MarketingProfs Leadership

Allen founded MarketingProfs in 2000 and continues to provide strategic direction for the company. He’s currently a Professor of Marketing at the University of Southern California. Prior to MarketingProfs, he served as a professor at Stanford University and a member of the technical staff at Bell Labs. His research and consulting expertise is in the marketing of high technology products and Internet marketing. He has consulted with leading technology companies, including Texas Instruments, Intel, IBM, and Hughes Space and Communications. Allen holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a PhD in Marketing from the
University of Wisconsin.

Twitter: @allenweiss
LinkedIn: AllenMWeiss

Ann heads up all of the content at MarketingProfs. She’s a 13-year veteran of creating and managing digital content to build relationships for organizations and individuals, and the co-author of Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business (Wiley, Late 2010). Ann has a passion for building community, particularly in using new media tools to broaden and build value. Previously, Ann was the co-founder of ClickZ.com, one of the first sources of interactive marketing news and commentary. Prior to that, she spent 12 years as a business editor and writer for both local and national trade and consumer publications, including the Boston Globe. She holds a BA from Simmons College, Boston.

Twitter: @marketingprofs
LinkedIn: AnnHandley

Roy joined MarketingProfs in 2003 and is responsible for business development. Dedicated to the mission of helping marketers build the stature and value of marketing inside organizations, he is the co-author of Marketing Champions: Practical Strategies for Improving Marketing's Power, Influence, and Business Impact (Wiley, 2006), which received praise for its original approach to marketing management from marketing thought leaders including Philip Kotler, Seth Godin and Jack Trout and leadership guru Warren Bennis. He has worked with numerous marketers from global companies such as Microsoft, Wells Fargo, and Johnson & Johnson—helping to drive the recognition of marketing as a key contributor to company growth. Roy has held high-level marketing and consulting positions at companies such as Time, Inc. and Yankelovich & Partners, and earned an MBA from New York University.

Twitter: @royprofs
LinkedIn: RoyYoung

Aaron plans and implements strategic direction for MarketingProfs technology and services, as well as manages the software and database architecture, development, and operations across all of the MarketingProfs properties. An entrepreneur and senior executive with strong skills in strategic planning, tactical analysis, and management of technology and operations, he brings more than 14 years of technical and business experience to MarketingProfs. Aaron is heavily involved in the planning and implementation of core business initiatives, including SaaS, online training, content marketing, conversion optimization and mobile application development. Prior to MarketingProfs, he worked with organizations such as GE, MBNA, Bank of America, Association for Consumer Research (University of Minnesota Duluth), University of Southern California and South Jersey HealthCare.

Twitter: @alorentz
LinkedIn: alorentz

Sharon heads up two of MarketingProfs business units: Advertising and Events. Under Sharon’s leadership, the advertising business has tripled over the last three years. The growing events program is flourishing under her guidance as well, with attendance and sponsorship increasing each year. Sharon has a 20-year career in marketing management in both publishing and education. She started with Plaza Communications, a start-up financial publishing company, in charge of growing the circulations of both paid and controlled publications. She has also held senior marketing positions with both Boston University and University of the Pacific, working with admissions, alumni relations, and fundraising. Sharon holds a BA in Biology from Carleton College, and an MBA from Boston University.

Twitter: @sharihudson
LinkedIn: SharonHudson

Valerie leads our Paid Content business, which includes PRO Membership, MarketingProfs University and MarketingProfs Research. With 17 years in the publishing industry, Valerie is passionate about creating high-quality content. She believes in data-driven decision making: leveraging analytics and customer interviews to stay on top of the changing information needs of members. Before joining MarketingProfs in 2003, Valerie led the online content and community development team for a GMAC Relocation business delivering culture information to expatriate families. Before that she cut her teeth on business journalism on the editorial teams of industry trade magazines Workforce (for human resources professionals) and Registered Representative (for stockbrokers). Valerie holds a BA in English from The Ohio State University and an MBA from the University of Southern California.

Twitter: @valerie_witt
LinkedIn: ValerieWitt

Anne heads up marketing and customer service for MarketingProfs. She came to MarketingProfs in 2009 after more than 19 years in marketing and product management. Before MarketingProfs, she served as vice president of marketing for several technology start-ups (from bootstrapped firms to those with $40 million in venture funding) and co-founded an XML services company. She’s also been a director of an award-winning marketing agency, where she created technology and marketing products to generate leads, drive customer retention, maximize cross-selling opportunities and increase market share for B2C and B2B firms including Hewlett-Packard, Freddie Mac, Sallie Mae, Random House, and Citibank. She holds a BA with Honors in Political Science and Economics from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College and was a guest lecturer at the University of Economics, Prague for a year.

Twitter: @anneyaz
LinkedIn: AnneYastremski