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May 17, 2012
Catherine Mathis
SVP, Marketing & Communications
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services
Catherine J. Mathis was named senior vice president, marketing and communications for Standard & Poor’s in September 2009. Her responsibilities include creating and executing communications strategy, developing and communicating key messages on behalf of the entire S&P’s franchise, developing and implementing an employee communications program, internal and external crisis management, brand stewardship and implementing a consistent global marketing program across the franchise. She is a member of the Company’s senior management team and serves as S&P’s primary spokesperson.
Previously, Ms. Mathis had been senior vice president, corporate communications for The New York Times Company since December 2007 with responsibility for media relations, investor relations, employee communications, speechwriting, corporate awards and issues management.
Before that, she had been vice president, corporate communications for The New York Times Company since April 2000. Ms. Mathis joined The New York Times Company in February 1997 as director of investor relations. In December 1997, the Association for Investment Management and Research awarded The New York Times Company the “Most Improved Investor Relations Program” designation in the publishing industry. In 2002 The New York Times received an honorable mention for “Best Senior Management Communications” from Investor Relations Magazine, based on an independent in-depth survey of portfolio managers and buy-side and sell-side analysts.
Also in 2002 the YWCA of New York City selected Ms. Mathis as one of its Women Achievers. In 2006 Ms. Mathis was named Communicator of the Year by the New York chapter of International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). The award is the chapter's highest award, recognizing integrity and excellence in everyday communications or in response to specific crises or challenges.
From 1992 to 1997, Ms. Mathis was vice president of corporate relations at the Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. where she was responsible for investor relations, media relations, public relations, employee communications and event planning. Previously she held various management positions at International Paper Company.
Ms. Mathis graduated with a B.S. degree in business administration and an M.B.A. degree in marketing and management information systems from the University of Minnesota.
Ms. Mathis has served on the Board of the National Investor Relations Institute, The Better Business Bureau of Metropolitan New York and the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms. She is a past president of the Investor Relations Association and of the National Investor Relations Institute’s New York chapter. She is a member of The Wisemen, the Arthur W. Page Society and the Public Relations Society of America.
Nancy Weber
Executive Vice President/Chief Marketing Officer
Meredith Publishing Group
Nancy Weber is Executive Vice President/Chief Marketing Officer for the Meredith Publishing Group. Weber, one of the publishing industry’s leading marketing executives, develops Meredith’s initiatives designed to expand the company’s brands across media and special event platforms. In addition, she was instrumental in launching Meredith 360°, the company’s recently created business marketing unit designed to give clients total solutions to their marketing objectives by using the broad portfolio and platforms of Meredith’s print, broadcast, internet and event products and services.
She also has responsibility for the internal Meredith marketing groups within the company. She works with these groups to ensure that they are fully leveraging the company’s strength in creating unique programs for the 75 million women decision makers that Meredith reaches in the marketplace. Her responsibilities also include oversight for Meredith’s research department, the Family Circle Tennis Cup, the corporate creative services department and experiential marketing.
Prior to joining Meredith, Weber served as the senior vice president, Marketing and Business Development for The Golf Digest Companies where she was responsible for Research and Corporate Marketing, Events and Sports Marketing, Corporate Creative Services & Custom Publishing, and Business Development. In this role, Weber negotiated partnership agreements with the PGA Tour, PGA of America, The Golf Channel and Business Week. She also developed licensing and credit card affinity programs, retail and internet partnerships, books, and television programming.
Her professional background and experience also includes serving as the vice president, Marketing and Promotion for the New York Times Company Magazine Group where she oversaw marketing and promotions for Golf Digest, Golf World, Tennis, Snow Country, Cruising World, and Sailing World magazines and other ancillary products.
Weber has also held positions as the marketing director of The Newspaper Association of America, and as senior vice president, Marketing and Sales Development for McCalls magazine where she was responsible for all marketing components of the McCalls LPGA Classic. She also held marketing and promotion positions with Family Circle and House & Garden magazines.
Weber earned a bachelor of science from the University of Colorado Journalism School and currently resides in New York City.
Linda Kaplan Thaler
CEO & Chief Creative Officer
The Kaplan Thaler Group
Linda Kaplan Thaler has been responsible for some of the most touching, relevant and famous advertising campaigns during her 25+ years in the advertising and entertainment business. She is acclaimed within the industry for her innovative and topical approach.
Much of her work is now part of the American pop culture landscape. She has authored and composed campaign jingles that are among the industry’s gold standard. Some examples are: “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up, I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us Kid” (Toys ‘R’ Us); “Kodak Moments” (Eastman Kodak) and “The Heart of Communication” (Bell Atlantic). Of her 13 Clio Awards, two were for Best Original Music and Lyrics.
Today, Linda is the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Creative Officer of The Kaplan Thaler Group, which she founded in 1997. Now a billion-dollar advertising and entertainment company, KTG is consistently ranked by industry publications as one of the fastest-growing agencies in the United States, touted for its breakthrough creative and immediate results. KTG’s blue-chip client roster includes Procter & Gamble (Dawn, Swiffer and other brands), AFLAC, Continental Airlines, Champion, Kodak, Kraft Foods, Lunesta, Pfizer, Trojan and US Bank.
Linda and her agency are responsible for some of the most memorable advertising in America. The hilarious quacking AFLAC Duck campaign is just one of the agency’s cherished accomplishments.
Prior to starting The Kaplan Thaler Group, Linda was Executive Vice President, Executive Creative Director at Wells Rich Greene BDDP where she led the creative team that won the Heineken business with the edgy “True Conversations” campaign. Linda was Senior Vice President, Group Creative Director at J. Walter Thompson where she spent 17 years. In this position, she ran major accounts like Burger King, Kodak, Northwest Airlines, Pepsi and Clairol.
A native New Yorker, Linda was a Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude graduate of CCNY, with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in music. Married to composer Fred Thaler, Linda’s personal pride is their two children. Their beautiful daughter, Emily, is thirteen and their sixteen-year-old son, Michael, is a three-time National Elementary School U.S. Chess Champion.
Erin Matts
Chief Digital Marketing Officer
Glam Media
Erin Matts is Chief Digital Marketing Office and Senior Vice President at Glam Media. Previously, Erin was Global Director, Digital Connections at Anheuser-Busch InBev. Prior to that, Erin was the Chief Digital Officer at OMD US, leading the integrated digital practice in the largest media agency in the US. In this role, she was responsible for a strategic, 30,000 foot view of client businesses while at times getting her hands dirty in new initiatives, problem solving and negotiation of large scale partnerships.
A 12-year veteran of the agency world, Erin worked for integrated agencies, digital-only shops, media only behemoths and of course the requisite startup. She was a core team member for the original Effie and Cannes Gold Lion-winning Crash the Super Bowl program for Doritos, a landmark program ushering in a new reality for brands wishing to more closely interact with consumers. Under her leadership, the digital practice at OMD won an OMMA Digital Agency of the Year Award, grew the digital analytics group from 3 to 25 analysts, and was a driving force for the success of the integrated OMD winning Ad Age’s Agency of the Year in 2008 and 2009.
An active digital marketing community member, she’s a past board member of 212, a current member of AWNY and a regular panel speaker at ad:Tech, OMMA, and other conferences. She’s looking to beat her personal best NYC marathon time as well her high score Left 4 Dead 2 on Xbox, and finally complete the sweater she’s been knitting for 5 months. She loves talking about herself in the third person. But she’s most excited about joining the board of NYWICI!
Leslie Hunt
Director, Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center & The Media Program
Columbia Business School
Until recently, Leslie Hunt managed the Career Development Program at the Center for Arts Education where she developed relationships with top industry players in media, fashion, advertising, design, theatre, fine art, literature, music and dance to support internships and work based learning activities for New York City public high school students. She served as a Career Development advisor on the writing committee for the Department of Education's Blueprint for Arts Education in Theatre and Dance. Additionally, Leslie has her own career consultancy where she provides strategic direction and support for individual artists, performers and communication specialists.
Leslie began her career as a professional performer. In addition to a performance career that took her around the world, Leslie was also a national spokesperson for Toyota and the founding producer of Risk Ensemble. She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan. Since joining New York Women in Communications in 2003, Leslie has served on the Career Development and Membership committees as well as co-chairing the Programming Committee.
Mayra Reyes
Associate Director of Administration
Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center & The Media Program
Columbia Business School
Mayra Reyes is the Associate Director of Administration for The Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center and The Media Program at Columbia Business School. Her dual role at Columbia University focuses on communications and administration of various programs, including the School’s advising and mentoring programs for student entrepreneurs.
She is a frequent blogger on the benefits of mentoring on the JoyCompass.com website, a community site for people who want to be joyful and fulfilled at any age and is the process of publishing a book on the benefits of mentoring.
Mayra holds a BA from Emmanuel College and an MS from Columbia University.
Nancy Megan
Promotion Management
Nancy comes from the worlds of advertising and magazine publishing, including a number of advertising agencies and 27 years at Time Inc. For TIME and Sports Illustrated she served in various executive promotion and public affairs roles, in which she directed advertising promotion, special events, the famous TIME international news tours for advertisers, industry conferences and corporate involvement in the arts. She was President, and then served professionally for two years as Executive Director, for Advertising Women of New York (AWNY) before going on her own.
A graduate of Wellesley College with a BA in Music, she has sat on the board of the American Advertising Federation (AAF), the American Symphony Orchestra, and The Dwelling Place, a women’s shelter in New York. Along with industry work, Nancy does occasional free-lance promotion projects under banner, Promotion Management. For NYWICI, of which she’s been a member since 1986, she has periodically been on the board as VP Finance since 1992 and has directed development for the Matrix Awards luncheons since 1996. She helped establish the NYWICI Foundation in 2000, and served as its VP Finance for its first 10 years. She is a New York City resident but also spends time, and works from, a family home in her home state of Oregon.
Stacy Green
Communications Director
Mashable
Stacy Green is Communications Director for Mashable where she oversees public relations and marketing, working with the business development, events, sales and advertising teams on improving outreach efforts, strategic marketing and internal and external communications. Stacy joined Mashable from The New York Times where she was manager of digital partnerships and social media marketing, and prior to that public relations manager for NYTimes.com. Stacy received her B.S. in Mass Communication from Towson University. She is originally from Maryland and resides in New York City.
imc@nywici.org
Tricia Kenney
Managing Director, Corporate Communications
Kaplan Thaler Group
At the Kaplan Thaler Group since: 2001
What I do: I help make our clients and the Kaplan Thaler Group famous. And not just for 15 minutes either. My team and I get people talking about our clients’ products and services by securing millions of dollars worth of free media coverage and making them part of the pop-culture, social media landscape.
What I did: I started my career working part-time at N.W. Ayer as a 17 year-old high school student who needed (okay, wanted) a little black dress from Bloomingdales. After earning two college degrees and many black tie events later (that dress really did come in handy), I became President of Ayer Public Relations working with blue-chip clients on a global basis. Prior to joining the Kaplan Thaler Group, I was Executive Vice President, Director of Corporate and Public Affairs for the MacManus Group, former holding company for Ayer and Kaplan Thaler.
What I know for sure: There is never a wrong time to do the right thing. Passion and enthusiasm will get you everywhere. Sometimes it’s better to ask for forgiveness not permission to get the job done. Nothing is more important than family, but that includes your work one. And finally, nice girls and guys really do finish first in business and in life.
Patricia Maloney
Senior Account Manager, Director, Client Relations
McVicker & Higginbotham
Patricia Maloney’s career has spanned consumer print and online publishing, as well as marketing and fundraising.
Currently, Patricia is a senior account manager for the direct mail agency McVicker & Higginbotham, whose clients are all major NYC nonprofits. The accounts she manages include Cornell University, St. John’s University, the Museum of Modern Art and the Morgan Library & Museum.
Patricia began her career as a staff editor for BabyTalk magazine in 1983, which was then published by Time Inc. and reached 1.3 million expectant and new parents. She started at the publication as an editorial assistant and was promoted up to the position of health and consumer editor – a title she earned due to the expertise she garnered in the area. Her responsibilities included assigning, writing and editing features and monthly columns.
In 1996, Patricia took her career online when she joined Hachette Filipacchi New Media, where she oversaw the re-launch of four of the company’s AOL sites: Family Life, Home, Woman’s Day and Boating. She also spearheaded the launch of Travel Holiday’s website. In addition to editing and writing online columns and features, she reported on trade shows and events, including the 1997 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
In 1998, Patricia joined Time Inc. New Media as the deputy editor of the former ParentTime.com, Parenting magazine’s website at the time. In this role, she supervised a staff of 10 to program daily content updates. She also assigned, wrote and edited columns and features.
In 2000, Patricia moved from the publishing world to an Internet company, becoming a channel producer for CMGI’s former MyWay.com, a personalized web portal. She managed editorial strategy and content for the site’s Home & Family, Real Estate and News & Politics channels. Later, she joined iConnect.com, an affinity marketing company that offered customized ISP services, developing editorial site plans and marketing initiatives.
Patricia has been a member of New York Women in Communications since 2006. For the past two years, she has served as content director for the Integrated Marketing & Communications Committee. She is also a member of the Student Affairs Committee.
Patricia graduated with a B.A. in English from St. Bonaventure University and an M.A. in Journalism from New York University.
Debbie Kunen
Manager of Special Projects
Cahill Gordon & Reindel, LLP
Debbie Kunen is a Manager of Special Projects for the law firm Cahill Gordon & Reindel, LLP. She is a communications professional who has been working on pro bono branding & marketing projects for non-profits through the Taproot Foundation since 2006. She has been a member of New York Women in Communications, Inc. since 2000 where she currently serves as a Director on the IMC committee assisting with new member outreach and various committee initiatives. Additionally, she serves on the Matrix Program Committee as a VIP Liaison. Debbie earned her B.A. in Psychology from Hunter College.
membershipcommittee@nywici.org
Julie Livingston
Director, Business Development & Accounts
Child's Play Communications
Julie Livingston currently serves as Director, Business Development and Accounts for Child’s Play Communications, a New York City-based public relations agency that connects companies with the influential mom market using traditional media relations, social media and word of-mouth marketing. Previously, she was Senior Director, Public Relations for the Toy Industry Association (TIA), the association for North American toy makers where she increased industry exposure and oversaw communications for the annual New York Toy Fair, resulting in global media coverage. Prior to TIA, Julie was a Director of Corporate Communications at Scholastic, Inc., the global children’s publishing and media company where she lead community relations programs such as Words Travel and Biggest Children's Book in the World helped to foster children's lifelong love of reading. Earlier, she owned and operated a successful public relations consulting practice, Luxury Marketing Group, from 1992-2002, serving the fine jewelry sector.
Julie received her M.S. in Communications Management from Syracuse University/Newhouse School and has been published in PR News’ Crisis Management Guidebook Volume 4. She lives in the NYC metro region with her husband and two teenage sons.
membershipcommittee@nywici.org
Alysia Lew
Vice President, Corporate Communications
Madison Square Garden
Alysia Lew serves as Vice President, Corporate Communications for Madison Square Garden (MSG) where she is responsible for all aspects of the financial communications for the company, including media relations surrounding earnings, investor meetings and conferences, shareholder meetings, and any relevant financial communications. In addition, she also manages and develops the Company’s strategic communications, communications surrounding acquisitions, and oversees all internal communications and employee relations. In this role, she works directly with the Investor Relations, Legal and Human Resources departments to ensure messages are consistent with public positioning, as well as cross functionally with the communications leads across all MSG divisions regarding media relations and messaging surrounding sports, entertainment and media.
Before joining MSG, Alysia served as Director, Corporate Communications for AOL. In this role, she was responsible for developing and implementing AOL’s overall corporate communications messaging. She managed consumer, business, financial and industry media relations for the company, working directly with senior management. Previously, Alysia directed strategic communications for AOL's content sites, which incorporated more than 80 individual sites, focusing on Women & Lifestyle, News & Information and Commerce areas.
Prior to AOL, Alysia was an Assistant Vice President at G.S. Schwartz & Co. While there, she worked with business and consumer clients to develop targeted campaigns on various issues including mobile devices, safety and security, and technology.
Previously, Alysia served as a federal and state lobbyist at The MWW Group where her clients included Bacardi USA, Verizon, Priceline.com and The National Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. She focused on issues such as international trademark policy, Internet taxation, telecommunications, anti-tobacco regulation and healthcare appropriations. Alysia started her career serving as a Legislative Aide for N.J. State Assemblyman Steve Corodemus.
Alysia is an active member of New York Women in Communications, Inc. (NYWICI), where she serves as Co-Chair/Vice President for the Programming Committee, participates as a Mentor for the NYWICI Foundation Mentoring Program, is a member of the High School Outreach Committee and also assists the NYWICI Foundation Scholarship Committee with scholarship application reviews.
She holds a Master of Arts in Political Management from The George Washington University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University with a double major in Communications and Political Science. An avid runner she has run 14 marathons and lives in New York City with her husband and two children.
Lauren Skowronski
Director, Media Relations
MSNBC
Joanne Sephine
Vice President, Creative
Bionic Crayon Inc.
As Vice President, Creative for Bionic Crayon Inc., a New York advertising agency, Joanne Sephine creates integrated marketing programs for luxury brands. Her advertising experience includes Creative, Account and New Business Development. Joanne comes to the Sponsorship Committee having worked on the Matrix Development Committee since 2004.
After majoring in illustration at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia and Fine Arts at the Art Students League, she began her advertising career in creative at Marschalk – Interpublic Group (now Lowe and Partners), where for 10 years she serviced clients such as Coca-Cola Foods, A1 Steak Sauce and Gillette. She was part of the creative team that introduced Dijon mustard to America – Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard, famous for its Rolls Royce campaign.
For the editorial market, Joanne created humorous illustration and caricature for TV Guide, Readers’ Digest, Family Circle and New York Daily News. For the latter, she worked for the city desk, providing art for editorials and articles about pop culture. Concurrently, Joanne performed as a solo singer in Manhattan nightclubs and regularly appeared at the American Cancer Society’s rally for The Great American Smokeout.
Seeking to expand her business acumen, Joanne transitioned to advertising space sales and business development leading to her current hybrid management of business initiatives – creative marketing, client services and business development. She helped launch DivorceDoneRight.com and spearheaded their winning the 2007 Forbes Enterprise Award for excellence in marketing and other areas. At present, Joanne maintains a versatile portfolio of clients in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Gail Griffin
General Manager, Barrons.com & SmartMoney.com
Gail Griffin oversees business operations and product development for Barrons.com and SmartMoney.com, part of The Wall Street Journal Digital Network. She joined Barron's in 2007 as the first dedicated GM for the site, after two years as GM of The Wall Street Journal Online. In 2010 she added responsibility for SmartMoney.com when SmartMoney became wholly owned by Dow Jones.
Griffin has held a number of digital product development roles at Dow Jones since 2001.
Prior to joining Dow Jones, she was VP of product development and managing editor for TheStreet.com, the financial news Web site.
Earlier in her career, Griffin worked as an editor at Dow Jones Newswires in New York and The Virginian-Pilot newspaper in Norfolk, Va. She is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
Rachel Bowie
Associate Editor - Digital Editions,
Good Housekeeping Magazine
Hearst
Rachel Bowie is a writer and editor based in New York City. She got her start in Boston, Massachusetts as the Associate Editor for Boston Common magazine, a Niche Media publication. There, she worked to launch the title and cover the entertainment, philanthropy and travel sections of the magazine. She also managed the internship program at Boston Common.
When she moved to New York in 2008, Rachel accepted a job as the Associate Editor for New York Resident magazine. Soon after, she moved over to Scholastic, working as an Associate Editor there for two years. Rachel is also a contributing writer for Gotham magazine, PureWow.com, Forbes Travel Guide, and more. She has been actively involved with New York Women in Communications since 2008, working on both the Matrix Awards Programming Committee and as the Director of Event Marketing for NYWICI’s Programming Committee.
Rachel grew up in Groton, Massachusetts, and received her Masters degree in journalism from Emerson College. Prior to attending Emerson, she graduated from Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, where she sang in an a cappella group called the Wheatones. Follow her on Twitter at rkbnyc or check out her blog, The Rachel Papers, at www.rachelpapers.com.
studentaffairscommittee@nywici.org
Stephanie Fraiman
Associate PR Manager
The Knot, Inc.
Stephanie Fraiman is the Associate Public Relations Manager for The Knot Inc., where she works to promote all the company’s brands, focusing primarily on TheKnot.com and TheNest.com.
She was previously an Account Executive at Kellen Communications, where she worked on public relations campaigns for clients such as: Sweet'N Low, Sugar In The Raw, Stevia In The Raw, New York Women in Communications, MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership, National Pasta Association, Jennifer Brisman Weddings New York and Fred Marcus Photography.
She graduated from the University of Florida in 2007, with a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations and a minor in Jewish Studies. Stephanie grew up in Florida, moved here upon graduation and has lived in tiny New York City apartments since.
studentaffairscommittee@nywici.org
Holly Munter Koenig
Vice President,
The Kellen Company
Holly is an officer of the Kellen Company, an employee-owned association management company of which NYWICI has been a client since 1996. In addition to serving as staff director of New York Women in Communications, she directs a number of associations and oversees the staff and operations of Kellen's New York City office. Prior to Kellen, Holly spent 10 years in advertising at DMB&B.
Maria Ungaro
Maria Ungaro became executive director for New York Women in Communications in June 2005, having developed expertise in operational effectiveness, marketing and event planning from seven years at the Kellen Company, including earlier stints working for New York Women in Communications and its Foundation. She has a BA and an MBA from Fordham University, was the executive director for the New York Women's Agenda and, prior to Kellen, worked for a management consulting firm specializing in crisis communications, public relations and corporate positioning.
Ellery Moses
Meredith Taylor
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New York Women in Communications empowers women in all communications disciplines to reach their full potential by promoting their professional growth and inspiring them to achieve and share their successes in the rapidly changing world of communications.
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