Chicago AMA's 2007-2008 Board of Directors

President Tim Sheridan North American Corporation Immediate Past President Mark Lenhart Monroe Group President-Elect George Couris Pepper Group Treasurer Scott Tang Treasurer-Elect Michele Malo Scholle Packaging Vice President, Business-to-Business Marketing Sima Dahl Business Objects Vice President-Elect, Business-to-Business Marketing Scott Ablin CIGNA Healthcare Vice President, Communications Mary Rownd AMA International Vice President, Consumer Marketing Katarina Pantelic-Orb RT Associates Vice President-Elect, Consumer Marketing Brian Sok Philips North America

Director-at-Large Wellington Chu Motorola, Inc. Director-at-Large Ted Souder Google Director-at-Large Allison Summers SmithBucklin Vice President, Marketing Research Garry Rosenfeldt Midas International Vice President, Membership Katie Whiting Juice Tyme Vice President-Elect, Membership Paul Stark DePaul University, MBA Vice President, Strategic Marketing Cheryl Grandolfo Allied Solutions LLC Vice President-Elect, Strategic Marketing James Heckman JAK Sales and Marketing Executive Director (ex-officio board member) Jennifer Connelly American Marketing Association, Chicago Chapter

BIOS ON 2007-2008 BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

President

Tim Sheridan

Tim has recently assumed the role of Business Development Manager for BRANDVISION™, part of the North American Corporation.  BRANDVISION™ develops custom business solutions for Fortune 2000 companies designed to simplify and greatly reduce the cost of managing complex Marketing Supply Chains.  Previously, Tim was the Vice President of Sales for Bluemack where he worked with clients to design and develop unique marketing programs using high-impact, imprinted promotional products. As a PPAI Golden Pyramid Award winner, his focus is toward creative applications of branded merchandise in order to achieve real business results.  Prior to entering the promotional products industry, Tim managed Happy Meal programming for McDonald's as a Sr. Project Manager at Perseco, and worked overseas for nine years in England, France and Australia developing continuity promotions for the supermarket industry with JMP-Newcor. Tim currently serves on the Marketing Committee of Josephinum Academy, an all-girls, college preparatory school serving underprivileged students in Wicker Park. With two teenage daughters, Tim maintains his sanity keeping active in sports and playing music. Tim joined Chicago AMA in 1998. He has volunteered on the Professional Development Committee, served as Vice President, and served two terms as Vice President of Membership.
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Immediate Past President

Mark Lenhart

Mark is Director of Marketing for The Monroe Group which is a diversified holding company that specializes in the acquisition of small and medium sized companies worldwide. In this role, Mark works closely with each member company to help develop their long term business strategies, customer development initiatives, positioning and branding strategies as well as various collateral and website projects. Prior to this, Mark spent 7 years with Oce USA as a Product Manager and as a Strategic Accounts Manager. His background includes an undergraduate degree in Marketing from the University of Iowa and a masters from Northwestern University. Mark spends his free time with his family, training for the Chicago Marathon and volunteering for several area organizations.
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President-Elect

George Couris

George is executive vice president at the Pepper Group, a full-service marketing firm. He and his team work with clients ranging from startups to F500 companies to create and execute strategic marketing programs. Prior to joining the Pepper Group, he held numerous B2B sales and marketing positions within Michelin North America, eventually managing the marketing strategy for a rapidly-growing $180 million division. George holds a B.S. from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the University of Chicago. George has been a volunteer member of the B2B committee for three years. He has earned a black belt in Tea Kwon Do and Hapkido, and also enjoys boating, skiing and broomball. [back to the top]

Treasurer
Scott Tang

Scott has a passion for brand strategy, understanding consumer behavior and increasing marketing knowledge across organizations.  His most recent assignment was working in Brand Marketing at ConAgra Foods, where he worked on Hebrew National, the nation’s #1 premium line of hot dogs.  Before ConAgra, Scott served as acting Brand Manager for Waterman, the luxury pen brand at a leading global writing instrument company.  In addition, he worked at Ford Motor Company where he held various business positions through their leadership development program. As a holder of two US patents and having worked in 4 continents, Scott has also worked in brand management at Kellogg’s on the Eggo’s brand as well as conducting marketing consulting projects for Borders Bookstores and BellSouth International. He obtained a BS in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and an MBA in marketing and corporate strategy from the University of Michigan. Living along the shores of Lake Michigan in the Gold Coast with his wife, Scott enjoys ethnic cuisine, volunteering, volleyball, guitar and travel of all kinds.

Vice President-Elect, B2B Marketing
Sima Dahl

Sima is a veteran B2B marketer with more than 17 years of corporate marketing experience; she considers her knowledge of integrated marketing strategy, campaign execution and sales support to be her hallmark. She is currently a Marketing Director with Business Objects, the world's leading business intelligence software company. She has more than 10 years of high-tech marketing experience and has worked for both ground-breaking start-ups and public companies in mature markets. Her diverse background also includes non-profit, manufacturing and commercial real estate marketing. Sima has an undergraduate degree in Communications from the University of Illinois and an MBA with distinction from DePaul University. She has served on the B2B Committee for more than five years and currently resides in West Bucktown with her husband David, her cat Giner and her dog Schatzi. She enjoys spending free time dining with friends and cycling. [back to the top]

Vice President, Communications

Mary Rownd

Mary is marketing director for the American Marketing Association, the most comprehensive professional association for marketers with nearly 40,000 members and 72 professional chapters throughout North America.  She is responsible for managing the AMA brand positioning and strategy; the development of the association’s annual marketing plan, membership retention and acquisition and event marketing.  Prior to joining the AMA, Mary owned and operated Jigsaw Marketing, a consultancy specializing in strategic planning and program development.  Her background includes working for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Host Marriott Services and Arby’s, Inc.  Mary resides in the City, is a culinary enthusiast and patiently waits for the Cubs to win the World Series.    
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Vice President, Consumer Marketing

Katarina Pantelic-Orb

Katarina holds a Masters degree from Northwestern University’s Integrated Marketing and Communications (IMC) Program.  In her current position at RT Associates, she oversees all the strategic marketing initiatives and is working closely with the owners of the company to develop and market new services and products.  The majority of her experience is in re-branding, strategic development and consumer research. She has been actively involved with Chicago AMA's Consumer Marketing division and helped execute the Hands-On Internet Marketing Workshop hosted by the division in February 2007.
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Director-At-Large
Wellington Chu

Wellington is a global brand manager at Motorola, Inc. He moved to Chicago in 2006, but has been an AMA member since 1996. Wellington has 18 years experience spanning Global Marketing, Telecommunication, Automotive, and Consumer Goods. Specifically, he has 9 years experience at Ford Motor Company, and 7 years of consumer goods marketing at Unilever and AC Nielsen. Wellington's functional skills are in product strategy, brand value, retail marketing, and marketing research. His international service assignments include China, Japan, and Thailand. Leadership behaviors include communication/facilitation and drive for results. Outside work, Wellington loves to eat and travel globally. He is a tournament tennis player.
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Director-At-Large

Ted Souder

Since joining Google in 2001, Ted has overseen the creation of account management teams in the Chicago, Detroit and Dallas offices.  Currently he runs the travel vertical in the Midwest, where his team manages all aspects of the Google experience for several of the world’s largest travel companies.  Prior to joining Google, Ted was the Director of Advertising at Echo Networks, an award winning online music company.  Earlier he held numerous ground-breaking client service, sales and marketing roles with Excite, AOL and the Denver Business Journal.  In 2006, he was named one of the “25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing” by HSMAI.  He is an avid traveler though he says the best trip is traveling with his wife and two kids to Harbor Island, Bahamas where he and his wife Lori were married.  Ted has a business degree from the University of Denver.
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Director-At-Large
Allison Summers

Allison’s career spans eighteen years specializing in live marketing events, tradeshows and association management. Currently, Allison serves as the Managing Director for the Society of Incentive and Travel Executives (SITE), a global industry group with members in 87 countries and meetings that rotate around the world. Her experience also includes tenure with the George P. Johnson Company, Director level roles with GES Exposition Services and serving as General Manager of On Location Inc.  Allison has volunteered with the Membership Committee serving as VP of Membership for 2006-2007.  While there are great marketing resources Allison’s new web find is Vayama.com for researching international travel.
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Vice President, Marketing Research

Garry Rosenfeldt

Garry is the Director of Marketing Research for Midas International in Itasca, IL, the world's largest provider of automotive services. He began his career about 15 years ago in the financial services industry where he provided expertise in database marketing and model building for such companies as USAA in San Antonio, Texas, and  Allstate Insurance in Chicago. Prior to his current position at Midas International, he was a Senior Research Analyst at Harris Bank in Chicago where he oversaw the development and implementation of a variety of customer focused initiatives ranging from segmentation algorithms to profitability models to customer retention programs. At Midas, Garry’s responsibilities include advertising effectiveness tracking, brand health measurement, customer satisfaction, as well as moderating the occasional focus group. He received his undergraduate degree in marketing from the University of Missouri-Columbia and later his master's degree in marketing research from DePaul University. Garry is married with 2 children and in his very infrequent free time enjoys playing the piano and composing his own music. [back to the top]



Vice President, Membership
Katie Whiting

Katie is the marketing manager for Juice Tyme, a concentrated juice and beverage manufacturer for the foodservice industry on Chicago’s Southside. She works with a variety of distributors nationally whose customers include universities, national restuarant chains, casinos and healthcare facilities. Prior to joining Juice Tyme, Katie worked in the marketing department for Aquent, a global creative and marketing staffing company. Katie has a B.A. from Indiana University and has been a volunteer of the Membership committee for three years. She is an avid White Sox fan and enjoys playing softball and cycling on the lakeshore path. 
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Vice President, Strategic Marketing
Cheryl Grandolfo

Cheryl is a product manager with Allied Solutions, LLC which is one of the largest independently operated providers of insurance, lending and marketing products and services to financial institutions. She manages the field marketing efforts to elevate her technology product providers’ offerings to the Allied distribution force and to enhance the field’s strategic selling approach. Additionally, she develops the product providers’ relationship with Allied. Previously, Cheryl managed the alliance initiatives for Lending Solutions, Inc., a 24/7 lending center for financial institutions. She has been actively involved in Chicago AMA since 2000 and has served on the Board of Directors as Vice President, Communications/Secretary. She holds a BBA in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and completed international studies in The Netherlands. Besides a love for chocolate, Cheryl enjoys traveling, exploring Chicago, swimming, cycling and participating in the Breast Cancer 3-Day.
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Executive Director, Chicago AMA
Jennifer Connelly

Jennifer is the executive director for the Chicago chapter of the AMA. Previously she owned her own business managing marketing and public relations initiatives for the manufacturing, professional services and food industries. Prior to that, she was the marketing director for Carolyn Grisko & Associates where she managed CG&A’s award-winning branding and marketing campaign and assisted clients with PR strategies and legislative support initiatives. Previously, she managed all aspects of marketing communications for two subsidiaries of NiSource Inc., a Fortune 500 energy holding company. Jennifer graduated with a BA degree from Miami University. She studied throughout Latin America and speaks Spanish and Portuguese. Jennifer serves as a volunteer on the marketing committee for the Chicago Sinfonietta. She has been a volunteer for the Chicago AMA since 2001 and has served on the Board of Directors as Vice President, Professional Development. She is passionate about marketing, her family, finding a cure for breast cancer, and the power of community.
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Treasurer-Elect
Michele Malo

Michele Malo has been associated with the American Marketing Association for over 12 years, beginning as a collegiate member at the University of Nebraska and after graduation continued as a member of the Chicago AMA for the past ten years. Michele has been on numerous committees within the Chicago AMA, such as Professional Development, Consumer Marketing, and Membership. Professionally, Michele has just recently taken over as the Global Marketing Manager at Scholle Packaging overseeing Beverages and Food Service.  Prior to taking on this new role Michele was the Business Unit Manager for the Kellogg Company overseeing the 185 million dollar food service cookie and cracker business. Michele has also held other various marketing roles within Kraft Foods and Allied Domecq. Michele holds a BA in advertising from University of Nebraska-Lincoln and an MBA from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.  Other affiliations include Women’s Food Service Forum and Alpha Sigma Alpha’s Windy City Alumnae Chapter.
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Vice President-Elect, B2B Marketing
Scott Ablin

Scott Ablin, PCM, is Director of Marketing for CIGNA HealthCare and is responsible for marketing and communications in the company’s Central and Great Lakes Regions which includes Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Michigan, Western Pennsylvania, Kansas, Missouri, North and South Dakota and Iowa. Before joining CIGNA in 2003, Mr. Ablin was Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Chicago, Illinois-based I-DEP, a leading provider of Internet-based technology solutions to the legal industry.  Prior to that, Mr. Ablin held a variety of senior level marketing positions at Nextel Communications and Boise Cascade Corporation. Mr. Ablin holds a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Communications Studies from The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, and a Master of Science in Marketing Communications degree with Highest Distinction from Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois.   Mr. Ablin has also received designation a Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) through the American Marketing Association, and as a Certified Business Communicator (CBC) through the Business Marketing Association.
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Vice President-Elect, Consumer Marketing
Brian Sok

Brian is transitioning into the strategic marketing group at Philips Lighting as the Manager of Marketing Research.  While at Philips, Brian has spent time working in pricing, creating multi-channel sales promotions, evaluating new market expansion strategies and contributing in the development of segmentation strategies.  Prior to joining Philips, Brian worked as a Marketing Manager for a large industrial distributor.  He also spent some time working in the field for Pepsi Americas.  Brian has his undergraduate degree in Marketing from DePaul University and an MBA from the University of Illinois.  In his free time Brian enjoys golfing, playing tennis and traveling.
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Vice President-Elect, Membership
Paul Stark

Paul helps companies market and develop emerging businesses. He has worked for start-ups in the high tech and insurance industries as well as market leaders such as Siemens Communications and Zurich Insurance.  He earned his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University. He is currently pursuing his MBA at DePaul. He volunteers with the Cub Scouts and various professional organizations. Paul tries to stay one step ahead of his very active grade-school son and daughter by running triathlons and marathons.
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Vice President-Elect, Strategic Marketing
James Heckman

James is the president of JAK Sales & Marketing, Inc., a Naperville, Illinois-based marketing and sales consulting firm. He works in business development for a number of clients dealing with online and email marketing, brand identity, peer-marketing and technology development. Previously, he was vice president of sales and marketing at Mir Internet Marketing, Inc., an Oak Park, Illinois-based Internet marketing consulting firm. James joined Mir in August 2006 from the American Marketing Association (AMA), where he served as director, Internet communications.  He came to the marketing sector with a journalism background, having worked as the Chicago editor for LocalBusiness.com, an Internet startup focusing on emerging new technology companies in the U.S.  Prior, James was the senior staff writer for the AMA’s Marketing News magazine, and later the online editor for the association, where he developed Marketing Matters, an email newsletter that has since become a key AMA member benefit. James earned an MBA from the University of Chicago, with concentrations in Marketing, Finance and Entrepreneurship, and received a Bachelor of Arts in English with full university honors from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill. He is married with three children and in rare moments of free time enjoys reading and science fiction. [back to the top]