Barb Balogh
President
Barb earned her Bachelor of Arts from Kent State U. with a major in English and a minor is History. She started her career in desktop publishing, went to work for an advertising agency and eventually fell into marketing at a local Fortune 200 company. She is now the e-Communications Manager at Positively Cleveland. Her responsibilities include writing, producing and editing the CVB's four e-newsletters and managing the website content.
She joined the AMA in 2000 but it wasn't until 2004 that she joined the board as Volunteers Director. She has also served as Secretary and Membership Director. She's now on board for a two-year Presidential term (through June 30, 2009).
FUN FACTS: Barb is an avid reader, likes to play games (usually of a video or trivia nature) and has 11 cats and a dog. She loves to cook and is a member of MENSA. Start buying presents now - she's getting married in October.
CONTACT INFO: (216) 875-6623 or barb.balogh@clevelandama.com
Lauren L. Hakos
Immediate Past President/Membership DirectorLauren has been a member of the American Marketing Association's
Cleveland Chapter for five years and has served in various Board
positions during that time.
In Lauren’s full-time, professional career, she is the Public Affairs and Marketing Manager for the Ohio Turnpike Commission, where she has worked for six years. In addition to handling the public relations duties for the Commission, she also handles all media relations, publications, special events, public speaking and community affairs for the agency. Lauren has been instrumental in implementing some key marketing initiatives for the Ohio Turnpike, and is an active member of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) where she has been both a speaker and moderator at national workshops/conferences, and she currently serves on the IBTTA Public Relations Steering Committee.
Lauren graduated from Ohio University with a degree in Communications and a minor in Journalism.
FUN FACTS: Lauren is a HUGE OSU Buckeyes fan. She is also extremely passionate about animals (especially her dog, Sierra). In her “spare” time, she assists with special events and fundraising activities for a local animal shelter.
CONTACT INFO: lauren.hakos@clevelandama.com
Erin Miller
Marketing Communications Director
Erin graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor's Degree
in Marketing. She’s worked in Marketing at a ski resort in upstate New
York, at two different consumer magazine publishers in New York City and
is now the Circulation Manager for Crain’s Cleveland Business.
As the Circulation Manager, Erin performs a wide range of marketing and audience development duties, from managing direct mail campaigns to managing search engine marketing campaigns.
Erin joined the AMA in the spring of 2007 and was a member of the Marketing &
Communications committee before recently joining the board as Director for the
Cleveland chapter.
FUN FACTS: Erin enjoys snowboarding in the winter and hanging out on the lake in
the summer. She also enjoys traveling to different countries whenever possible.
CONTACT INFO: (216) 771-5668 or emiller@crain.com
Leanne van Beers-Werneke
Secretary/Volunteers Coordinator
Leanne has been a member of the Cleveland Chapter of the AMA since 1991, when she became active in the student chapter at Cleveland State University. Leanne has been a Board member since 2005. She began as the board Secretary and, for this 2006-2007 year, has added Volunteers Coordinator
to her duties.
Professionally, Leanne is the Director of Marketing for The Coral Company, a residential and commercial Real Estate development company specializing in first ring suburb and urban infill redevelopment. Leanne is responsible for the marketing and branding of the company as a whole in both their Cleveland and Cincinnati markets, as well as the marketing of Coral’s six residential communities and numerous commercial properties.
FUN FACTS: Leanne enjoys riding motorcycles – both touring and on the track, skiing, cycling, gardening, and animals. She is currently studying to be a dog obedience instructor.
Jen Brawner
Collegiate Relations DirectorJen has been an AMA member since her days at Kent State U. and an active board member since 2004. She stepped into the new position of Collegiate Relations this year to help the chapter form stronger relationships with our collegiate chapters and, ideally, help to build lifetime members.
Jen has worked in marketing for six years. Currently she is Marketing Coordinator at Skoda Minotti CPAs and Business & Financial Advisors.
FUN FACTS: In her free time Jen enjoys live music, going out downtown, working out, training for marathons, volunteering, vegging and reading.
CONTACT INFO: jbrawner@skodaminotti.com
Larry Courtney
Sponsorship Director
Larry is the newest addition to the AMA Board. He is an Account Executive with Great Lakes Integrated in Cleveland.
FUN FACTS:
CONTACT INFO: lcourtney@glintegrated.com
Meryl Closs
Asst. Secretary
Meryl is the Marketing Director, NE Ohio for the American Heart Association.
Marla Rawson
Special Events & Hospitality Coordinator
Marla is the Director of Marketing & Development for Lutheran Family Services.
FUN FACTS:
CONTACT INFO: hospitality@clevelandama.com or (216) 281-2500
Doug Eilert
Chapter Consultant, NOCA Delegate Doug Eilert is President of Confero Inc., a research-based debt recovery
business founded in 1999 and based in Cleveland. Prior to founding Confero, Doug spent eight years with A.C. Nielsen Co. in four cities - Chicago, Mobile, Columbus and Ft. Mitchell (Kentucky) - where his field and client service
positions provided syndicated sales data for major national consumer packaged goods manufacturers, including the ood & Paper Divisions of Procter & Gamble.
Doug also sold print advertising for The Business Record, a weekly business publication in Cincinnati, and coordinated the revamping of the Cincinnati Home & Garden Show's official trade show publication.
Doug received his BSBA in Marketing with a minor in Sociology from Ashland College. He is long-time member of the AMA and has served the board in a number of roles including President in the 70th Anniversary Year of 2004-2005.
FUN FACTS: Doug has a cat named Alley and likes bowling and hanging out with friends