Colorado River Authority, Metropolitan Water District and the California Department of Water Resources, as well as energy conservation campaigns for Flex Your Power in California. He has developed campaigns to improve children’s education and nutrition (First 5 California); emergency preparedness (Office of the Los Angeles Mayor – Homeland Security Department), campaigns to discourage bullying and gang violence (Los Angeles Human Relations Commission Zerohour Program), as well as social media campaigns for education leaders (UCLA Extension). No stranger to production in radio, Nick launched and produced the business talk radio show 2MinutesWith (now Unfinished Business) with co-hosts Renee Fraser and Betsy Berkhemer currently airing on KFWB News Talk 980 in Los Angeles.
Connect with Nick on LinkedIn | Visit Nick’s Company
Ed Chansky, Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Ed Chansky practices in the areas of advertising, promotion, sweepstakes, intellectual property, Internet and trade regulation law—including charitable promotions, protection and licensing of trademarks and copyrights worldwide, electronic commerce, and antitrust law. In 2008, Ed joined Greenberg Traurig’s Las Vegas office after 20 years practicing in Connecticut.
A trusted advisor to many national advertisers and not-for-profit organizations in the field of cause-related marketing, Ed is a frequent speaker at many national seminars and conferences on advertising and promotion law topics, including charitable promotions, sweepstakes, premium production, coupon and rebate offers. He is a co-author of the legal chapter in the Sales Promotion Handbook (Dartnell, 8th Ed. 1994). He is currently on the Board of Directors of the Promotion Marketing Association. From 1998-2001 he served as chair of the Intellectual Property Law Section of the Connecticut Bar Association.
Ed graduated from Yale University (summa cum laude and phi beta kappa) in 1982, and from Harvard Law School (cum laude) in 1987. He also studied at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, as a Rotary International Foundation Scholarship Fellow. He served as a law clerk for Associate Justice Ruth I. Abrams of the Massachusetts Judicial Court. He is an Associate Fellow of Berkeley College at Yale University, and worked for many years as a part-time musician (trombone) playing everything from grand opera to rhythm and blues.
Connect with Ed on LinkedIn | Visit Ed’s Company
Dwayne Crenshaw, San Diego LGBT Pride
Dwayne Crenshaw is Executive Director of San Diego Pride. He is a native San Diegan, with a background in community leadership, advocacy and activism.
Dwayne has also served as Executive Director of the Coalition of Neighborhood Councils, where he spearheaded the CNC’s effort to unite neighbors toward change. Dwayne served for four years as the Director of Government Relations and Community Ownership for the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation. Dwayne began his career in public service as one of only 18 Unruh Assembly Fellows chosen annually from hundreds of applicants to serve in the state capitol in Sacramento.
Dwayne was named in 2007 by San Diego Metropolitan Magazine as one of “San Diego’s Smartest Young Professionals – 40 under 40.” His community service includes current membership on the San Diego Community College District Trustee’s Advisory Board and recent service on the Torrey Pines Banks Community Reinvestment Board, and High Tech High School’s Advisory Board, among others.
Dwayne earned his Juris Doctorate in December 2011 from California Western School of Law, where he has twice earned the highly coveted Distinguished Advocate recognition. He resides in the Hillcrest community of San Diego.
Connect with Dwayne on LinkedIn | Visit Dwayne’s Website
Shaney jo Darden, The Keep A Breast Foundation
Shaney jo Darden started The Keep A Breast Foundation (KAB), a leading global non-profit organization that raises awareness of breast cancer, to bring a fresh approach to fundraising for breast cancer that is relevant and inspiring to today’s youth. A San Diego native with a strong fashion background, Shaney jo has designed for some of the most influential clothing companies, such as Altamant, Etnies, Emerica, DC, and Tommy Hilfiger. Shaney jo moved into fine art, which led her to KAB’s signature program: taking plaster molds of individuals’ torsos and giving them to fine artists to paint. These casts are shown in art exhibitions and then auctioned off with all proceeds going to KAB and other breast cancer awareness organizations. Shaney has received many awards for her work, including being honored as the Yoplait Champion in 2006 and most recently receiving the 2011 SIMA Humanitarian of the Year Award. She has traveled the globe raising awareness and funds for breast cancer prevention. Shaney jo is passionate about
Visit Shaney jo’s Website | Follow Shaney jo on Twitter
Jaci Feinstein, YNPN San Diego
An accomplished professional with seven years of experience working within the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, Jaci obtained her Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Business from Carnegie Mellon University. She has worked for large corporations such as Proctor & Gamble, L’Oreal and General Motors, as well as Volunteer San Diego (an affiliate of the HandsOn Network). She currently works as a Meeting Planner and Event Consultant for Right Hand Events and is a Senior Program Manager for Best Worlds Web. Her background in the engineering field, business world, and nonprofit sector give her valuable insight in managing programs, leading teams and planning events specifically tailored to a wide variety of needs.
Through her roles at Volunteer San Diego and now Right Hand Events, Jaci has planned volunteer events for corporate employees as well as large community groups, engaging in the upwards of 1,000 people.
Jaci currently serves as the Co-Chairman of the Young Nonprofit Professional Network San Diego (YNPNsd), an all-volunteer run organization that engages and supports future nonprofit and community leaders through professional development, networking and social opportunities. In addition to her involvement with YNPNsd, Jaci is an active volunteer with the Young Adult Division of the Jewish Federation, Social Enterprise Success and the Carnegie Mellon Admissions Council. She is also an AmeriCorps Alumnus, EMBARK Graduate and an avid soccer player.
Connect with Jaci on LinkedIn | Visit Jaci’s Website
Indra Gardiner, Bailey Gardiner
Indra Gardiner is the COO & Founder of Bailey Gardiner, Inc., an integrated advertising, marketing, and public relations firm. For 20 years Indra has been managing the PR and marketing needs of clients in industries ranging from automobiles to hotels to mobile phones. Her focus is on public relations, social media, interactive services and leading clients with results-focused strategy. Indra speaks about social media at national PR and Advertising conferences and has consulted with many agencies on the integration of social media into their service offering. Indra sits on the boards of the National Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC) and the Public Relations Society of America’s Counselors Academy. Find her on Twitter @bgindra and blogging at dontdrinkthekoolaidblog.com.
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Javier Guerrero, San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum
Javier Guerrero is Executive Director of the San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum. He spearheads the organization’s strategy, exhibits and programs, fundraising, and related activities. He achieved significant milestones in renaming and rebranding the 10-year-old nonprofit museum, building key relationships with donors and supporters, earning community recognition, and setting the course to manage a capital campaign named “Path to Discovery,” which includes SDCDM moving into a new 12,000-square-foot facility in Escondido, Calif.
Prior to joining SDCDM, Javier served as Director and Director of Development for SurfAid International USA. He also served as Director of Operations for the San Diego Museum of Man, where he was a part of the senior management team with roles and responsibilities including long-range planning, institutional development and outreach, and financial planning.
Javier earned an M.A. in Applied Cultural Anthropology from Northern Arizona University and a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of San Diego. He was awarded a Business Management certificate with a focus in Leadership and Management from the University of California, San Diego, and has also participated in the Getty Leadership Institute program and Fieldstone Foundation Leadership program. He also served as a Harvard University Senior Fellow, Latin American Studies Coordinator Graduate Assistantship and an Anthropology Department Graduate Assistantship.
Connect with Javier on LinkedIn | Visit Javier’s Website
May Harris, For Purpose Law Group, PLC
Ms. Harris is currently in her 11th year of legal practice, and has over 7 years of executive, development and leadership experience within the nonprofit sector in San Diego. As founder of the For Purpose Law Group, Ms. Harris is dedicated to meeting the business, tax, and regulatory needs of the nonprofit sector and helping to foster business enterprises that seek to build value both for the shareholder and for the community. Graduating from the University of San Diego School of Law in 2000, and earning her Master of Arts degree in Nonprofit Leadership & Management in 2010, Ms. Harris provides a unique insight to the firm’s charitable and corporate clients, approaching issues not only from a legal or regulator perspective, but also from a practical, collaborative, and management oriented view.
Connect with May on LinkedIn |Visit May’s Website | Like May’s Company on Facebook
Jennifer Amanda Jones, M.A.
Jennifer Amanda Jones, M.A., has been active in the nonprofit field in San Diego for more than a decade, working and volunteering for organizations with annual budgets ranging from less than $100 thousand to more than $31 million. She holds a Master’s Degree in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the University of San Diego and has worked with nonprofits in Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Peru, and throughout San Diego. Jennifer is a past board member for the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation, the third-largest LGBT foundation in the United States. Her experience includes program design and implementation, fundraising, board development, marketing and community relations, social media, media relations, and strategic planning. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Nonprofit Leadership from the University of San Diego. She is a research assistant at the Caster Family Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research. Jennifer blogs about social media policies, online philanthropy and other related topics at http://jenniferamandajones.com.
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Jeffrey Jordan, Rescue Social Change Group
Social change is Jeffrey’s priority, evident in all his endeavors—from his academic research to his leadership at Rescue Social Change Group. His passion for social change began in high school when he volunteered for an anti-tobacco group. Observing the lack of effective social marketing services, he started Rescue Social Change Group when he was only 17 years old. While growing RSCG, Jeff studied Marketing in Rhode Island for his undergraduate degree and received a Master’s in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego.
Today, Jeffrey oversees the management of over a dozen programs around the country. As the developer of Social Branding®, Jeffrey focuses on the relationship between identity, culture and behavior to cause behavior change. His company’s work focuses on adolescent populations (from 10 to 26 years old), tackling issues such as tobacco, obesity and violence. Today, Jeff leads a team of over 30 staff stationed at four offices in the U.S., working on over 20 social change programs at any given time.
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Lee Ann Kim, San Diego Asian Film Foundation
Honored by San Diego Magazine as one of the Top 50 People to Watch in 2009, Lee Ann Kim is the founding executive director of the San Diego Asian Film Foundation, a nonprofit media arts organization best known for its annual film festival. Lee Ann also worked for nearly 12 years as a news anchor/reporter for KGTV, Channel 10, where she earned numerous awards for her journalism, including a regional Emmy for investigative reporting.
Lee Ann was recently honored by the San Diego Film Critics Association with the 2011 Kyle Counts Award for her commitment to cinema. Her other awards include the KPBS Hero of the Month for May 2010, San Diego Metropolitan Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2007, as well as Director of Excellence from the 2008 International Film Festival Summit.
Connect with Lee Ann on LinkedIn | Visit Lee Ann’s Website
Beverly Lambert, Orchestra Nova San Diego
Beverly Lambert is currently the CEO of Orchestra Nova San Diego, one of the most innovative classical music organizations in San Diego today and one that is quickly gaining national attention for its creative marketing and programming. She was previously the orchestra’s Director of Marketing Strategy and Communications and had spent four years successfully branding the orchestra, including a name change.
She had extensive management experience in technology and consulting companies prior to coming to the orchestra, including 17 years with IBM as a marketing executive, two years with DFI International in Washington, D.C. as president of their Interactive Marketing Division and 10 years as the founder and CEO of xStream Corporation, an Internet-based software company in the San Francisco Bay area. She has a Master’s Degree in music education and taught music in public schools for eight years.
Ms. Lambert and Nova’s dynamic artistic director and conductor, Jung-Ho Pak, have created a new paradigm for nonprofit music organizations, utilizing many marketing and business principles from the for-profit corporate world – and it’s paying off with sold-out performances, TV and Internet broadcasts and financial success.
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Grady Lee, RockCorps and CorpsGiving
Grady Lee is a co-founder of RockCorps, a pro-social production company and global organization that uses the power of music to inspire volunteering and introduce young people to a lifelong relationship with non-profits. RockCorps produces large-scale pop, rock and hip-hop gigs featuring artists like Rihanna, Snoop Dog and Lady Gaga—among others. RockCorps gives tickets exclusively to volunteers who commit four hours of time at a RockCorps community project in their area. RockCorps has inspired more than 100,000 people to give four hours to nearly 1,000 charities in the United States, United Kingdom, France and Israel. RockCorps is entering Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela and Australia in 2012.
In parallel, Grady and the RockCorps team have created CorpsGiving, an organization for businesses anywhere in the world that want to engage employees in their local community.
Before RockCorps, Grady worked for Paramount-based Cruise/Wagner Productions in feature film development and production, working on titles such as “The Last Samurai,” “War of the Worlds,” “Ask the Dust” and the “Mission: Impossible” franchise.
Grady currently lives in Culver City, Calf., with his wife and son.
Connect with Grady on LinkedIn | Visit Grady’s Company
Tricia Link, Mission Federal Credit Union
Ms. Link is a national and international award-winning innovative and strategic cause marketing, branding and public affairs executive with 17+ years of multifaceted community relations, public relations, public affairs, communications, branding, and cause and sports affinity marketing experience in the corporate financial services, retail and non-profit sectors, including: designing and leading comprehensive marketing and public relations campaigns, strategic partnerships and sports affinity and cause marketing corporate sponsorship initiatives at Fortune 500 companies and top U.S. brands. Most recently, Ms. Link has received the highest award of professional excellence in her field, by being honored as a 2008-2009 Community Relations Professional of the Year by PR News Association at the PR People PR All-Star Awards at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
Connect with Tricia on LinkedIn | Visit Tricia’s Company
John Malashock, Malashock Dance
John Malashock brings 35 years of experience in dance, theater and film to his current endeavors as Artistic Director of Malashock Dance. John founded Malashock Dance in San Diego after a distinguished performing career with Twyla Tharp’s in New York, where he performed worldwide, appeared in the Academy Award-winning film Amadeus, and was featured in numerous television specials.
Under John’s leadership, Malashock Dance has become one of California’s premiere dance companies and his work has been seen throughout the United States, Central America, Japan and Central Europe. Malashock has many collaborative credits to his name. He has choreographed for productions at La Jolla Playhouse and the Old Globe Theatre. His work has been commissioned by the San Diego Symphony, La Jolla Music Society and San Diego Opera. He has garnered four Emmy Awards for his dance films, which have aired on PBS stations nationwide. His recent collaboration with The San Diego Museum of Art, The Floating World (with video artist Tara Knight and costume designer Zandra Rhodes), was widely praised.
John also teaches classes and workshops throughout the year at The Malashock Dance School. A leader within the local and national dance communities, John currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Dance USA and is proud to have taken the leadership role in conceiving, developing and establishing Dance Place San Diego at Liberty Station.
As an Artist in Residence at La Jolla Playhouse, John is currently developing a dance musical (CHAGALL) based on the life, work and relationships of artist Marc Chagall
Connect with John on LinkedIn | Like Malashock Dance on Facebook |Visit John’s Website
Milinda Martin, Time Warner Cable
Milinda Martin, currently Vice President, Communications for Time Warner Cable, started her career in public relations in 1987. She currently oversees all communications efforts for Time Warner Cable in Southern California and the Mountain West Region, impacting more than 2 million consumers. Responsibilities include all media outreach, community relations, local internal communications and volunteer opportunities, and crisis management. Milinda joined Time Warner Cable in May 2011.
From 2006 to early 2011, Milinda was Vice President, Media Relations and Cause Marketing for Macy’s. Milinda oversaw the Southwest and South Central regions for Macy’s, stretching from New Orleans to Guam, handling all public relations and community involvement. She also acted in an advisory capacity to the Macy’s District Grants Committees for her regions, identifying suitable non-profit organizations for funding and/or marketing partnerships. Prior to Macy’s, Milinda held the position of Vice President, Special Events and Public Relations for Robinsons-May since 1998.
Milinda attended Tufts University and the London School of Economics. Milinda began her career with Phyllis Walters Public Relations agency in London, England. On returning to California, Milinda moved into public relations with the Bullocks Wilshire specialty store chain, before moving on to I. Magnin. She joined Robinsons-May in 1994.
Milinda has served as a member of the following organizations and/or boards: Women in Cable and Television, The Fashion Group of Los Angeles, The Corporate Council of The Music Center of Los Angeles County, and the Ford Theatre Foundation.
Connect with Milinda on LinkedIn | Visit Milinda’s Company
Carly Starr Brullo Niles, Love Machine Films
Carly was spearheaded out of film school to write, direct and produce all on-air content for the groundbreaking independent radio stations 91X FM and XTRA AM Sports. During her tenure as Production Director, Carly headed up all on-air campaigns for local/national/international companies which lead her department to numerous advertising awards & national acclaim.
Moving her career to Los Angeles, Carly created and critiqued numerous television treatments, screenplays and pilots, nationwide radio & tv ads while freelancing as a writer and director. Carly has collaborated with worldwide forces like Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal, MTV & VH1.
Under Carly’s Passionate direction many of Love Machine Films projects have been cause related, most on behalf of non-profit organizations. The American Cancer Society chose LMF to capture the society’s mission nationwide, and screens her films to millions of people each year. Carly’s Dedication to making a difference has lead Love Machine Films into the fight against various plights for humanity including teen suicide, diabetes, MS and more. Her non-profit work with “Surf Aid: A Mission to Save Lives” was nominated for the best short film category at Sundance/X-Dance 2007.
Connect with Carly on LinkedIn | Visit Carly’s Company
Lou Niles, Love Machine Films
Lou has a 20-year history in marketing and management of music, television and film properties. Lou moved to a independent label started by the William Morris Agency where he quickly rose from A&R to Vice President. Lou oversaw development, production, budgeting, touring, distribution and marketing on various budgets for several million dollars annually. Lou also worked coordinating, marketing and managing over 40 U.S tours for New Artists opening for such acts as Black Crowes and the Goo Goo Dolls. While in Hollywood Lou worked on television productions for Fox and CBS and a number of Independent films and music videos. Currently Lou is working with his wife at Love Machine Films a production company known for using their talents to create a number of projects that have been proven successful tools for increasing fund raising and awareness while also greatly reducing cost of fund raising for non-profits. While acting as Executive Producer, the company has delivered successful National visual media campaigns for American Cancer Society, Multiple Sclerosis, Juvenile Diabetes, International Justice Mission and Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention.
Connect with Lou on LinkedIn | Visit Lou’s Company
Jamie Ortiz, Jamie Ortiz Communications
Just ask her mom—Jamie has told stories since she could talk. Now, as an athlete, an environmentalist and a conscientious consumer, Jamie uses storytelling and listening to implement impactful communications for nice companies.
Why “nice” companies? During Jamie’s career at PR, advertising and social media agencies, she sacrificed personal beliefs to lead accounts that she didn’t philosophically support. At the helm of Jamie Ortiz Communications, she uses public relations, social media, digital marketing, grassroots marketing and internal communications to tell the stories of companies and organizations that want to improve our planet.
“Two roads diverged in a wood,” and Jamie took the sustainable one. And with that, she will make all the difference.
Most recently, as the communications and marketing director at San Diego Coastkeeper, the second-largest Waterkeeper organization in the world, Jamie built an award-winning department from scratch. She built a new brand, launched a new website, created collateral, established internal communication protocols, navigated crises and grew relationships with media.
Connect with Jaime on LinkedIn | Follow Jamie on Twitter | Visit Jaime’s Website
Scott Pansky, Partner/Co-Founder Allison+Parnters
A nationally recognized leader in cause-related marketing, Scott has more than 20 years of experience working with brands on corporate social responsibility and thought leadership programs. He has also developed and implemented entertainment, public relations and cause-related marketing campaigns for brands that include the NBC daytime drama Days of Our Lives, TNBC, Star Trek properties, Sony, ABC Family, MGM, Platinum Studios, Mrs. Fields Cookies, Southwest Airlines, Vitamin Shoppe, Microsoft/Bing, YouTube, Best Western Hotels, Real Mex Restaurants, Con Agra Foods, and Gordon Biersch Brewery and Restaurants—among many others.
A frequent speaker and a passionate educator, Scott serves as president of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Partnership Council and teaches public relations and cause marketing courses at UCLA. He has taught Cause Marketing 101 for Corporations at the Cause Marketing Forum since its inception, has launched the American Marketing Association’s Annual Cause Marketing program in San Diego, and has given keynote addresses at corporate conferences and nonprofit summits. In 2011, Scott hosted Allison & Partners’ first Cause Conference, securing entertainment alliances from ABC, Time Warner Cable and speakers from Walt Disney Company, A&E Networks, United Talent Agency, and Hollywood Gives Back Foundation. Scott graduated from San Diego State University and is a proud husband and father.
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Parker Pike, MS, MBA, ARP, UCSD Extension – Business, Science & Technology
Parker’s work supports growing business-building relationships for a wide variety of professional associations, nonprofits, companies and media organizations.
Parker has 39 years experience in marketing consultion, advertising, market research, retail marketing, and promotion management. He has helped support the programs of many national businesses, while his primary devotion has been to small and mid-sized companies and nonprofit organizations.
He was President of Catalyst, a San Diego based consulting company that specializes in building partnership programs for companies, non-profits and media organizations. He is a Past President of the American Marketing Association – San Diego Chapter.
Parker has a marketing degree from the University of Notre Dame, an MBA from Northern Illinois University and a Masters in Advanced Management from National University. He and his wife Sandra own Village Mill Bread Company in Carmel Valley.
Connect with Parker on LinkedIn | Visit Parker’s Website
Kevin Popovic, Ideahaus
Kevin Popovic is the Founder of Ideahaus® , an award-winning creative communications agency that helps its clients figure out what to say, and how to say it to their target markets. With studios in Pittsburgh and San Diego, Ideahaus serves B-2-B and B-2-C clients across the United States.
Kevin is also the author of Satellite Marketing™, a proven methodology that helps sales and marketing answer the question, “How do we use social media to sell our products and services?” An accomplished speaker and sought after presenter, Popovic was ranked #43 in Fast Company’s Influence Project to find “the most influential people online.”
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Elise Rollinson, Right Hand Events
Elise Rollinson is the owner of Right Hand Events, a company specializing in meeting and incentive travel planning. Elise has more than 15 years of experience in corporate meeting planning and group volunteer project management. Her career includes more than 10 years as Director of Operations for a meeting planning company, helping dozens of corporations plan successful meetings and incentives. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in International Business from San Diego State University. In addition, Elise spent time as a Meeting Planner for Mail Boxes Etc., as well as Event Staff for a San Diego based Destination Management Company.
Elise spent a very memorable year as Corporate Relations Manager with Volunteer San Diego, helping some of San Diego’s largest companies expand their employee volunteer programs by adding meaningful group volunteer projects. This is where her passion for corporate volunteerism began.
Elise started her company, Right Hand Events, in an effort to help companies plan affordable, successful and community-focused meetings and conferences. She assists her clients in incorporating volunteer projects into the conference agenda, which naturally create a positive team-building experience for participants. In addition, Right Hand Events helps local companies execute successful company-wide volunteer days by carefully defining the volunteer activity, working closely with the recipient non-profit and assuring that the action is meeting a true community need.
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Matt Scelza, Incite – Social Impact Marketing
Matt joined the Incite team in 2010 after 15 years of service and business development in the nonprofit world. Matt has a track record of connecting individuals and companies with their philanthropic goals. His personal dedication to fundraising and organizational leadership has generated over $25 million in support for various charities.
At California Literacy, Matt created the nation’s first Health Literacy Initiative with support from Kaiser Permanente, Pfizer, Inc., and The California Endowment. The statewide effort helped tens of thousands of families and low-literate adults understand their health information and trained hundreds of medical practitioners to improve their patient communications. He also worked with Washington Mutual (now Wachovia) to launch a statewide public awareness campaign called Cities That Read, ultimately engaging more than 150 California cities.
While he was Marketing and Development Director at Bet Tzedek, one of the nation’s premier legal services organizations, Matt led the Annual Dinner Gala and The Justice Ball® for five years. Both events generated significant corporate and community support. The Justice Ball® grew to include more than 20 sponsors and attracted over 3,000 attendees annually.
Matt is a dual graduate of Stanford University (B.A. and M.A.) and a long-time Angelino.
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Frank Urtasun, San Diego Gas & Electric
Francisco “Frank” J. Urtasun has been employed with San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and its parent company Sempra Energy for 30 years. During this time, he has held several management positions. Currently, Urtasun is the Regional Vice President of External Relations at San Diego Gas & Electric Company. Prior to his career at Sempra Energy, he started in the construction industry building both single and multi-family residential projects of his own.
Urtasun has served on various public and private boards and commissions. For almost ten years, he served as Port Commissioner, serving as Chairman during 1994 and 2001 for the San Diego Unified Port District, and has been awarded the life-time Commissioner Emeritus position. Currently, he serves on the Board of Directors of the 2015 Balboa Park Centennial Celebration committee, the San Diego Downtown Partnership, the Local Initiatives Supporting Corporation, and with his wife Caren, he is chairing the Access to Independence 2012 Gala. Urtasun is also a current Rotarian in Club 33.
Urtasun has received several awards and recognitions. Most noteworthy, in 2007, he was recognized as the “Top Ten Lifetime San Diegans” award by the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. He is a graduate of Southwestern College and San Diego State University. He was recognized as Outstanding Alumni and was awarded the President’s Honorary Degree from Southwestern College in 1996. He is also one of the top 100 graduates recognized by SDSU in 1997. Urtasun and his wife, Caren reside in Coronado with their two grown children.
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Heather R. Van Dusen, B Lab
Heather Van Dusen is a senior associate at B Lab, a nonprofit that certifies and supports B Corporations and that facilitates the passage of benefit corporation legislation. Heather has been a part of the B Lab team since its launch in 2007, and has led B Lab’s initiative to enable companies to elect the newly available benefit corporation status. Born and raised in the Philadelphia suburbs, she has worked with local environmental and community advocacy groups such as PennEnvironment and CeaseFirePa. Heather graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in Religion from Amherst College. She lives in Philadelphia.
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Joanna Wasmuth, Erase Poverty
Recognized as the 2009 Global Woman of Influence at the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council conference, Joanna Wasmuth’s guiding passion is to inspire and empower people to thrive, making the world a better place. As a proven entrepreneur, she spent 12 years building an award-winning international marketing and design agency. But her life took a different path when she discovered the horror of human trafficking in her own community, leading to a personal vision to reduce the exploitation of women and children through economic empowerment.
Joanna joined the executive team of World Vision’s microfinance network (providing microloans in 47 developing countries). She created their first Global Microfinance Marketing division, increasing recognition and awareness of microfinance, as well as funding to support it. She was recognized with the Excellence in Innovation award for her leadership in creating their first online platform to enable donors to fund individual loans for micro-entrepreneurs (www.wvmicro.org).
Joanna founded Erase Poverty—the first microloan cause-marketing program designed just for small businesses in North America. Participating in the program helps small businesses grow as they attract new customers, and also directly funds microloans for women and men working their way out of poverty around the world. In short, small businesses “do well by doing good.”
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Spencer Whelan, CrowdVerb
