HCO Fall Conference Speakers
Chris Foster, Burson-Marsteller
Chris Foster, Chair, US Healthcare Practice, Burson-Marsteller, has been working closely with coalitions, the administration, members of congress and their staff on issues related to healthcare reform. He leads the team that represents the Committee for Economic Development (CED), a group of forward thinking business leaders that is working very closely with Senator Wyden (D-OR) and others senior members of Congress on developing innovative solutions to solving America’s healthcare crisis.
In his presentation he will touch on healthcare reform and what it means for consumers, providers and healthcare communications professionals. He will explore proposed changes in DTC and the evolving role that social media is playing in disease management, compliance, prevention and communications. Chris believes that healthcare communication s will need to reform along with the reform of our healthcare payment and delivery system.
Chris Foster’s professional experience combines a broad knowledge of managed care, healthcare provider groups, media relations, and pharmaceutical marketing, as well as alliance development and social marketing. Chris has led many national and global public awareness and communications campaigns for companies including Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Amgen and Novartis. In addition to leading and implementing global communications campaigns, Chris has extensive experience in crisis communications. Chris has worked in many environments ranging from PR agencies and health plans to trade associations and Presidential campaigns.
Burson-Marsteller is a leading global public relations and communications firm that provides their clients with counsel and program development across the spectrum of public relations, public affairs, digital media, advertising, and other communications services.
John Tierney, KVAL-TV
John Tierney is the executive producer and news assignment editor at KVAL-TV, the top-rated television station in Eugene. He oversees the station’s daily newscasts and works closely with reporters and producers as they develop stories.
In addition to broadcast responsibilities, Mr. Tierney produces and maintains content on the station’s main news Web site, kval.com, and serves as a community blogger for KVAL’s new hyper-local neighborhood sites, kval.com/communities. He is a huge Duck fan who graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in broadcast and newspaper journalism.
Before working at KVAL, he worked as a reporter for the Tri-County News, a weekly community newspaper in Junction City, Oregon. He also has international reporting experience, working at a daily newspaper in Accra, Ghana, in West Africa.
You can contact John by email at jtierney@kval.com or on Twitter at twitter.com/kvalep.
Scott Nelson, The Oregonian
As Online Enterprise Editor at The Oregonian, Scott Nelson is responsible for developing new revenue streams at the Northwest's largest newspaper.
He previously served as Deputy Business Editor and Breaking News Editor. A native Oregonian, Scott is a graduate of Linfield College and the Robert H. Smith School of Business at University of Maryland. He spent a decade as a reporter, columnist and editor at Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, Kiplinger.com, The Tampa Tribune and The Boston Globe before returning to Oregon in late 2003. Reporting career highlights include covering a Winter Olympic Games, Mitt Romney’s gubernatorial campaign, the clergy sex abuse scandal in Boston, 9/11 in Manhattan and — embedded with U.S. Marines
Gary Walker, Providence Health & Services, Oregon
Gary Walker is director of public affairs for Providence Health & Services in Oregon. Gary has been with Providence for seven years. Before that, Gary spent 25 years in television news, most recently as managing editor and news director at KATU in Portland. Gary’s work has been recognized by the Northwest chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Radio-Television News Directors Association, the Associated Press, and the New York and Chicago film festivals.
Gary graduated from Linfield College with a bachelor’s degree in communications. He lives in Clackamas with his wife, Becky. They have two children.
Alison (Ali) Santore, Conkling Fiskum & McCormick
Alison (Ali) Santore joined Conkling Fiskum & McCormick as a Federal Affairs Associate in January 2007. Prior to joining CFM, Alison spent three years on Capitol Hill in the office of Senator Gordon H. Smith.
Having served a semester in his office as an intern while anundergraduate, Alison returned to Washington in 2004 as a Legislative Correspondent for Senator Smith's Special Committee on Aging Majority Staff, becoming a Legislative Assistant in 2006.
While with the Aging Committee, Alison handled mental health issues, health professions, disease-specific issues, Medicaid, Medicare and health information technology, in addition to coordinating all of the Senator's appropriations requests. She also has been an analyst for the Oregon State Judicial Department, as well as an intellectual property paralegal for Wenderoth Lind & Ponack, L.L.P. Alison's portfolio at CFM includes a broad range of healthcare issues and federal appropriations.
A native Oregonian and a proud Lake Oswego High School Laker, Alison graduated from the University of Oregon in 2002 with a double major in political science and philosophy. She lives in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia with her husband, Mike, and their daughter, Avery.
Siouxsie Jennett
Siouxsie Jennett is founder of Mambo Media, Inc. Mambo Media has been delivering results-based, metrics-driven online marketing campaigns to large and small businesses since 1996.
Combining her extensive Internet experience with years of traditional brand and product marketing, she pioneered innovative, revenue-based media initiatives for brands including Dell, Nokia, HP, McDonalds, Chevron and Infiniti.
As an expert in interactive marketing, she now focuses much her energies on building effective Web 2.0 and Social Media strategies for companies and organizations nationwide, with an emphasis on measurement, engagement and ROI.
Ms. Jennett is also an involved, energetic and committed member of her community. She provides pro-bono business and marketing consulting to local non-profit groups, coaches at community sports programs, is president of the P.T.O at Forest Hills Elementary, and volunteers with voter mobilization drives.
Ms. Jennett holds a B.A. from University of California, Berkeley and a graduate design degree from Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.
Interested parties are encouraged to follow Ms. Jennett on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SiouxsieJennett
