Word of Mouth Marketing Association Announces 2014 Board of Directors

Board Members from American Express, Group Social, ComBlu, The Regan Group and Zocalo Group are Elected

CHICAGO, Nov. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Word of Mouth Marketing Association, WOMMA, is proud to announce its newest elected members for the 2014 Board of Directors. The incoming members include exceptional thought-leaders in the word of mouth and social media marketing industry, including Mark Bisard, Vice President and Senior Counsel of American Express; Christine Morrison, Group Social, Media Manager for Intuit; Kathy Baughman, President and Co-Founder of ComBlu; Patti Regan, President and CEO of The Regan Group and Emily Bader, Executive Vice President of Strategic Planning for Zocalo Group. These board members will work with the current directors to represent the field of word of mouth marketing and members of WOMMA.

"We are delighted to welcome our five newest members to the 2014 WOMMA Board of Directors," said Suzanne Fanning, President of WOMMA. "They are proven leaders and influencers within this industry who care deeply about the practice of word of mouth marketing, and are committed to helping maintain and develop appropriate ethical standards. I am confident they will be valuable assets and strong additions to our distinguished WOMMA Board."

The five newly elected WOMMA Board Members are:

• Mark Bisard – Vice President and Senior Counsel of American Express
  Mark Bisard is American Express' "cyberlawyer." Bisard leads the Cyberlaw Unit in its support of the company's wide-ranging internet law needs and its many digital innovation firsts, including those involving social media, mobile, emerging technologies and platforms, e-contracting, SEO, affiliate marketing, key digital partnerships, and more.  He has shepherded the Company in its launch of its widely acclaimed mobile apps, social media programs and policy, website uplift, mobile wallet programs and helped clients achieve breakthrough results. He frequently speaks and provides trainings on these topics around the globe and is a decorated leader on the job and in his community.  He was named Crain's Detroit 40 under 40, recently awarded an "Effie" and his Company's "Chairman's Award for Innovation" for his work on social media initiatives at the company.
• Christine Morrison – Group Social Media Manager for Intuit
  Christine Morrison drives the end-to-end social strategy for Intuit TurboTax, a 1.5 billion dollar business. In her role, she sets both the long and short-term strategies for how to partner with customers to get great business outcomes. Morrison's innovative campaigns and product features create incremental revenue in the multi-million dollar range each year while creating customer delight and delivering on Intuit's brand promise to customers. As a pioneer in the field, she's been a frequent speaker on the "social" circuit. Morrison is currently an Association of National Advertisers West coast social committee co-leader and a WOMMA board member.
• Kathy Baughman – President and Co-Founder of ComBlu 
  Kathy Baughman is the President and Co-Founder of ComBlu, an organization specializing in social engagement and influencer marketing. Baughman's forte is both social engagement and social business strategy. Her passions include bringing a fresh point of view to every project at hand, and helping organizations grow their programs to the next level.
• Patti Regan – President and CEO of The Regan Group
  With over 22 years of experience, Patti Regan has successfully led TRG in developing and executing, exciting and engaging local and national promotions across several industries including entertainment, casual dining and consumer packaged goods.  Patti's incredible understanding of the consumer market and her passion for bringing brands to life through innovation and technology has established The Regan Group as an award-winning agency, ranking in the "Top 50" Agencies in America (Promo Magazine).
• Emily Bader –EVP of Strategic Planning for Zocalo Group
  Emily Bader's experience in driving thought leadership in word of mouth ranges across a multiple aspects. Bader strived to innovate the word of mouth marketing (WOMM) planning process through various outlets, including influencer programs, such as the Fan Rally program; formalizing WOMM and social media channel planning across paid, earned and owned channels; infusing recommendations and sharable stories into the creative process; and evolving measurement to underscore marketing and business impact. She participated in key activities and events within WOMMA, especially as a Member Ethics Advisory Panel member since 2010 – leading key webinars, as well as panel discussions at School of Word of Mouth and Summit.

WOMMA Board Directors serve a term of three years, and in order to maintain continuity on the Board, the terms of Directors are staggered to assure that no more than one-third of the Directors will complete their terms in any one year.

The five new members will join the following continuing WOMMA Board Members in 2014:

• Brad Fay, WOMMA Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of Keller Fay Group
• Virginia Miracle, Immediate Past WOMMA Chairman and Executive Vice President of Services for Spredfast
• Chetan Bhargava, Senior Manager, E-Commerce and Consumer Direct for The J. M. Smucker Company
• Deborah Holland, Executive Vice President for Publishers Clearing House
• Ekaterina Walter, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Branderati
• Gemma Craven, Executive Vice President, N.Y. Group Director for Social@Ogilvy
• Peter Storck, Senior Vice President of Research and Analytics for House Party Inc.
• Rick Murray, President of Edelman's Chicago office
• Rod Brooks, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of PEMCO Mutual Insurance Company
• Rob Key, Chief Executive Officer of Converseon
• Tanuja Singeetham, Digital and Social Media Marketing Manager for Nestle USA

About WOMMA
Founded in 2004, the Word of Mouth Marketing Association is the official trade association in the industry dedicated to word of mouth and social media marketing. It is comprised of members from elite Fortune 500 brands, agencies and service providers, such as McDonald's Corporation, Unilever, Nestle, Nissan, Heineken International, Edelman and more. These exceptional thought-leaders across the globe and innovative companies are committed to expanding the word of mouth marketing industry through advocacy, education and ethics. WOMMA is a leader in ethical word of mouth marketing practices through its offline education, such as the renowned WOMMA Summit, professional development opportunities and knowledge sharing with top industry marketers. For more information visit WOMMA.org.

Contact:
Monica Gostkiewicz
Office: (312) 853-4400 ext.216

SOURCE Word of Mouth Marketing Association