IN-NW Conference 2011

Alexandra Wheeler

As vice president of Global Digital Marketing, Alex leads the strategy and management of the Starbucks digital advertising, social media, and digital content and creative development across web, mobile and in-store digital platforms. Since joining Starbucks in 2006, Alex has also served rotational assignments within the U.S. Marketing and Promotions team (leading the 2010 relaunch of Frappuccino) and Brand Advertising team.

Recently, Starbucks has experienced a dramatic turnaround of its business fortunes – notably beginning with the 2008 return of Howard Schultz as ceo, a story chronicled in the New York Times #1 Best Seller, Onward. Part of that transformation was the successful creation of a unique marketing strategy and organizational capability for a company that historically "didn't do marketing or advertising" to become an acknowledged leader in effective use of social and digital media.

In 2008, Alex led the Digital team's successful launch of the company's community site My Starbucks Idea, now 300,000 members strong and with more than 190 ideas launched to date. Her team's 2009 Starbucks Love Project, launched during the holiday season, won a Cyber Lion at Cannes and set a Guinness World Record for Most Nations in an Online Sing-Along. With more than 41 million global Facebook fans, two million Twitter followers and as the most followed brand on Instagram, Alex and her team have developed creative, engaging digital experiences that connects Starbucks with its customers and enhances their relationship with the brand.

Alex's career spans more than fifteen years, with expertise in brand development, integrated advertising campaigns, digital strategy and social media. She's done digital strategy work for Disney, Twentieth Century Fox, Nintendo, Microsoft, University of Phoenix and Texas Instruments. Prior to joining Starbucks Alex served as Account Director for WPP's agency Cole & Weber.

Monte Lutz

Monte Lutz is a Senior Vice President of Digital for Edelman, where he leads the Los Angeles and Seattle digital teams in support of a variety of corporate, consumer and public affairs clients, including Microsoft, Nestle, Qualcomm and Volkswagen. Monte also is a visiting professor at the Johns Hopkins Graduate School of Communications, where he teaches social media. Monte created his first political blog in 1998: Voter's Block. He has been developing and implementing targeted marketing and PR campaigns for 15 years. Monte published The Social Pulpit: Barack Obama's Social Media Toolkit, which has been featured in Fast Company and PR Week, on CBC Newsworld and at the National Press Club. Prior to joining Edelman, Monte was the manager of the Strategic Communications practice at DTI Associates, where he developed traditional and digital campaigns for OSHA, the Employment and Training Administration and NASA, as well as U.S. Departments of Education and Agriculture. As Vice President of The Public Forum Institute, Monte produced congressional forums on health, education and technology legislation. Monte previously worked at Ogilvy PR Worldwide, during which PR Week recognized his crisis communications efforts as one of the top crisis campaigns of the year. You can find him at @montelutz.

New Media: Getting Your Stories Heard and Told

Mónica Guzmán is a journalist and community strategist who champions technologies that help us communicate better and helps startups and media better understand, engage and grow their communities. This fall, she joined the team at GeekWire as a part-time columnist on issues in digital life. Previously, she spent a year helping Seattle-based startup Intersect launch and develop an innovative time and location based storytelling platform. From January 2007 to May 2010, Mónica was a reporter at Seattlepi.com, where she ran the experimental and award-winning Big Blog and drew a community of readers with nonstop online conversation and casual weekly meetups. She's been named one of the Top 100 Women in Seattle Tech, one of the Poynter Institute's 35 social media influencers and one of the Society of Professional Journalists' "Quill" magazine's 20 journalists to follow on Twitter.

Mark Briggs is the author of Entrepreneurial Journalism, a book about the rise of journalism startups and how to start your own journalism business. He is currently director of digital media for King 5 Television in Seattle and a Ford Fellow in Entrepreneurial Journalism at The Poynter Institute. Previously, he co-founded Serra Media, a Seattle-based technology company, and spent nine years running newspaper websites in Everett and Tacoma, Wash. As part of his mission to help journalists transform in the digital age, Mark has served as a speaker, trainer and consultant for various projects around the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East. He spoke at SXSW Interactive in Austin in 2010 and 2011. In May 2010 he was named one of 20 Journalists to Follow by Quill, the magazine of the Society of Professional Journalists. You can find him on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and TripIt.

Tracy Record has worked to hunt, gather, process, analyze, and share information in a multitude of media pretty much around the clock since age 17. Most recently, she was assistant news director at KCPQ-TV here in Seattle, a position she resigned in December 2007 to work on West Seattle Blog full-time. Before that, Tracy spent 2 years with the Walt Disney Internet Group in roles including executive producer of ABCNEWS.com. That followed 8 years at KOMO-TV, where she left as its first-ever executive producer of new media. Before that: TV stations, newspapers, and radio stations in California, Nevada, and Colorado, and 3 Emmy Awards along the way. She goes by "TR" too, so that's how you'll see e-mail signed. Before WSB, Tracy's experience with blog-format writing included humanspellcheck.com, which now lives on only in the Wayback Machine.

Sharon Pian Chan is a senior producer for The Seattle Times website and mobile platforms. She leads a team of producers focused on engaging readers and connecting them to The Seattle Times' best content every moment of the day. Previously, Chan spent 12 years as a reporter for the newspaper, most recently covering the software behemoth Microsoft, making the newspaper's coverage real-time and in-depth with big-picture stories on the front page, snack-sized in the Microsoft Pri0 blog, instantaneous with Twitter and interactive with live chats and live blogs. In her 12 years at The Seattle Times, she has reported on many Seattle institutions including city hall, the University of Washington and AT&T Wireless. Chan is currently serving as vice president for the nonprofit alliance UNITY: Journalists of Color and has served as national president of the Asian American Journalists Association. You can follow her on Twitter @sharonpianchan, friend her on Facebook and connect with her on LinkedIn.

Corey Dilley

Corey Dilley is the Marketing and Business Development Manager at Eat St. He focuses on strategic partnerships, identifying and pursuing revenue streams and managing marketing efforts around new features and releases. Corey has more than 6 years' experience in the digital space in a variety of companies and roles ranging from Sr. Interactive Specialist to Account Manager and Ad Operations Manager. During the past several years, Corey has grown his network in Toronto, Sydney and most recently in Vancouver. You can connect with Corey on LinkedIn.

New and Emerging Tools panel

Hanson Hosein is President of HRH Media Group, and serves as the Director of the Master of Communication in Digital Media program at the University of Washington in Seattle. He's also the host of Four Peaks -- the monthly Telly Award-winning UWTV series (formerly Media Space) that features interviews with the region's influential network of visionaries and leaders. The TV show is just one element of a creative leadership network that Hanson co-founded, which is intended to drive innovation and entrepreneurship in the Pacific Northwest. He specializes in storytelling, social media strategies and business models of communication advising organizations such as Weber Shandwick, Tableau Software and the Pacific Science Center.

David Tedman: After earning a degree in Digital Media in 2003, David co-founded digital design company Novare Res in Vancouver. Novare Res merged with Invoke in 2006, incorporating Invoke as the digital agency we know today. Within Invoke, David cofounded the well-known social dashboard HootSuite, incubating it until its spin out of Invoke in 2009. He also co-founded Memelabs, Food.ee, and several other notable products over five years.

David's early contribution to the growth and success of Invoke began with managing its products and services and then onto an operational role. He is now the Co-CEO.

David focuses on Invoke's products and innovation within the company. He works closely with product teams from ideation to launch, and strategically positioning Invoke for expansion to deliver the best products and agency services to a growing list of businesses.

Evan Lew is a senior product manager for Bing. He is focused on product planning and strategy for Bing's social search features. Evan joined Microsoft in 2007 and was the product manager for Office Web Apps – responsible for driving product launch and syndication with Facebook messaging – and business planner for Office 365.

Prior to Microsoft, Evan worked for Deloitte Consulting and was an IT architect for a healthcare company. He studied Electrical Engineering at Princeton University and has an MBA from the Wharton School.

Peter Wilson is an Engineering Director with Facebook in Seattle. He has twenty years experience as an entrepreneur and senior technology leader for Google, Microsoft and Accenture, and a track record of building effective teams and organizations, and delivering innovative software products and services.

Peter has a degree in Computer Science from London University's Imperial College, and lives in the Seattle area.

Music and Media panel

John Roderick is the songwriter and singer/guitarist of The Long Winters, forming the band from a mound of clay back in 2001. Widely acclaimed as one of America's preeminent artists, credited with resurrecting Seattle's moribund music scene and bringing new life to the rock genre, John also writes his own press bios. A central figure in the Northwest music community, John nevertheless maintains his outsider status by being both dangerously edgy and completely huggable, in contravention of established Seattle practice. Equally talented at almost any instrument, (except guitar, at which he is even more talented), John has made it nearly impossible for any other musicians to find work in Washington State, effectively playing ALL the music that needs to be played. John is also a widely respected journalist, an extensively quoted author and philosopher, a prima ballerina, a cowboy and an astronaut. John took the top spot in Paste Magazine's list of 50 Musicians Worth Following on Twitter. You can follow him @johnroderick and you can check out Electric Aphorisms, his acclaimed book collecting 365 tweets.

Sir Mix-a-Lot is an emcee and producer based in Seattle, Washington. The founder of the Nastymix record label, he debuted in 1988 with Swass. Sir Mix-a-Lot is best known for his 1992 album Mack Daddy and its Grammy Award-winning single "Baby Got Back. Learn more.

I'm Nikki. I started SSG in December of 2008 wide-eyed and unaware of the adventure I was embarking upon. It's a gift to be able to serve others in such a prolific capacity and a joy to do this work full-time. On top of that, being able to lead such a strong team of talent is a privilege–I don't take it for granted. I've been playing music since I was 12. Also, I was a studio and performing artist from 2003-2005, so I know how much courage it takes to put art out in the world for others to critique. Fundamentally, music is my life, artists are my kin, Seattle is my home. @SSGNikkiB

James Keblas is the Director for the City of Seattle's Mayor's Office of Film and Music. James is responsible for developing strategies and policies that support Seattle as a place to create, produce and enjoy film and music. James took his passion for civic engagement to a new level when he and other community members turned Seattle's once oppressive stance towards music into one of support and growth. James was Co-founder and the original Executive Director of the Vera Project, a nationally recognized nonprofit, music-arts center run by and for youth in Seattle. As a graduate from the University of Washington's School of Urban Design and Community Planning, James has worked with a handful of cultural organizations and served for two years both as a Seattle Arts Commissioner and a Music Advisory Member.

Rob Pietsch

As Director of Sales, West for Twitter, Rob Piestch is responsible for all sales and marketing activities that drive advertising revenue for Twitter on the west coast.

Prior to joining Twitter in 2011, Rob served as Vice President of Sales at social video start up, Sharethrough and VP of Sales, West at Myspace where he was responsible for all revenue generating activities.

Before he jumped into social media, Rob spent 11 years at Forbes media where is most recent position was Chief Digital Advertising Officer for Forbes Media. He was responsible for all sales and marketing activities that drove advertising revenue from Forbes.com, Forbes.com Audience Network and the Forbes.com Business and Finance Blog Network, with revenues growing over 700% from 2000 – 2007.

Prior to joining Forbes.com, Rob was a regional sales manager for IDG, selling print and online advertising for Computerworld. Prior to that he was in the marketing departments of Ingram Micro and Dole Food Company.

Rob is a graduate of California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo, California. He sits on the Board of Directors of My New Red Shoes, a non-profit organization that helps Bay Area homeless children put their best foot forward at school.

Non Profit and Cause Engagement

Mary Grace Roske oversees The Seattle Foundation's communications and public relations, including brand strategy, media relations, online media and publications. Prior to joining the Foundation, Roske spent four years as vice president/director of marketing and community relations for Seattle Bank and its parent company, Seattle Financial Group. From 1987 to 2005, Roske held a number of communications and public relations positions with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle, including vice president/corporate relations. Roske serves on the board for Eastside Employment Services, a nonprofit providing job placement and support services for people with disabilities, and is a member of the Public Relations Society of America. She holds a bachelor of arts in communications from Washington State University and a master of arts in communication management from Syracuse University.

Kaitlin Bartik has been recruiting and managing volunteers for the YWCA of Seattle – King – Snohomish for the past five years.  Prior to joining the YWCA, she spent a year as an AmeriCorps*VISTA for Skagit County Community Action Agency in Mount Vernon.

Currently, Bartik is involved in the YWCA's Social Media Ambassadors Club to work on internal social media strategies and share best practices.  She holds a bachelor of arts in sociology and anthropology from University of Iowa.  You can read her thoughts on volunteerism, nonprofits, and homelessness via her tweets at @VolunteerYWCA.

From the time she was a school crossing guard in 6th grade, Madeline Moy has been interested in helping others and serving the community. Madeline has spent the majority of her 14-year career in marketing and communications working for nonprofits.

Whether it's a giant fork tweeting, a video of dogs playing blackjack, or a Twitter scavenger hunt, she strives to find fun and creative ways to engage audiences online.

Madeline helped build the social media program for United Way of King County—the largest United Way in the nation in terms of fundraising—and as a member of Seattle Works' social media committee, she developed two online fundraising campaigns that raised nearly $20,000 and significantly grew the organization's individual donor base.

Madeline is currently the digital media manager at the Seattle Art Museum where she develops content and strategy for the museum's website and social media platforms. She is pursuing her Master of Communication in Digital Media at the University of Washington, and she still looks both ways (and consults her smartphone) before crossing the street. @mrsmoy | @iHeartSAM

Jaci Dahlvang Jaci Dahlvang is the Special Event and Volunteer Coordinator at Children's Home Society of Washington's North Seattle Family Center. Last spring, thanks to her persistence, NSFC became the pilot site for CHSW's localized social media program. Along with Joy Scott, the other half of the NSFC social media team, she is building a highly engaged following on Facebook and Twitter

Jaci holds a Bachelor of the Arts in English from Seattle University and a Masters in Library and Information Science from the University of Washington. Outside of the Family Center, she volunteers with Seattle International Film Festival as well as with Three Dollar Bill Cinema. She is getting back to her college media critic roots by tweeting about film & pop culture at @letterboxed.

Joelle B. Gruber is th e Relationship Associate at JPMorgan Chase & Co. where she supports the grantmaking for WA, OR, ID, NV, UT, CO and A. Find her on LinkedIn

Ben Huh

Ben Huh has always been a start up guy. His latest company, the Cheezburger Network, has been credited with bringing Internet memes to the mainstream and popularizing Internet culture. Ben founded the Cheezburger Network in 2007 and grew it into one of the largest humor networks in the world in less than two years — while making a profit during one of the deepest recessions.

Ben credits the success of his company to the users and fans who create the content and those who started the sites he acquired, such as icanhascheezburger.com and failblog.org. His goal is to make the world happy for 5-minutes a day.

Ben graduated with a BSJ from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

Hanson Hosein

Hanson Hosein is President of HRH Media Group, and serves as the Director of the Master of Communication in Digital Media program at the University of Washington in Seattle. He's also the host of Four Peaks -- the monthly Telly Award-winning UWTV series (formerly Media Space) that features interviews with the region's influential network of visionaries and leaders. The TV show is just one element of a creative leadership network that Hanson co-founded, which is intended to drive innovation and entrepreneurship in the Pacific Northwest. He specializes in storytelling, social media strategies and business models of communication advising organizations such as Weber Shandwick, Tableau Software and the Pacific Science Center.

Hanson's new book Storyteller Uprising: Trust and Persuasion in the Digital Age explores how individuals and organizations can tell their own multimedia stories and create their own channels of distribution — thereby serving as trusted sources in their own right. His pioneering work earned him Seattle Magazine's "Most Influential" in fall 2010, particularly due to his role in hosting TEDx Seattle. Hanson directed the award-winning documentary films Rising from Ruins and Independent America: The Two-Lane Search for Mom & Pop, which have been broadcast around the world and prominently featured online, including on Hulu and Yahoo!'s homepages, as well as on Netflix and iTunes. He's a former NBC News war correspondent, backpack journalist and investigative producer -- and is a recipient of Overseas Press Club and Emmy Awards. He will lay out the vision for the "community design" of Four Peaks as guest Feature Editor of Arcade Magazine's upcoming 30th anniversary issue on design and the built environment.