• Managed agency’s most profitable account team at Cohn & Wells SF, generating annual revenue in excess of $20,000,000.
• Experienced in training both clients and agency employees in direct marketing methods and procedures, and in managing high-volume, detail-oriented direct marketing projects.
• Over a period of ten years, contributed at Cohn & Wells as Director of Strategic Planning, Studio Director, and Group Account Director.
• Developed or supervised development of marketing communications infrastructure — including management reports, budgets, estimate formats, proforma schedules, brochure templates, approval checklists, offer summaries, client profiles, style sheets, etc.
• Designed, implemented, and analyzed the results of multi-million piece mailings with hundreds of test cells for clients such as PC World, Pacific Bell, and Bank of America.
• Developed strategic marketing plans, including identifying key market segments; determining positioning, marketing objectives, and communications objectives; recommending test matrices; measuring and analyzing results; and refining ongoing testing.
• Hands-on project management experience includes writing creative briefs, day-to-day client contact, developing and managing detailed schedules and estimates, and managing the client comment / revision process.

Start-Ups and Turn-Arounds

• As Senior Vice President at San Francisco-based, EuroRSCG-owned advertising agency, I was selected to head up the management team who opened and ran DirectWorks, an office in Melbourne, Australia. Responsibilities included hiring, training, and managing staff; senior-level client service and operational issues; and strategic development.
• Turned around faltering in-house design studio (DMZ); established and implemented operating procedures and quality control standards. Results were significantly improved product, faster service, increased volume and profitability, and much higher levels of customer satisfaction and confidence.
• Turned around large advertising agency (WNM) in Melbourne, Australia which had recently lost two of three principals and three of four major clients. (Fourth account was up for review.) After three month assignment as General Manager, had stabilized agency, analyzed business situation, improved morale and retained personnel, regained confidence of remaining client and expanded relationship, won significant new business (blue chip accounts), and attracted high-quality new talent.
• Built and managed marketing department at luxury educational travel company. Developed or supervised development of infrastructure — including management reports, budgets, estimate formats, proforma schedules, brochure templates, top-off programs, approval checklists, offer summaries, client profiles, style sheets, etc. Hired, trained, and managed department.

General Management

• Participated — along with owner, president, and CFO — in executive team responsible for long-term planning, policy development, product and personnel decisions, budget issues, and executive reporting at luxury educational travel company. In my first twelve months there, total bookings increased by 98.5% and fill rate increased by 27% over previous year.
• Managed advertising agency’s most profitable account team at Cohn & Wells San Francisco, generating annual revenue in excess of $20,000,000. Experienced in training both clients and agency employees in direct marketing methods and procedures, and in managing high-volume, detail-oriented direct marketing projects. Over a period of ten years, contributed as Director of Strategic Planning, Studio Director, and Group Account Director.
• Elected and re-elected treasurer for 160-member organization (Bay Area Travel Writers). Served on board … with all that entails.

Experienced at hands-on project management, including working with clients, creative and technical staff, and outside service providers. I understand the importance of thoughtful, informed planning and clear communication … and I know how to develop and manage a campaign that works. My experience includes:

• Developing strategic marketing plans, including identifying key market segments; determining positioning, marketing objectives, and communications objectives; recommending test matrices; writing creative briefs; analyzing results.

• Managing creative and production processes, including developing schedules and estimates; managing in-house or freelance copywriters, art directors, and designers; managing list ordering, merge-purge, print production, lettershop, and fulfillment.

• Team building, including recommending and managing talented creative directors, copywriters, art directors, designers, photographers, stylists, website developers, programmers, proofreaders, translators, list brokers, database managers, international direct mail specialists, traffic managers, print production managers, printers, lettershops, and fulfillment houses.

• Managing client communications and expectations, deepening client relationships; managing revisions to keep the project on strategy, on schedule, and within budget … in the context of a rapidly-changing marketplace and constantly-evolving client plans.

Specialize in building business in tough, competitive markets, and have expertise in special situations like utilities deregulation and bank acquisitions. My experience spans multiple industries, including financial services, high tech, telecommunications, and not-for-profit, and includes a wide variety of successful business-to-business and consumer marketing programs. Contributions include:

• In my first twelve months as Director of Marketing for luxury educational tour operator, total bookings increased by 98.5% and fill rate increased by 27% over previous year.

• Team-developed marketing strategy for national telecommunications company (Telecom Australia) undergoing deregulation. Managed ongoing strategic refinement (in response to rapidly changing marketplace) and campaign implementation. Retained 33% more customers than anticipated in aggressive marketing plan.

• Led agency team that introduced a new marketing vehicle — direct response software sales — to the U.S. marketplace and built direct response business for Borland from zero to 60% of sales in two and one half years. (During the same period, revenues grew from $90 million to more than $500 million.)

• Analyzed direct marketing expenses and leverage points for major Silicon Valley client; developed and negotiated plan to save client over $1,000,000 annually — without decreasing revenues.

• As member of 3-person circulation department, increased PC World circulation from 30,000 to more than 300,000. (Folio 400 ranked PC World the fastest-growing U.S. consumer magazine … and I received a Folio Gold Award for Excellence in Direct Marketing.)

• Served as Director of Marketing for luxury educational tour operator High Country Passage (HCP). Clients included National Geographic, the Smithsonian, the American Museum of Natural History, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, as well as the alumni associations of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, Cal Berkeley, Smith, and other distinguished institutions.
• In my first twelve months as Director of Marketing at HCP, total bookings increased by 98.5% and the fill rate increased by 27% over the previous year.
• Managed marketing department responsible for filling more than 100 trips/year using direct mail, e-mail, websites, magazine ads, and co-op programs. Department produced more than 100 brochures and four catalogs/year.
• Produced trip journals for 2007 World Leaders Symposium to the Balkans; lecturers included Secretary Madeleine Albright, William Perry (former U.S. Secretary of Defense), Peter Galbraith (former ambassador to Croatia). The print-on-demand books were very popular with experienced travelers (”We are completely blown away by the quality of what you have accomplished. Thank you very much.”) and can be viewed here.
• Participated in 3 two-week Earthwatch expeditions, assisting scientists with field research Argentina, Brazil, and Madagascar.
• Participated in planning session for Educational Travel Community’s 23rd annual international conference (which will be in 2009).
• Have traveled in more than 30 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Egypt, France, Fiji, Greece, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malta, Paraguay, New Zealand, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, and Zambia.
• Lived and worked abroad for more than one year (1992-1993) as Senior Vice President at EuroRSGC-owned advertising agency; seconded to open new office and develop business in Melbourne, Australia.

• Responsible for content development, acquisition, organization, management, and delivery for start-up division of Intuit/Quicken specializing in children’s financial literacy.
• Managing editor of two anthologies for Left Coast Writers.
• Produced monthly newsletter for Audubon Canyon Ranch for one year.

Have traveled to more than 30 countries (on every continent except Antarctica); published travel writer; invited speaker.

• See my published articles, stories, and broadcasts on my Portfolio page.
• Edit and publish Travel Writers News, a newsletter and calendar of events for San Francisco-based travel writers and photographers (ongoing since 2003).
• Guest faculty at Book Passage Travel Writers and Photographers Conference (2006).
• Invited reader at Jamaica’s annual Calabash International Literary Festival, where I read to an enthusiastic audience of 2,000 people (2004).
• Elected officer and board member (2007) of Bay Area Travel Writers, a “nonprofit, professional association of writers and photographers with outstanding achievements in travel journalism.” Reelected for 2008.
• Accepted as attendee at Travel Classics West conference — open only to professional travel writers — at Camelback in Scottsdale, AZ ( 2004).
• Invited reader at San Francisco Litquake’s Litcrawl: The Wide, Wide World of Travel Writing (2004).
• Invited reader at Adventure Travel Expo in San Mateo (2004).

• San Francisco Zoo: Part of 3-member marketing team hired by the San Francisco Zoo to develop their Capital Campaign; raised more than $24,000,000. Assisted with development of multiple issues of member publication (Zoo Views) and with redesign of SF Zoo website.
• EarthWatch: Participated in three programs (Argentina, Brazil, Madagascar) working with scientists in the field.
• Golden Gate Raptor Observatory: Participated for eleven years in scientific research program (tracking migration of hawks) as trapper and bander.
• Audubon Canyon Ranch: Experienced docent (leading 4th- and 5th-graders on nature walks). Board member and newsletter editor / producer.
• Worked extensively with not-for-profit clients as Marketing Director at educational travel operator.

“New” keeps changing, doesn’t it?

• Developed eight small-company and individual websites in the 90s.
• Served as in-house manager and liaison with web development company for SF Zoo during redesign of their website.
• Blogging for—and about—San Francisco Bay Area-based travel writers since 2003.
• Learned to self-publish using web-based software in 2005.
• Began podcasting in 2007.

Turned around general advertising agency (WNM) in Melbourne, Australia which had recently lost two of three principals and three of four major clients. (Fourth account was up for review.) After three-month assignment as Managing Director, had stabilized agency, analyzed business situation, improved morale and retained personnel, regained confidence of remaining client and expanded relationship, won significant new business (blue chip accounts), and attracted high-quality new talent.