Women in Consulting (WIC) Names 2011 Board of Directors

Women in Consulting (WIC), a collaborative community of professional consultants and small business owners, today announced its 2011 Board of Directors. The all-volunteer board is especially strong this year, with ten returning and two new members, all of whom are leaders in their field and bring years of professional experience to the organization.

For 2011, WIC is putting increased emphasis on delivering services that members throughout the country can access, such as its highly rated webinars and value-based partnerships with companies like Apple Computer, Office Depot, and Armstrong & Associates insurance brokers. In addition, the board will continue to add new programs, as well as further strengthen existing offerings in social media, mentoring, and events.

"This year's board brings with it a powerful combination of strong leadership skills and a broad range of successful experience," said WIC President Avery Horzewski. "I'm excited to see where our collaborative efforts will take us this year, as we focus on strengthening the valuable programs we started last year and introducing new benefits designed to help consultants at every stage grow and expand their businesses."

The 2011 WIC board of directors includes:

President -- Avery Horzewski continues for a second year as president. Under her leadership, WIC has launched several exciting programs and partnerships and continues to extend its online presence, bringing the organization's services to consultants across the United States. Founder and owner of AVE Consulting, Inc., she helps companies develop effective and authentic customer-centric marketing and communications strategies that encompass everything from websites to social media to print collateral. Avery regularly speaks on communication topics, in particular social media, and serves as a program advisor and instructor for the new Social Media certificate program at San Francisco State University's College of Extended learning.

Vice President -- Jennifer Berkley Jackson builds on her past experience and contributions as WIC treasurer and WIC vice president. Founder and owner of The Insight Advantage, she helps businesses integrate customer insight to make key business decisions in the face of emerging customer needs. Jennifer also teaches the Power of Marketing Research at the University of California at Santa Cruz Extension in Silicon Valley.

Treasurer and Finance Director -- Melissa Stacey returns for a fourth year as WIC treasurer and finance director. Owner and founder of Feeling Organized, Melissa specializes in helping homes, offices, and small businesses create customized organization systems to fit their unique needs and styles. She's also president of Women's Networking Alliance (WNA).

Secretary and Communications Director -- Deb McClanahan continues as secretary and communications director for a third year. Principal of BroadBand HR Consulting, Deb helps companies with executive search and HR consulting. She's also developed a practice in expert testimony, helping attorney clients with challenging immigration and employment matters.

Membership Director -- Kathie Sherman returns as WIC's membership director for a second year. As president of TenFour Marketing, Kathie helps companies develop and implement direct marketing programs focused on increasing response rates, tracking and measuring results, and achieving higher ROI on marketing programs. She's worked with many well-known companies, including Apple, CapGemini, Sun Microsystems, and Penton Media.

Programs Director -- Robin Pieracci is this year's new programs director. As a pricing and product marketing consultant, Robin helps marketing executives and small business owners drive more profit and revenue from marketing and sales efforts. She brings the strategic focus and implementation expertise necessary to deliver practical solutions for her clients.

Marketing & PR Director -- Melody Appleton continues in her role as marketing & PR director. As principal of Avicenna Marketing, Melody draws on over 15 years of experience in high tech to help companies develop strong positioning and messaging that establishes and articulates their competitive advantage, design marketing and public relations strategies that drive demand for their products and services, and develop effective product launch and product marketing that stands out against the competition.

Online Marketing Director -- Rachel Melia returns as online marketing director. Rachel is an online marketing consultant specializing in social media marketing, with an emphasis on Facebook marketing. Rachel leads WIC's website and social media initiatives, including its blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter channels.

Partnerships & Alliances Director -- Sue Hay continues her role as partnerships & alliances director. As CEO of BeWhys Marketing, Inc., Sue is passionate about helping clients create and execute demand generation campaigns that deliver real results. She's dedicated to using the latest and most appropriate technologies and practices -- from marketing automation to lead nurturing, lead scoring, and building personas -- to help companies cost effectively achieve their vision, reach their goals, and grow their business.

Satellite Director -- Angel Rampy joins the board to lead WIC's ever-growing satellite groups. Angel is the founder and president of Success through Learning. With more than 20 years of experience as a manager, trainer, business consultant, and personal coach, she has the skills needed to empower and transform organizations and individuals. Her work spans from providing and developing customized training to corporations to providing one-on-one coaching to executives and entrepreneurs.

Strategic Audiences Director -- Deborah Siegle returns for a third year as director of strategic audiences, overseeing WIC's Leaders Network. Principal of Strategic Marketing Solutions, Deb assists clients with strategic research, market and product development, technology industry analysis, and customer loyalty and experience projects. With more than 25 years experience, she quickly identifies and addresses core issues, developing actionable strategies and tactics that make a measurable difference to her clients.

Strategic Initiatives Director -- Jan Richards continues her role as strategic initiatives director for a third year. A national Baldrige Award examiner for five years, she heads up J.G. Richards Consulting, helping companies streamline and simplify their operations; clarify their vision, goals, and priorities; and implement effective process management. This enables clients to increase profits by reducing costs, growing revenues, and increasing business flexibility.

About WIC

Women in Consulting (WIC) is a vibrant, diverse, and powerful community of consultants and small business owners working to build strong businesses. Founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1998, WIC provides its 400+ members a forum to connect and share with like-minded professionals. Established as a nonprofit, collaborative community to foster successful businesses for its members, WIC sponsors programs and activities to help members network, improve their skills, and thrive even in a tumultuous economic climate, and also provides consulting leadership and support to the community at large.