Amy Johnson

Designer

Amy’s first spinning class in 1997 changed everything. That’s when she realized she did her best work after a heart-pounding, intense workout. For Amy, being healthy and successful are two sides of the same coin. Both take hard work and consistency. Fortunately, she’s a cardio junkie! Clients see it in her work, returning time and again for high-quality designs done quickly, on budget, and without a fuss.

Amy began her career as an account executive for big ad agencies on big accounts. While she learned a TON about marketing and how to really listen to clients, she quickly realized the creative people were having all the fun. Amy changed course and never looked back.

• Design specialties include print collateral, trade show graphics, web, print advertising, and identity systems
• Clients ranging from individuals to large technology companies
• B.S. in Journalism (with a major in Advertising) from the University of Colorado, Boulder

Barry Ferris

Consultant

Motorcycles are cool. Vintage motorcycles are cooler. And vintage Italian motorcycles are the coolest. But you don’t have to tell Barry that. He’s been restoring them for years. He likes how these hands-on projects clear his head after working on more abstract things like business models and market positioning plans.

Barry has 20+ years of marketing experience at companies like Alcatel, Apple Computer, Cisco Systems, HP, and Xerox Parc. He specializes in conducting insightful market analyses and identifying compelling customer and product value propositions. He also has a strong track record of helping companies develop successful new offerings outside of their main business.

• Honors B.S. in Computer Science, University of Western Ontario and graduate work in Computer Science at the University of British Columbia
• Strong technical background helps Barry connect high-level strategies with operational needs and credibly interact with engineers and programmers

Chris Dietrich

Consultant

Need a clutch putter in your golfing foursome? Call Chris. She often sees some similarities between golfing and her consulting. No two golf rounds or marketing projects or events are exactly alike. The location, venue, and players combine to create a unique dynamic. And the devil is always in the details. Chris has over 25 years of experience in all facets of communications. She enjoys strategic planning with tactical implementation, and has successfully developed and executed many marketing communications programs.

• Extensive expertise managing programs and deliverables for a worldwide audience
• Held several management positions during her 20 years at Hewlett-Packard, including worldwide advertising responsibilities while overseeing a team of communication professionals

Cindy Kennaugh

Chairman of the Board

Who knew art school would play such a vital role in shaping this marketing guru? For Cindy, marketing has a lot in common with her hobby of creating art glass: each is part science and part art. You’ll find both reflected in her results-oriented approach to matching the best marketing talent with a variety of clients' needs.

Clients uniformly praise Cindy for making it so easy to work with On The Mark compared to other consultancies. She takes the time to truly understand your needs so you get the right consultant. And procurement, budget tracking, and other such tasks are on her list, not yours. See what having your needs anticipated actually feels like.

• Before starting On The Mark, Cindy’s Silicon Valley marketing experience included promotions at Fairchild, HP, Schlumberger, and Seagate Technologies
• M.B.A. from Santa Clara University and a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of California at Berkeley
• Certificate in Communication Arts from Parsons School of Design in New York City

David Birnbaum

Consultant

High tailing it through the woods on his mountain bike is the perfect change of pace for this analytical and strategic marketing consultant. David’s central philosophy is to creatively discover and apply fact-driven business strategies in pursuit of actionable market opportunities. His experience includes executive roles at Symantec, where he was responsible for worldwide enterprise security segment marketing and marketing campaigns, and Director of Marketing at Hewlett Packard. His alliance experience includes contract negotiations and go-to-market initiatives with Computer Associates, Microsoft, Oracle, and numerous emerging companies.

• Over 20 years of marketing consulting and management experience with computer software and hardware companies, ranging from startups through Fortune 500 companies
• Translating data into meaningful business insights and recommendations via data analytics and statistical analyses
• M.B.A. from the UCLA Anderson School of Management as well as BS and MS degrees in physics, also from UCLA

Diane Andrada

Project & Design Consultant

Just how many projects can this hard-working consultant and proud grandma of two juggle at one time? Unknown—the limit has not yet been reached. Diane is a friendly, team-oriented print and electronic design professional. Across a variety of marketing projects, she’s proven herself an effective project manager and problem-solver that pays close attention to details and deadlines. Clients tend to get very attached to Diane because of her consistently strong design skills, ability to manage multiple projects—as well as all the moving parts from conception to completion—on time and on budget.

• 25 years of high-tech-industry experience in project management, graphic design, illustration, and front-end web development
• Clients ranging from start-ups to enterprises like Apple, Brocade, Cisco Systems, NetApp, and VMware

Ellen Grace Henson

Consultant

At the end of a long, rainy day of riding over the Appalachian Mountains, focused only on her movement, Ellen Grace realized she had been experiencing a quiet mind. That epiphany catalyzed a meditation practice that has benefited every aspect of her life, including her consulting. Who wouldn’t like more patience and better insights?

Ellen Grace is a product management thought leader who brings a unique combination of analysis and creativity to business and product strategy, market and customer insight, product-delivery process design, and aligning cross-functional teams. Her client list includes Adobe, Canesta/Microsoft, Intuit, Kyrio/CableLabs, Plantronics, VMware, among others

• "Technology does not equal product. Every product is a business, and the customer is at the center of that business."
• Studying Architecture and Urban Planning at MIT nurtured her intellectual curiosity, analytic skills, and love of how technology can contribute to people’s lives.

Gayle Bode

Finance Manager/Accountant

Right brain/left brain is a pretty fluid concept for Gayle. She paints landscapes and flowers — sometimes onto vases! Her artistic pursuits are as right brain as accounting is left brain. But Gayle also creates clothing from her own designs and patterns. She finds a lot of crossover between pattern making and accounting — both are a process of inventively assembling smaller pieces into a coherent and more useful whole.

Gayle began her career working for global CPA firms like Hood and Strong, and Grant Thornton. As a consultant, she provides accounting, bookkeeping, and operations management services for businesses in a wide variety of industries. Her specialty is integrating industry-specific operations and client tracking systems with the business accounting application.

• Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor and teaches classes on recordkeeping and internal accounting for The Women’s Initiative
• Studied accounting and business management at Golden Gate University

Helen Flynn

Consultant

Passion, teamwork, and the ability to excel under any condition make Helen both a great sailor and marketer. On dry land, Helen is a results-oriented executive marketing professional with proven creative, leadership, and management skills. She has a broad range of marketing experience, with specific strengths in go-to-market, events, demand generation, content development and management, project management, and brand and field marketing. Helen has a consistent track record delivering revenue-driving marketing programs and campaigns.

• Strong team manager; works equally well with senior executive and executing teams
• Recent clients include HP and VMware; past employers include Apple, Sun Microsystems, and other high tech companies
• Graduate of San Francisco State University; also attended the University of Vermont

Jean Shimoguchi

Consultant

Jean has two travel goals. First, visit all 50 U.S. states (43 down, seven to go). Second, visit every continent (heads up Australia and Antarctica). Travel has taught her a lot about people (and giraffes). Turns out, not everybody thinks like the denizens of Silicon Valley! Jean has 25 years and counting of high-tech marketing and communications experience. Her results-oriented approach to project management has yielded a proven record of meeting deadlines and budgetary requirements. Jean is extremely skilled at creating new processes, strengthening existing ones, and clarifying roles and responsibilities to improve efficiency.

• Strong marketing, strategy creation, problem solving, leadership and collaboration skills
• Successfully works with C-level executives, sales teams, marketing, communications personnel, and customers to deliver targeted programs and assets
• Communication skills – including writing, editing, strategy development, program management and execution – praised by global, field, and corporate-level business units alike

Judith McGill

Consultant

Like so many Coloradoans, Judith is outdoorsy. In fact, she’s summited two 14’ers (Colorado-speak for a mountain at or above 14,000 feet elevation). The greater the struggle, the sweeter the achievement. That same relentlessness leads clients to put her in charge of addressing their most difficult business situations. They know she’ll find a positive path forward.

If you’re looking for a marketing strategy and implementation resource to maintain the status quo, you don’t need Judith. She specializes in situations where companies are at a crossroads, such as facing declining sales, introducing new products, or developing new partnerships. Working with clients like Apple, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Microsoft, she has consistently demonstrated her ability to capture deep customer knowledge and assess potential markets.

• Specialties: End-to-end marketing strategy and implementation; partner management
• B.A in Journalism and Mass Communications from Marquette University and a Dale Carnegie Institute Graduate with Highest Honor

Jill Dunkin

Consultant

Zumba is more than just a great workout. Zumba enthusiasts report improved focus, productivity, and creativity. Just imagine what teaching Zumba five times a week is doing for Jill! She brings that energy to her consulting work as a cross-organizational project, people, and team manager, effectively overseeing people dynamics, deliverables, and deadlines. Her 25-plus years of marketing and communications experience include a broad spectrum of projects within Hewlett-Packard and non-profits. Jill skillfully engages with a variety of stakeholders in her programs, including executives, customers, direct sales and channels, IT and engineering, product and service marketing, customer support, market research, human resources, and outside vendors.

• Partner at DunkinWorks, a consulting company assisting high tech, public sector, and non-profit organizations
• B.S. in marketing (with a minor in advertising) from San Jose State University

John Boutelle

Writer

John has pedaled his bike across 35 states (and counting). What does this have to do with the quality of his writing? It means he has perspective. He sees the big picture and the details. He combines incredible persistence with a playful sense of humor. He has great stories and knows how to tell them. And he can tell your story—whether you need to explain the business value of an engineering innovation or the potential of a breakthrough business concept. Just as he has for more than a hundred high-tech companies and start-ups over the past 25 years, including Apple, Cisco, HP, IBM, Intuit, Oracle, Sony, VMware, and Wind River. Next up on John’s biking list: New Mexico, Utah, and (gulp) Alaska.

• Uniquely capable of translating technical jargon into an engaging narrative
• Exceptional writing skills and a deep understanding of business and technology, with a B.A. from Pomona College (English major) and an MBA from the University of Michigan
• Early career experience in advertising, public relations, and journalism

Julie Krolczyk

Logistics and Event Manager

Clearing the mechanism is how Julie describes her time outdoors. Be it bike rides and hikes on the trails near her home or weekending in places like Lake Tahoe and Yosemite. Getting lost in Northern California’s beauty for an hour or so every morning, away from emails and phone calls, helps her recharge creatively and prioritize the demands of the coming day.

Julie manages events that range from an intimate customer advisory board of 25 people to a user conference of 10,000+. Her high-touch, customer-focused approach helps her successfully coordinate everything from budgets and contract to associated vendors and customized program needs.

• Recent clients include Hewlett Packard Enterprise, VMware, and Autodesk
• B.S. in Hospitality Management from the University of Central Florida

Kathy Weiner

Consultant

Bravissimo! A passion for history and her Italian heritage fuels Kathy’s travel adventures and inspires her photography and cooking. As a creative and versatile consultant, she is also passionate about understanding the customer and partner mindset to drive transformative strategies and programs that grow business in new ways. Kathy leads and collaborates to achieve business objectives through a unique mix of strategic thinking, business acumen, relationship management, and consultative sales leadership. She has coached numerous teams to think bigger and act more strategically while guiding them to a future state that makes them more successful.

• Clients and employers include Cisco, EMC, HP, IBM, Microsoft, and VMware, among many others
• Experience in the enterprise and service provider segments across sales, marketing and strategic partnerships in the systems, cloud, data center and networking industries
• Bachelor of Arts, California State University, Long Beach; Alliance Management Certification, Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals; Program, Project and Portfolio Management Workshops (IPS basis for Stanford program)

Katherine Van Diepen

Executive Demand Generation Consultant

Trying to find Katherine? Don’t look in her comfort zone — she’s not there. This daring surfer and all-around outdoors enthusiast thrives on pushing herself. The same is true in her consulting practice. Katherine is always learning; she reads research reports for fun! It helps her identify missing marketing elements standing in the way of a client’s business growth.

Katherine is an expert in B2B and B2C technology marketing with a strong track record of leading demand generation and marketing operations engagements. Katherine’s wide-ranging communications expertise includes martech planning, partner marketing, product positioning, brand management, analyst relations, social media, and collateral development.

• Strategic Marketing Management Certificate Program and Digital Marketing Certificate from Stanford University
• Certified project manager (CPM) excellent at managing cross-functional teams
• M.B.A. from Saint Mary's College of California and a B.S. in communications from San Jose State University

Melissa Chavis

Consultant

There’s a wonderful freedom in Melissa’s pictures. A frequent traveler, she uses photography to dive deeper into the moment, organically capturing life as it happens without judgment or categorization. It’s a perfect counterbalance to the highly organized and detail-oriented aspects of her personality that serve her so well in consulting and managing strategic relationships.

Melissa has over 20 years of marketing experience in partner and strategic alliance programs; product and service launches; event coordination; market research and analysis; public relations; and outbound communications (including social media content, video, and website production). Clients including Cisco, Sybase, and VMware appreciate her direct and collaborative workstyle, commenting frequently about her ability to work cross-functionally and build effective relationships.

• Expertise in developing best practices, analyzing budgets, negotiating contracts, and providing a consistently high level of customer service
• Proven track record of delivering even the most challenging events on budget

Peter Haapaniemi

Writer

Peter’s work experience includes editing magazine articles, peddling around San Francisco as a bicycle messenger, and passing out flyers in a gorilla suit—some of which has to do with communications, and some not so much. Nevertheless, he has somehow acquired more than 20 years of experience as a business writer and editor. Peter has worked with global companies as well as smaller firms, and written on such topics as technology, leadership, energy, management, intellectual property, and legal issues in business, to name just a few.

Peter’s experience encompasses everything from feature articles to case studies, brochures, speeches, web copy and books—and, once, helping a Fortune 500 CEO polish his résumé. He often writes for an executive-level audience and has helped numerous consulting, technology, and law firms highlight their expertise and thought leadership. Peter’s work has appeared in a variety of publications and outlets.

• Former editorial director at a B2B custom publishing company
• Comfortable covering complex subjects and clarifying them for business audiences
• Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan

Lindsey Pooley

Consultant

Nobody can accuse Lindsey of being a casual Aggie football fan. She knows the players, recruiting prospects, and stats inside and out. That same appetite for information plays an important role in her marketing consulting. Lindsey likes to learn as much as possible about her clients and their products—and constantly takes the customer’s perspective. She strongly believes that the more she knows, the better she can communicate value to customers. With strengths in product marketing, brand management, messaging, advertising, and marketing strategy, Lindsey enjoys working with cross-functional teams to build and manage results-oriented marketing programs and assets.

• Helped develop a successful infrastructure refresh campaign designed to enable the sales and channel partners for HP BladeSystem
• B.B.A and Masters in Marketing from Texas A&M University

Marty Cohen

Consultant

Coastal living is no longer a dream for the Cohens. These Bostonians moved to Maine a couple of years ago and are loving it: biking, hiking, snowshoeing, sea kayaking…sailing is up next. Marty’s adventurous spirit shows up in his work, too. He has a well-earned reputation for creativity and enjoys exploring new ideas and presenting them in fresh and compelling ways. Marty’s consulting specialties include marketing and sales strategy, content development, curriculum development, and project management. He is especially adept at developing marketing programs that deftly incorporate both traditional and new marketing platforms.

• Both the agency and the client-side experience
• Wide range of industry expertise, including technology, manufacturing, finance, healthcare, biotech, and broadcasting

Paula Pineda

Consultant

Paula has a passion for traveling, and not just because visiting close friends and family means a trip to Maui, London, or the Big Apple. She thrives on discovering each culture’s approaches to life, business, and marketing—and it’s made her a better communicator and consultant. Paula has a broad base of marketing experience, with particular strengths in partner marketing, communications, and content marketing. She’s also managed a variety of functional areas, including business development, sales, marketing, manufacturing, and R&D. So, clients quickly discover that, no matter what they throw at her, she can get it done. And Paula always takes a collaborative, team-oriented approach to consulting. She invests in productive relationships because it’s the best way to get meaningful results.

• Technology clients range from startups to enterprises and include HP, MobileIron, Qlik, SAP, and VMware
• Bachelor of Science, Computer Science from Santa Clara University

Russell Parker

Consultant

Aaaaaaand, action! As a film school alumnus, Russ’ videos capture life as it’s happening to his friends and family. He even helps clients make internal videos, from scripting through lighting, shooting, and editing. Russ has over 25 years of extensive marketing and marketing communications experience that includes strategy development, alliance and channel marketing, branding, and messaging. His forte is working effectively with highly dynamic and diverse teams. Before becoming a marketing consultant, Russ provided worldwide marketing and marketing communications program management for HP both in the product and services areas. That’s a wrap!

• Worked in a marketing and advertising capacities for several smaller firms, prior to working for HP
• President of ParkMark Marketing Consultancy
• B.A. in Advertising (with a minor in Marketing) from San Jose State University

Sandy Metz

Writer

Brace yourself for full-contact business writing. Sandy holds black belts in both Tae Kwon Do and Kenpo Ju Jitsu. Writing professionally and teaching martial arts to people across a variety of backgrounds have reinforced for her that no single collaboration or learning technique works best for everyone. And that experience helps her quickly relate to each client and move forward productively. Clients consistently remark on her ability to work comfortably with marketing and technical teams and to write for audiences ranging from CEOs to systems analysts. Her technology specialties are networking and storage, including extensive experience in virtualized environments. She’s also always eager to learn about different technologies and enjoys working with new clients.

• Client list: Brocade, Cisco, HP, IBM, VMware, and many others, including numerous startups
• Extensive experience writing white papers, case studies, articles, brochures, data sheets, solution overviews, web copy, messaging documents, and presentation scripts
• BS in technical writing from Carnegie Mellon University

Shaun F. Wilde

Consultant

As a long-time enthusiast and certified instructor, Shaun’s yoga practice helps her bring leadership, imagination, and transformative thinking to her consulting practice. As a creative problem solver, she quickly synthesizes and utilizes data to craft impactful customer strategies and is passionate about facilitating results-oriented global teams. Shaun cuts through ambiguity, champions strategic development, builds valuable partnerships, and inspires high-impact solutions. She has over 20 years of experience as a strategic marketing leader working with global organizations, including Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), Hewlett-Packard, Levi Strauss, the University of California, and VMware.

• MBA from the University of Oregon’s Lundquist School of Business with an emphasis in international business and marketing
• Certified Project Manager (PMP) and has served on the board of directors for several virtual and local communities
• Shaun has lived and worked extensively in Europe and is fluent in German and proficient in Spanish

Sherri Duarte

Consultant

Sherri is a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan. It’s no surprise she roots for a team that won three World Series titles in five years through rigorous teamwork, attention to detail, and never giving up. Clients have consistently observed these same traits during her engagements. Sherri draws on her combined agency and corporate marketing experience to bring a unique perspective to engagements, seeing them from both the strategic and process perspectives. Her enthusiasm and commitment drive a “whatever it takes to get the job done” attitude. With one exception – don’t ask her to cheer for the Dodgers.

• Thrives on combining her creative, strategic, and analytical capabilities to achieve project success
• Experience with diverse organizations and industry sectors, from start-ups to global brands like Hewlett-Packard and VMware
• B.A. in Speech Communications and Marketing from University of Central Arkansas

Simon Firth

Writer

A keen gardener when he’s not writing, Simon’s philosophy of content creation is all about nurturing stories into strong and vibrant life. Just as his garden contains everything from tiny flowers to a couple of massive oaks, Simon’s business writing has spanned product naming (storytelling in a single word) to co-authoring a book on childbirth support for expectant fathers. Most often, though, he’s working somewhere in the middle: on profiles, blog items, case studies, news features, white papers, and interviews.

Like the mockingbirds in his yard, Simon’s a quick study. He’ll always ‘get’ the story you are trying to tell, however complex, and then tell it back to your audience in clear, compelling copy. And like the California live oaks growing outside his office window, he’s totally reliable too!

• Clients from multinationals HP, Intel, and VMware to startups like Appcelerator, Moovweb, and Proteus Digital Health
• Writer for national magazines and newspapers on topics as diverse as travel, technology, parenting, and Scooby Doo
• BA in Philosophy from University College London, MA in Communications Policy Studies from the City University, London, MS in Television, Radio & Film from Syracuse University

Steve Stoll

CEO

Why fly when you can drive? For Steve, long road trips are an endless source of adventure and help fuel his creativity. It must be working. Clients love his compelling copy and easy-going nature. Steve has been with On The Mark since the beginning, writing brochures, data sheets, web copy, success stories and case studies, presentations, newsletters, video and multimedia scripts, articles, and sales guides. His clients include, Citrix, HP, Intel, Jamcracker, Microsoft, Oracle, VMware, and many others.

• 15-plus years of business writing experience
• Diverse work history, including Fortune 100 financial analyst, development negotiator, and commercial video producer
• M.B.A. from Carnegie-Mellon University and B.A. from the University of Cincinnati

Tracy Weatherby

Consultant

The love of learning and pure pleasure of reading are two sides of the same coin for Tracy. She judges a book by its ability to transport her to a new place or culture and whether it deepens her scientific or historical knowledge. That same love of learning is what Tracy enjoys about consulting. No two engagements are ever the same.

Over her 20+ years of marketing consulting, Tracy has earned a strong reputation for basing her strategic recommendations on a deep understanding of her client’s customers and competitive landscape. She helps companies build new businesses, target profitable markets, and evolve business models. Tracy’s approach is always collaborative, inclusive, and supportive.

• MBA from Stanford University and a BA in Government from Dartmouth University
• Pro bono work with the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University to environmental challenges through innovative business and impact models