Panelists
- JoAnne Auerbach
- Kjerstin Barley
- Janet Beach
- Susan Bloch
- Roger Brooks
- Cynthia Chiarappa
- Staci Daley
- Suzana Delli Santi
- Duncan Drechsel
- Jessica Driessler
- Deborah Frangquist
- Mitchell Friedman
- Susan Gluss
- Brent Green
- Paula Hendricks
- Paula (Penni) Hudis
- Ashley Inman
- Julianna Iosilevsky
- Kathy Knudsen
- Bobbie Lapporte
- Lawrence Lau
- Jeanne Lew
- Nancy Longo
- Laura Lyon
- Renee Lorda
- Kathy Mark
- Sara Murphy
- Tasha Newton
- Matt Poland
- Bill Pollack
- Jennifer Samreny
- Peggy Schaller
- Kathy Spes
- Tom Toy
- Melissa Wald
- Jud Walsh
- Jan Wilson
- Wendy Yu
JoAnne Auerbach
JoAnne Auerbach provides executive search and related consulting services for technology, healthcare/pharma/biotech, legal/financial services, and public sector employers and positions. She specializes in recruitment of corporate and product marketing, product management, sales, business development, professional services, attorneys, and human resources staff at executive, management or senior individual contributor levels. Founded in 1995, JG Auerbach & Associates also provides consulting on recruitment, organizational, and people issues. Prior experience includes Human Resources/Staffing leadership roles with Octel Communications; Renne Sloan Holtzman Sakai LLP; PacTel Spectrum Services; and the City & County of San Francisco. She has a BA degree from UC Berkeley.
Kjerstin Barley
Kjerstin Barley is currently Senior Vice President and Industry Leader for Technology & Business Services at GE Capital, bringing 20 years of technology-focused investment banking and operating expertise to the Forum. Kjerstin’s transaction experience includes debt and equity issuance, M&A advisory, and raising of private equity and venture capital. She holds a BA from the University of California at Berkeley and an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business.
Janet Beach
Janet Beach is Chairman (Executive Director) of the Job Forum and has volunteered with The Job Forum since 1981. Janet runs a marketing strategy-consulting firm focused on improving clients marketing and brand strategies. US Marketing Services consults in high technology, telecommunications, healthcare/biotech business, and consumer products. Janet Beach and her team at US Marketing Services develop marketing strategy, conduct market research, develop marketing implementation programs, and position and develop new products. Clients have included Wells Fargo, Symantec, Pathwork Diagnostics, Schwab, Ariba, UCSF Medical Center, and a wide range of start-up and new product companies.
Susan Bloch
Susan Bloch is a human resources executive who works with companies to shape their vision and create a culture that attracts, develops and retains key talent while increasing employee productivity. With 20 years of human resources experience in a variety of industries, Susan is a highly organized individual, skilled in problem solving, organizational effectiveness, employee relations, and management coaching and training. She is certified as a career coach with The Five O’clock Club.
Roger Brooks
Roger Brooks leads a marketing research team in the Media & Technology Vertical for comScore. Clients include Yahoo!, Google, and major digital agencies. Studies blend the attitudes captured from survey research with actual Internet behavior passively collected from comScore panelists. Roger has more then twenty years experience planning and managing market research.
Cynthia Chiarappa
Cynthia Chiarappa has over 20 years of communications and marketing experience. She is currently the Senior Director of Communications, Marketing and External Affairs at California Pacific Medical Center, where over the past eleven years she has developed the strategy for the Medical Center's communications and marketing efforts and currently oversees its implementation.
Staci Daley
Staci Daley is a Job Resource Consultant with Right Management, a Global Human Resources Consulting Firm. As a Job Resource Consultant she works with professionals going through career transition due to corporate strategic change and downsizing. She specializes in using web 2.0 resources and teaching others to implement those tools in their career search, as well as creating and maintaining relationships with talent acquisition teams in the HighTech, BioTech, CleanTech, and Financial Services industries of San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Staci's industry experience spans the restaurant, retail and non-profit sectors
Suzana (Sue) Delli Santi
Suzana (Sue) Delli Santi is a Sr. Corporate Recruiter, for McKesson Corporation. Prior to joining McKesson, Sue worked at Barclays Global Investors from February 2005 as a Graduate Recruiter, responsible for growing the US Campus initiative. She was instrumental in developing a pipeline of talent for PhD, Quant Masters, and MBA candidates. Before relocating to the west coast, Sue worked at AIG within campus recruiting for 7 years; she held various roles with increasing responsibility, and helped develop a number of the key programs.
Duncan Drechsel
Duncan is the Director of Customer Engagement in the Marketing group at Walmart.com. Duncan Drechsel’s background includes expertise in general management, direct marketing, and strategic planning. Duncan has previously held Marketing Director positions at a variety of firms including The Coaches Training Institute, a VOIP-voice over IP Company and Domino's Pizza. His background also includes roles at Pacific Telesis (now AT&T) and launching BabyCenter.com a division of Johnson & Johnson.
Jessica Driessler
Jessica Driessler is an employment specialist at UCSF Medical Center consistently ranked one of the top 10 hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, which celebrated its centennial last year. She is responsible for the full cycle recruitment and on boarding for medical center employees. She also partners with community outreach programs focused on employment, is a Diversity Council member, and an Assistant Coach for the School At Work Program. Prior to this position, Jessica’s experience was primarily in the interior design industry, sales, business development, operations, and project management. She is active in the community through her affiliation with the Filipina Women’s Network and other organizations.
Deborah Gavrin Frangquist
Deborah Frangquist is a San Francisco coaching consultant who catalyzes the ability to thrive in the emerging sustainable economy. Her approach combines NLP-based change work, systemic constellations, and Reiki and other energy modalities with deep knowledge of the world of work. She has advised people through several boom and bust cycles and is known for her savvy in fostering success and fulfillment in any economy.
Mitchell Friedman
Mitchell Friedman serves as Director of MBA Career Services at the University of San Francisco, where he relishes opportunities to connect graduate students with internships and jobs at San Francisco Bay Area companies. He teaches public relations and communications courses at the school, and is known for creating dynamic classroom experiences that meld theoretical and "real world" applications. Mitchell is a communications skills trainer, coach, and consultant. His creativity has fueled comprehensive public relations efforts in numerous industry sectors. Mitchell is working on an EdD in Organization and Leadership at the University of San Francisco. He is an Accredited member of the public relations profession (APR), and earned an M.A. in Modern European History from Stanford University and a B.A. in History from Brandeis University.
Susan Gluss
Susan Gluss is an expert communications professional. Her background includes work as an award-winning TV reporter and producer, spokesperson, writer and media consultant. Susan is now the Director of Media Relations Program at The Boalt Law School of the University of California, Berkeley. Susan has worked for global companies, nonprofits—and on her own as an independent consultant.
Brent Green
Brent Green has 20 years of experience in change leadership and corporate training. He is also an organizational psychologist and an Executive Coach.
Paula Hendricks
Paula Hendricks is the creative force behind Cinnabar Bridge, which specializes in books and author services. As an author, writer, photographer, book designer, book producer, book coach, and independent publisher, Paula helps others produce or publish their books. Her great love of books and the written word along with her strong marketing background give her a valuable perspective on the business of producing and publishing books. www.cinnabarbridge.com.
Paula (Penni) Hudis
Penni Hudis is Director for Curriculum and Professional Development at ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Career in Berkeley. ConnectEd is a non-profit funded by the James Irvine Foundation. The organization is working to expand students' opportunities for success in college and career through new high school curricula that blend college preparatory academics and career-focused technical study. Penni is also a Visiting Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. Before joining ConnectEd she was an education researcher at MPR Associates, Inc, a human resources manager with Bank of America, and an EEO and Affirmative Action Manager at the Bechtel Corporation.
Ashley Inman
Ashley Inman is a Recruitment & Workforce Planning Consultant at UCSF, the second largest employer in San Francisco. She has a wealth of experience recruiting for public and private sectors, career counseling, resume writing, and teaching networking and interview classes. Her background also includes coaching best practices in diversity and social media, community outreach, and counseling on staffing policy, procedure and practice.
Julianna Iosilevsky
Julianna Iosilevsky is a Market Research professional with more than 10 years of experience. She graduated from UC Berkeley, and has held research positions at Banc of America Securities, Focus Inc., Wells Fargo, and Gap Inc. Her current role at Gap Inc. includes conducting primary research for the company’s websites (Gap.com, Old#070044.com, BananaRepublic.com, and Piperlime.com), both qualitative and quantitative.
Kathy Knudson
Kathy Knudson has extensive career counseling/coaching experience with private clients and in both government agencies and private industry. She is a Vocational Assessor with the City & County of San Francisco. She is also a principal in the Career & Personal Development Institute. She understands the career transition process from a personal perspective, having worked in aviation for 20+ years before returning to school for graduate training and her own career transition to the government sector.
Roberta (Bobbie) Laporte
Bobbie LaPorte is a Financial Advisor in Morgan Stanley’s Global Wealth Management Group. Previously she was President of RAL and Associates, a career and leadership consulting firm. She is a certified career coach, and a frequent speaker and author on the connection between physical fitness and career success. Bobbie has a BA from University of Massachusetts and an MBA from Harvard. Bobbie is the Past President of the SF American Marketing Association.
Lawrence Lau
Lawrence Lau is currently one of the liaisons between academic research at UC Berkeley and companies in the information technology and engineering fields. His main role involves negotiating terms and conditions and intellectual property rights between research-sponsoring companies and UC Berkeley. His previous roles were in technology licensing and hardware engineer at a computer graphics solutions company. Lawrence had experience recruiting and hiring new graduates and intern/co-op students in computer sciences, engineering, and business disciplines.
Jeanne Lew
Jeanne has a consulting firm, JBL Consulting. Her consulting work is in marketing, where she provides strategic thinking combined with knack for spotting trends and bringing relevant products to market. Her clients are typically firms in financial services, consumer goods and technology, and nonprofits and grassroots entrepreneurs. She also has had a part-time position with the Haas School of Business as Asst Director Career Services for Haas’ Berkeley-Columbia Executive MBA and Evening/Weekend MBA programs. She provides career advice and coaching services to program participants and Haas alumni as they experience career program, career transition and professional growth. It is this experience with career coaching that led Jeanne to explore becoming a Job Forum panelist, as she’d like to experience and understand how to bring her expertise to a wide-range of those who need such assistance. Prior to starting her own consulting business, Jeanne was Director, Customer Loyalty & Lifecycle Management for Virgin Mobile; Sr. Product Manager, eBusiness products, NorthPoint Communications; Director & Product Manager, Home Equity Products, Wells Fargo Bank; Product Manager, Strategic Products, Providian Financial Corp; Asst Brand Mgr/Marketing Strategist, Axiom Information Consulting; and Sr. Research Analyst/Product Marketing, Quaker Oats Company – And all of this since 1990! Jeanne has an MBA in Marketing from Anderson School of Business (UCLA) and a BS in Economics from UC Riverside.
Nancy Longo
Nancy Longo, has an established track record in television and business. She began her television career over 20 years ago in Los Angeles, CA, and spans from coast to coast. She has met and interviewed newsmakers in politics and business, including Vice President Al Gore's wife Tipper, top chefs, heads of industry, and more. She has experience in hosting business shows and reporting on related topics. As a business owner for over seven years, Nancy has recruited, trained, and mentored employees. She knows the challenges in getting a job, from crafting a resume, online job boards, the challenges of submitting resumes and connecting online, the interview process, and much more. And most of all, she is known for her down to earth personality, dedication, and passion for excellence while connecting with people as a friend.
Renee Lorda
Renee Lorda organizes and manages events for judges in the Ninth Circuit. These include circuit-wide conference and education programs for judges in the Ninth Circuit, the largest federal circuit court in the United States, including nine western states, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in the South Pacific. Renee has extensive experience in marketing professional services and the administration of education programs. Her areas of expertise include: marketing communications, executive seminar development, program development, and community relations.
Laura Lyon
Laura Lyon is an executive recruiter with more than 20 years experience finding exceptional talent for her high tech clients. Laura networks and collaborates with all levels of professionals from large publicly held companies to small venture backed startups. Laura founded Ashlin Associates in 2000 which provides a multitude of recruiting services, including retained executive search, contingency search, and hourly contract recruiting, both on site and virtual. Laura is a highly motivated, results oriented professional with strong business development, career coaching, and project management skills. She received her B.A. from San Francisco State University.
Kathy Mark
Kathy Mark is an Information Technology (IT) professional with over 25 years experience creating automated solutions in private and public sectors within financial, retail and the transportation industries. Kathy is a certified Project Management Professional. Kathy is a Project Director for City and County of San Francisco at the Airport Commission in deploying enterprise-wide property management and billing systems, a Project Management Office (PMO) and a suite of business portfolio training programs. Kathy is a Senior IT Manager with 12 years experience directing complex Federal Reserve Enterprise Projects and National Y2K Program Office, and an expert in producing measurable business value on time and within budget by translating requirements into automated solutions to enhance operations. Kathy’s core competencies include: Technology Strategic and Tactical Planning, National Client and Vendor Relationship Management, Organizational Leadership, Standards and Information Security Governance and Program Development.
Sara Murphy
Sara Murphy is the Director of WorkLink, a San Francisco-based employment service for professionals with disabilities. Sara has been teaching job search strategies and providing career counseling services for more than 20 years. Through her work with Bay Area job seekers and employers, she has developed a solid understanding of the local labor market and human resource needs in various business and industrial sectors. In addition, Sara has worked on a number of federal and state initiatives to improve school-to-work and employment services for at-risk youth and individuals with disabilities. She is familiar with school/academic hiring requirements, state agencies and numerous non-profit service organizations.
Tasha Newton
Tasha Newton is a Marketing Manager at Hanson Bridgett LLP, a well-known law firm in the Bay Area., headquartered in San Francisco She was previously a Marketing Communications Manager at Stratify , a technology company in advanced electronic discovery services for the legal market,; and a Business Analyst at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the premier law firm in Silicon Valley. Tasha has an MBA in Marketing from the University of San Diego.
Matthew Poland
Matthew has been providing career counseling and job placement services in San Francisco for over 7 years, specializing in assisting persons with disabilities. Matt has provided training to other employment service professionals through the JVS BEST Pro program, assists on workforce development projects and regularly makes presentations to groups from 10-100 about job accommodations, job search and community services. In addition, he serves on various committees and boards dedicated to helping job seekers and has been a part of the Job Forum since June 2008.
Bill Pollack
Bill brings 28 years of successful business experience to his role as a Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. Prior to beginning his career in investment management and financial planning three years ago, he worked in the enterprise software industry for 25 years in both general management and sales management positions, serving as Vice President and General Manager of a $100 million business unit at PeopleSoft and as Executive Vice President of Worldwide Field Operations at Tumbleweed Communications (TMWD) prior to its acquisition by Axway. Three years ago, he decided to pursue a career path as a financial advisor after having felt underserved as a client of various investment firms over the past 20 years. One of the focus areas of his practice includes working with clients who are in career transition. Bill has a BA degree in Economics from UC Davis and has completed a variety of Personal Financial Planning classes at UC Berkeley in Investment Management, Employee Benefits and Retirement Planning, Risk Management and Insurance, Estate Planning, and Tax Planning.
Jennifer Samreny
Jennifer Samreny began her talent acquisition career as a retail recruiter with the boutique staffing firm Executive Recruiters, where she realized her passion for finding and attracting the “right” candidate to the “right” job. Several years later, Jennifer expanded her talent acquisition focus into the healthcare arena with a staff augmentation position at California’s second largest employer, Kaiser Permanente. Jennifer’s recruiting efforts influenced the early foundations of what would ultimately help Kaiser Permanente become the Employer of Choice in the Bay Area, and supported the company's growth, both locally and nationally. Recent engagements for Jennifer have included work with Recruitment Process Outsourcing firm, Monument Consulting, and most recently, technical recruitment with consumer answer site, Just Answer. She is excited to have the opportunity to share her experiences and expertise in talent acquisition with you, in the hopes that her knowledge can support your search for the “right” role in this extremely challenging market.
Peggy Schaller
Peggy Schaller is passionate about helping people to find their perfect career, whether it be a job or starting a new business! She provides training, coaching, Web 2.0 tools and resources to help her clients stay current in their career search. She has been affiliated with various Internet marketing companies, learning the intricacies of online sales and marketing, and mentors other entrepreneurs.
Peggy has worked in the training and consulting fields for most of her career, as a teacher and trainer, and as a business woman and executive. Her responsibilities as Vice President of Programs and Business Development for Lifeprint/Alumnae Resources, a career training and coaching firm, and for ASPECT and World Learning, two leading, international education companies sealed her interest in the business side of education and learning: she managed the overall operations, growth and profitability of their multiple training centers.
She has a MA in Education, is a graduate of Coach U., and is certified in MBTI, NLP, DISC and other professional and personal development programs.
Kathy Spes
Kathy Spes has 20+ years experience as a Human Resources leader in the financial services and and legal environments. She has demonstrated success collaborating with leadership to develop and implement cost-effective human resources solutions that achieve immediate and long-term business objectives. Kathy’s areas of expertise include: Employee Relations, Change Management, Talent Acquisition, Planning and Retention, Organizational Design and Development, Leadership Development and Coaching, Compliance and Regulatory Reporting, Performance Management, Human Resources Information Systems, Benefits, Compensation and Total Rewards, HR Policy and Procedures Development, Federal, State and Local Employment Law, and Mergers and Acquisitions.
Tom Toy
Tom Toy has more than twenty-years experience as a venture capitalist, currently serving as Managing Director and co-founder of Pac Rim Venture Partners, a venture capital firm based in Menlo Park. He is also a Partner with Smart Forest Ventures, a venture capital firm based in Portland, OR. Tom serves on the Boards of Directors of UTStarcom (Nasdaq: UTSI), White Electronic Designs (Nasdaq: WEDC), Solarfun Power Holdings (Nasdaq: SOLF) and several private companies. Tom has taught the New Venture Finance course at San Francisco State University MBA School; he is on the Business Advisory Board of the Myelin Repair Foundation, which funds research on therapies for Multiple Sclerosis. Tom holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Management (MBA) degrees from Northwestern University.
Melissa Wald
Melissa Wald is currently Sr. HR Manager with Microsoft. She has worked within the Human Resources industry for the past 13+ years, partnering with companies such as: T-Mobile, Oracle and Quantum. Previously she has been an HR Consultant with multiple start-up companies throughout the SF Bay Area. She has a BA in Psychology from Whittier College and an MA in Psychology from University of SF, with Emphasis on Life and Career Transitions.
Jud Walsh
Jud Walsh is the Director of Business Development for the San Francisco Business Times. He has been with the publication for two years and is considered to be the face of the Business Times when out and about at the dozens of events he attends every month. Specific to those in job transition, Jud delivers a presentation to a many organizations throughout the Bay Area including Robert Half International, Lee Hecht Harrison and other staffing and outplacement firms. On a monthly basis Jud also presents to groups of job candidates at Right Management.
Jan Wilson
An HR Consultant with 30+ years’ experience, Jan Wilson has extensive knowledge of all aspects of Human Resources strategy and management. Jan holds the SPHR-CA (Sr. Professional in domestic HR, and a CA specialty) and GPHR (Global Professional in HR) and has served in leadership positions in the HR field. She has significant experience in counseling and training of employees and executives and is an adjunct professor of graduate HR at Golden Gate University. Jan is also the Founder and President of Vital Assets, an entrepreneurial CRM software sales and consulting business.
Wendy Yu
After 20 years of business experience, Wendy Yu has gone back to school and is studying healthcare and majoring in Health Information Technology. Her prior business experience has been primarily in retail sales (Home Depot) and the restaurant sector. She also has an abiding interest in the green economy. She has volunteer experience with HICAP which counsels Medicare beneficiaries and educates retirees. Wendy has recently been participating with Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors in San Francisco at Pier 40. This is an organization whose executive Director is himself blind and the organization offers participation and enjoyment for disabled and able bodied volunteers who want to learn sailing. Wendy’s focus for the Job Forum is on collecting and communicating networking and career resources to help job seekers (organizations, events, websites, associations).