Neal Lappe is President of WebStrategies, an integrated internet marketing agency based in Richmond, which he started in 2004. Prior to WebStrategies, Neal was an executive at Circuit City where he spent 18 years in various human resources and operations roles, finishing his career there as VP of aftermarket product services. Prior to Circuit City, Neal spent time with May Co., Boeing, and Federated Department Stores. He is active with the Retail Merchants Association and is Past-Chairman of the Chesterfield County Chamber of Commerce. Neal earned a B.S. in Business from the University of Missouri. He moved to Richmond in 1986, has been married to his wife Peggy for 33 years, has two grown daughters, both of whom he is proud to say graduated from Virginia Tech, and two grand-daughters. Neal has been an AMA-Richmond member since 2005 and joined the board as Vice-President of Sponsorship in 2007.
Sally Witzky is director of marketing for the Retail Merchants Association, a Richmond-based trade association helping retailers since 1906. In her current role, Sally is responsible for strategic branding and innovation, all print and digital communications, the popular Think. Shop. Buy. Local® advertising campaign and the RMA Training Center. Previous to joining RMA, Sally was owner/chief strategist of Traction Group LLC, a social media and marketing agency helping businesses effectively build their online brand presence. She has been on the agency side for nearly 20 years working for The Martin Agency, Siddall and Gain Response Marketing and has served national clients such as Citizens Bank/RBS, Saab Cars USA, Snagajob.com, FMC, TLC Laser Eye Centers, Champion Mortgage, Network Solutions and Mercedes-Benz. Originally from Ohio, Sally lives in Chesterfield with her husband, Greg.
Terry Fink is President and co-founder of Planet Central Advertising, a full service marketing and advertising agency with offices in Richmond and Charlotte. His clients include Portrait Innovations, Tilson Home Corporation, RSM McGladrey, Media General, Ricoh USA, and others. Prior to opening Planet Central in 1999, Terry was EVP General Manger of McFarland & Drier in Miami where he led the Carnival Cruise Lines account, Florida Lottery, South Florida Ford Dealer Association, and others. Prior to that he was a VP with Publicis and worked with clients like Nestle Foods and Bob Evans Farms. Terry also worked with FCB in Chicago on Kraft Foods and Long John Silvers, as well as Henderson Advertising in Greenville, S.C. This year Terry will celebrate his 12-year anniversary as a member of AMA-Richmond. He joined the AMA-Richmond board in 2007 as a Director and Chair of the Finance Committee, served the following year as Treasurer and member of the Executive Board, President-Elect and is currently President. Terry also served on the statewide Board of the March of Dimes where he chaired the Communications Committee. Terry is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a B.S. in Mass Communications. He is married and has three daughters.
Dawn Dantzler is an Account Supervisor at Planet Central, an advertising and marketing firm with offices in Richmond, NYC, and Charlotte. Her clients include Atley Pharmaceuticals, Liberty Tax Service, and Tilson Home Corporation, among others. She is responsible for the development and execution of the creative and strategic direction of client projects. Prior to joining Planet Central, Dawn worked in medical practice management. Dawn is a 1999 graduate of Clemson University with a B.S. in Marketing. Dawn and her husband, Austin, live in Midlothian with their two daughters, Aubrey and Corinne.
Dana Ailsworth graduated with a BA in Mass Communications from Mary Baldwin College. She began her career with Richmond Ballet, the State Ballet of Virginia, as the first Special Events and Volunteer Manager for the organization. Prior to her departure, Dana guided volunteer and corporate development efforts to take Richmond Ballet to their highest event-raised revenue. In 2000, Dana joined Renaissance Worldwide as a Technical Recruiter, which was acquired by AQUENT, the worlds largest Marketing and Creative Services staffing firm. During her tenure with AQUENT, Dana has acted as Recruiter, Agent and Account Manager for some of the largest companies in Virginia; with the honor of being the #1 recruiting Agent in North America four years consecutively. In addition to serving on the AIGA board, Friends of Art board and the Richmond Ballet Council, Dana is a founding member of C3, the Creative Change Center. There she was featured as a Guest Speaker with topics such as “How to Write your Resume to Actually get a Job” and “Interviewing Skills: What you Don’t Say that Makes a Difference.” Dana is currently serving as Account Director for the Virginia office of AQUENT.
Mike Rose is Director, Business Development for Planet Central based in Richmond, VA. Planet Central is a full-service creative marketing firm helping clients succeed since 1999. He works on relationship marketing and new business. Previously, Mike worked for Red Bull North America where he helped launch the brand in NASCAR and oversaw Red Bull's introduction and ethos in Virginia. Before that, he worked in Affinity events highlighted by a career running the NBA’s Hoop-It-Up tour across North America. Mike has had the opportunity to work on the Organizing Committees of both the Atlanta Olympic Games and the World Cup Soccer event. Additionally, he has worked in Orlando in the events department at Walt Disney World and owned his own sports marketing business. Mike’s an active guest lecturer across the Mid-Atlantic and he serves on the Business Council of the VMFA and participates with the local Chamber of Commerce. He joined AMA Richmond in 2007 and has served on the Collegiate committee since 2008 and in 2010 he was VP of Special Events. Mike has a B.S. in Marketing Management from Virginia Tech. Mike and his wife, Amy, decided to make Richmond their home in 2007 and together plan on watching the seasons change while raising their daughter Sydney and dog Coty.
Erin Corning is the associate brand manager of Duke’s Mayonnaise at The C.F. Sauer Company where she has worked for four years, previously on the Sauer’s spice, extract and seasoning mix products. Erin started her marketing career with Kraft Foods in Chicago after leaving the U.S. Army. She worked on Kraft Real Mayonnaise, Sauceworks, Parkay Margarine and Kraft Singles brands. Erin has a B.A. in English from the University of Virginia. She has taught adult ESL classes in Henrico County, volunteered for Comfort Zone Camp and most recently for Children’s Home Society.
Barbara Slatcher is a marketing and strategy consultant, currently working with large conservation non-profits in Virginia and BabySense LLC. She is managing marketing, public relations and social media for The Center for Conservation Biology at William and Mary. Previously, Barbara was Vice President of Marketing and Sales for BabySense LLC, a manufacturer and marketer of baby products. Prior to BabySense LLC, Barbara was responsible for Business Development at Hamilton Beach, where she oversaw new category development and various marketing roles in the foodservice group. She spent ten years at Reynolds Metals/ Alcoa as Sr. Marketing Manager for Reynolds Wrap, Reynolds Plastic Wrap, and Reynolds Foodservice Film and Foil. Barbara started her marketing and sales career at Warner Lambert in brand management with a variety of brands including Benadryl and Sinutab. In her spare time, Barbara volunteers as President of Phoenix: A Wildlife Alliance, a Richmond wildlife rehab organization whose mission is to rehabilitate injured and orphaned wildlife of all kinds. She is a graduate of University of Richmond with a B.S. in Business Administration. She received her M.B.A. from Pepperdine University.
Katherine O’Donnell is the Director of Marketing at the Richmond Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau (RMCVB), the destination marketing organization for the Richmond Region. Katherine is responsible for RMCVB’s web presence and strategy, e-mail marketing, publications and printed materials. Katherine works on a variety of community tourism projects including web sites for Route 1, Henrico County’s 400th anniversary and RichmondInsideOut.com as well as new niche marketing including LGBT and Green travel. She collaborates on RMCVB’s social media marketing and print and online advertising. Katherine also oversees talented colleagues who also handle group tour sales and operation of three Visitor Centers. Katherine has been with RMCVB since 2002. Previously she worked at the Department of Historic Resources in publications. Katherine has served AMA-Richmond as the Volunteer Corps Chair for two years. A North Carolina native, Katherine graduated from the University of Richmond with a double major in Journalism and English and a minor in Spanish.
Amanda VandenBroek is an Account Executive at Planet Central, a full-service advertising and marketing firm where she is responsible for developing and managing campaigns that meet her client’s strategic goals. Prior to joining Planet Central, Amanda was the Director of Marketing and Special Events at Toad’s Place of Richmond, a local music venue. There she was responsible for all marketing efforts as well as coordination of special programming and private events. She started her career as a Media Planner at The Martin Agency working on the Alltel and Thomasville accounts. Amanda is a 2001 graduate of East Carolina University with a B.S. in Public History with a focus on Museum Science. Amanda and her husband Chris live in Forest Hill with their dog, Lucy and are expecting their first child this January.
Brandon Bruce is the founder and President of Groovin’ Gourmets, a full service, off-premise caterer. He created the company, not based on his culinary ability, but rather finding a niche in a specific market for catering. Twelve years later the company has evolved from a predominantly high volume “drop-off” caterer to a four division company that is able to plan and execute a wide variety of social and corporate events up to 5,000 people. He oversees the operation with a focus on strategic relationships and expanding into new markets. Prior to Groovin’, Brandon was a partner in a weight loss business, Trim Today, in the Richmond and Tri-Cities area. His entrepreneurial interest began while selling medical equipment in Virginia and North Carolina. He spent three years at Connell Neurosurgical and two years at Johnson and JohnsonOrthopaedics. He received a BS in Marketing from Va. Tech. Off-hour passions include running marathons, wakeboarding and kite-boarding.
Tim Asimos has been an AMA-Richmond member since 2006 and is Corporate Marketing Manager for Richmond-based Timmons Group, an ENR 500 multi-disciplined civil engineering and technology firm. Tim is responsible for managing the marketing function of the firm and directs all related marketing collateral, advertising, web development, creative and design work. Tim manages the marketing staff and also oversees public relations, corporate communications, CRM and the proposal preparation process. Prior to joining Timmons Group, Tim held various marketing roles encompassing creative design, strategic advertising plans, media planning, competitive analysis, market share measurement, corporate training and development and market research. Additionally, Tim does freelance work involving strategy, corporate identity, graphic design, and web development. Tim holds an M.B.A. and a B.S. in Communication Studies from Liberty University. He is a Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM). Tim, his wife Heather, and son Mason, live in Midlothian.
Todd Wilcox is Regional Account Executive with Comcast Spotlight in Richmond, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable. Todd joined Comcast in 1993 after graduating the same year from the University of Richmond with a B.S. in Business Administration. He is a former Vice-President of Sponsorship with AMA-Richmond and has been an active member since 2004. In 2007, Todd was presented with AMA-Richmond’s Golden Candlestick Award recognizing exceptional volunteerism. Todd was honored for his dedication to sustaining the chapter and its endowment fund through sponsorships. He and his wife live in the city, in the Museum District.
Carol Molis has been an Account Planner with Elevation since 2006. She is an experienced Strategic Planner and Account Manager, with highly developed brand marketing and consumer research expertise. After graduating from the College of William & Mary in 2000 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and Art Minor, Carol developed advanced communication skills through client management at The Martin Agency. In 2001, Carol managed research accounts for a wide range of local and national clients, primarily within the real estate, land development and healthcare industries at Brooks Adams Research. In 2002, Carol joined Swedish Match North America as Manager of Market Research. In 2004, she transitioned over into Brand Management, where she led the creative and strategic development for all Timberwolf branding, marketing and sales programs, introduced Internet programs into a previously traditional marketing mix, and led the new product development process for two successful smokeless tobacco product line extensions. At Elevation, Carol seeks out means for strengthening brand communications by forming partnerships with clients to elevate their brands by marrying strategic positioning with sound creative. She has managed successful campaigns for Elevation’s many clients, including Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, the Children’s Museum of Richmond, MeadWestvaco, Performance Food Group, McKesson Medical-Surgical and more.
Joy Eades serves as a Senior Specialist for Altria Consumer Engagement Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Altria Group. In her current role, she is responsible for consumer engagement activities, and execution of consumer-response promotions on behalf of three of Altria’s operating companies: John Middleton Co. (with its Black & Mild brand), U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company (with its Copenhagen and Skoal brands), and Philip Morris USA (with its Marlboro brand). Joy provides marketing services to support multiple initiatives like sweepstakes activities and coordination of adult consumer communications that includes direct mail and e-mail. She also coordinates special adult consumer invitations to exclusive promotional activities such as: the Marlboro Ranch events, behind-the-scenes tours at the Professional Bull Riding exhibitions, and other consumer-driven promotional activities. Previously Joy served as a Senior Analyst in Research Development and Engineering, Contracts and Intellectual Property at PM USA. In this role she managed cross-functional teams in developing business capabilities and contract strategies. She also provided strategic and tactical recommendations to management. Since joining the Altria family of companies in March 2003, Joy has held several roles in PM USA’s Consumer Response Center. Prior to joining PMUSA, she served as the Manager of Consumer Issues for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. At Wyeth, Joy served as the Consumer Liaison and was responsible for the overall administration of the Product Quality department. Joy received her B.S. degree from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business with a concentration in marketing. She has been an AMA member since 1993 as a VCU student.
Brian Gale is the Director of Emerging Markets Channel Management at Mondial Assistance, the world’s leading provider of travel insurance and travel assistance services, where he develops product, creative and brand strategy for new markets. Previously, Brian led marketing and advertising strategy development and execution of advertising campaigns to drive donor acquisition for ChildFund International (formerly Christian Children’s Fund), one of the world's largest and most respected child development organizations. As former General Manager of Schulberg MediaWorks, a direct response-advertising agency in San Francisco, Brian was responsible for overall profitability and oversaw the design and execution of advertising campaigns for clients including Sony, DeLonghi, Wagner and Select Comfort. Brian had previously served as Director of Sales and Marketing at Preview Travel, Inc. (now Travelocity), where he marketed and managed the Internet company's television production services. Brian joined the Richmond chapter of the AMA when he relocated to Richmond in 2002. He also has served as Treasurer and Vice President of the Richmond Ad Club. Brian holds a B.A. in Film from Bard College and an MBA from the University of Richmond.
Jo Ann Rossi is President of Zooom Printing, a commercial printing company located in Richmond, which she and her husband Ben started in 2001. Zooom has printed for Living Social, the NFL, Rolls Royce, and the White House, as well as a wide range of local and regional companies. Prior to opening Zooom, Jo Ann worked as Draw Show Producer for the Virginia Lottery and Senior Audio Operator for CBS 6. Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater Richmond Retail Merchants Association, The Virginia Council of CEO's, and Metro Richmond Crime Stoppers. Jo Ann and her husband Ben live in the West End with their two children, Nora and Tyler, and their dog Phil. They are expecting their third child in October.
Jordan Hendler is founder of Admin Concepts, Inc., a Richmond-based company formed to administrate local and national associations since 1998. Admin Concepts has been the administrative partner of AMA-Richmond since 2010. Previously focused towards the collision industry, current clients also include the Society of Collision Repair Specialists, Collision Industry Foundation and Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association. Hendler moved to the Richmond area in 2004, and is married to her husband Barry Dorn with whom she has two stepchildren. She is an active member of the Virginia Dressage Association Central Chapter, as well as volunteering locally for other horse-related activities.
