2010 Chapter Officers of NW SOCAP
Direct At Large, Karen Vaughn
503-658-4582
Karen Vaughn was the President for the Northwest Region of SOCAP in 2007. In this role, she administered, monitored and reviewed Chapter operations and recommended changes to the Board structure while playing a key role in the Chapters strategic direction. Karen has been involved with SOCAP since 2001. She has attended numerous industry conferences and feels that nothing compares to the camaraderie of SOCAP. “Everyone involved in this association is anxious to help a business colleague find a vendor, find a new job, or facilitate an introduction to help with a sales opportunity,” Karen states. “I have built a fantastic network of contacts of which many have become friends.”
Karen works for HyperQuality Inc., an independent third party quality monitoring and customer experience organization. She lives in Portland Oregon, married to her husband Mike, and has a very busy life keeping up with her 3 sons; Austin, Nathan and Nicholas.
Director At Large, Tom Asher
415-501-7953
Tom Asher is Head of Consumer Relations North America for Levi Strauss & Co. He and his team are responsible for responding to all consumer inquiries from the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Brazil.
Tom joined SOCAP in 1998 and has made many meaningful connections with industry colleagues as a result of his SOCAP affiliation. He served on the board of SOCAP International for 6 years and was Chairman of the board in 2007.
Tom’s prior work experience includes managing Greenpeace’s mail order catalog business, serving as national sales manager for Esprit’s environmental apparel line “Ecollection”, and founding and managing Artventure, a socially responsible apparel and direct sales catalog company.
He has a BA in Sociology from Vassar College and an MBA from Golden Gate University.
Headquartered in San Francisco, Levi Strauss & Co.’s global revenues are $4 billion. The company employs approximately 8,850 staff worldwide, including 1,000 people at its headquarters.
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President - Adam Oberweiser
Secretary - Dianne Christiansen
VP Membersip - Esmeralda Hidalgo
Treasurer - Jack Gaither
VP Programs / Portland - Dave Smith
VP Programs / Seattle - Sharon Rickabaugh
VP Programs / Bay Area - Heidi Verse
Director Technology - Lucas Kester
Director at Large - Nancy Alfaro
Director at Large - Tom Asher
Director at Large - Karen Vaughn
Immediate Past President - Marie Shubin
David R. Smith is V.P. of Sales & Marketing for The Active Group located in Portland, Oregon. His lead roles are in business development, project planning and client services for Active TeleSource, Inc., the customer care solutions firm of The Active Group. Prior to joining The Active Group in 1998, David owned and operated a local consulting firm for nine years working in the private and public sectors. He has a BS degree from University of Wisconsin and a MS degree from Mississippi State University.
Dave joined SOCAP in 2005 and volunteered for the VP-Membership position in 2006 to assist in the growth and stability of the NW Chapter.
Active TeleSource, Inc. is a professional customer contact company specializing in customer care solutions. Activities are conducted in the name of the client. We help our clients win customers, keep them happy, and increase the return on their customer base.
Sharon Rickabaugh is the Supervisor of Consumer Relations, and has been with Continental Mills for 8 years. Sharon and her team handle approximately 45,000 contacts per year and are responsible for building brand loyalty and influencing positive changes in current and future offerings. One of their driving principles is "Listen to the marketplace and it tell us how to be Successful".
Prior to coming to Continental Mills, Sharon was the Executive Assistant at Cinnabon, Inc. where she spent 6 years assisting the President and implementing their "Guest First" program.
Based in Seattle, Washington since 1932, Continental Mills is a manufacturer of flour-based dry food mixes. Still a privately owned company, Continental Mills believes in the same traditional values they were founded on – providing the consumer with great tasting products that are easy to prepare. Continental Mills produces more than 500 products available to the Retail, Club Store, and Food-Service markets. In addition to the Krusteaz brand, Continental Mills also produces Alpine Spiced Cider, Ghirardelli baking mixes, Classic Hearth, Sun Maid baking mixes, Snoqualmie Falls and Eagle Mills, all of which have become trusted family favorites.
Lucas Kester currently works for Vesta Corp. as the Collections Operations Manager where he oversees ACH recovery on Vesta’s wireless programs. Prior to joining Vesta, Lucas worked for Citi Group, in their Cards Division, for 6 years in various roles in their collections operations. Lucas has a bachelor degree in Business Administration from Boise State and is currently working on his MBA at Portland State University.
Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, USA, with operations in Europe and China, Vesta has been a pioneer and worldwide leader in virtual payments since 1995. The company has achieved extraordinary growth, and has received numerous awards and recognition, including recent induction into the Inc. Hall of Fame for five consecutive years as an Inc. 500 fastest growing private company.
Marie Shubin, Immediate Past President
(209) 341-3117
Marie Shubin is the Director of Global Consumer Relations at E&J Gallo Winery. The Gallo Consumer Information Center is the Voice of the Consumer at Gallo; providing 7 day service to consumers on over 100 wine, spirits and wine-beverage brands. The Consumer Information Center is central to the execution of many CRM and Quality initiatives. Marie has been an active member of SOCAP since 1993, after attending her first conference in Nashville. From 1995-2000 Marie served on the national Board of Directors, and as Chairman of the Membership Committee, facilitated the new member orientation and buddy programs. She is a conference presenter and CRM contributor and in 1999 was awarded the SOCAP Article of the Year. Marie is currently Co-chair of the Food & Beverage SANG and on the SANG Steering Committee. Marie has a Bachelor's degree in Education from Arizona State University and an MBA from Western International University.
Jack Gaither administers and assumes responsibility for overall financial operation of the NW SOCAP Chapter. Jack founded Astound Technologies in 2003 and is currently the CEO. Primary responsibilities include corporate vision and overseeing marketing, sales, and development. Established to provide a technology leap in the Computer Telephony Integration space, Astound has taken a leading role in the fledgling video ACD marketplace serving healthcare, hospitality, banking, transportation, airlines, insurance, and government markets. Video is bringing back the personal face-to-face communications lost in the last 20 years.
Prior to that, Jack spent more than 14 years with Aristacom (renamed to Line4 in 1999) as Chief Operating Officer (COO). Successfully converted Aristacom from a hardware to a software company and directed the company to a multi-million dollar organization. Premier accounts included MBNA America, Universal Card, Sallie Mae, Navy Federal Credit Union, Potomac Energy and Power Company, and many others.
Previous experience includes 20 years with Electronic Data Systems (EDS). Primary responsibilities included managing western region sales and operations for local and state government lines of business. During his last 3 years, over $500 million was sold in the western region. Premier accounts included California Medicaid (Medi-Cal), California Student Loans, California In-Home Supportive Services, administrative systems for six Los Angeles cities, California legislative bill tracking.
Adam S Oberweiser leads the Clorox Consumer Service Technology and Analysis team. He and his team are responsible for leveraging technology to help Clorox understand how to delight consumers with products and world-class service. He has been a member of SOCAP since 2001 and graduated from UCLA.
The Clorox Company is a leading manufacturer and marketer of consumer products with fiscal year 2008 revenues of $5.3 billion. Clorox markets some of consumers' most trusted and recognized brand names, including its namesake bleach and cleaning products, Green Works™ natural cleaners, Armor All® and STP® auto-care products, Fresh Step® and Scoop Away® cat litter, Kingsford® charcoal, Hidden Valley® and K C Masterpiece® dressings and sauces, Brita® water-filtration systems, Glad® bags, wraps and containers, and Burt's Bees® natural personal care products.
VP Programs - Bay Area, Heidi Verse
Heidi Verse is part of the Clorox Consumer Service Technology and Analysis team. She has a BS degree from Santa Clara University.
The Clorox Company is a leading manufacturer and marketer of consumer products with fiscal year 2008 revenues of $5.3 billion. Clorox markets some of consumers' most trusted and recognized brand names, including its namesake bleach and cleaning products, Green Works™ natural cleaners, Armor All® and STP® auto-care products, Fresh Step® and Scoop Away® cat litter, Kingsford® charcoal, Hidden Valley® and K C Masterpiece® dressings and sauces, Brita® water-filtration systems, Glad® bags, wraps and containers, and Burt's Bees® natural personal care products.
Nancy Alfaro is the Director of San Francisco's 311 Customer Service Center and has served in this capacity since 2008.
The City and County of San Francisco established 311 to provide an easy-to-remember telephone number that connects residents, businesses, and visitors to Customer Service Representatives ready to help with general government information and services.
Nancy has been working in the public sector since 1992. She holds a bachelor's degree from San Francisco State University in Business Administration.
Nancy joined SOCAP in November 2009.
Director At Large, Nancy Alfaro
