Paula Dunne has over two decades of experience in high tech, b-2-b and consumer marketing and public relations. She has led numerous companies through the development of their brand positioning and messaging, marketing strategies and product launches. Working extensively in technology, she has run every facet of strategic go-to-market campaigns and ongoing brand identity-building across multiple industry sectors. She has led corporate launch activities for dozens of startup companies, and has led others through IPO and M&A events. Paula enjoys strong relationships with tech media, analysts, bloggers and other industry leaders.

Before launching CONTOS DUNNE COMMUNICATIONS in 2001, Paula was Senior Vice President/Business Unit Leader for leading independent marketing and public relations firms, Neale-May & Partners and GlobalFluency. She helped build the global practice and catapulted the agency to the number two position in Silicon Valley. The business units she led accounted for more than 55% of total firm revenues. 

On the corporate side, Paula headed public relations and analyst relations for enterprise service-level and application management leaders, BMC Software and Boole & Babbage. She also served as marketing communications director and press officer for Cylink Corporation, RSA Security and VeriSign. Previously she held senior marketing and communications positions at leading storage companies, Auspex and Maxtor; the world”s largest mountain bike and accessory company, Specialized Bicycle Components; printed circuit board manufacturer, Comptronix/San Mina Corp; Hewlett-Packard; Advanced Micro Devices; California Microwave; and Sage Clearing Corp. Prior to this, she was principal owner of a successful event production company based in the Silicon Valley.

Paula is a past President of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Silicon Valley and continues to serve on the Board of Directors, currently as Board Member Emeritus and Founder/Chair and Producer of the organization’s annual Signature Event “MEDIA PREDICTS”—one of the largest and most prestigious tech events in the Valley. She also founded the organization’s popular “Inside the Newsroom” professional development series. She has also served as EVP on the Silicon Valley American Marketing Association (AMA) Board and other not-for-profit organizations. She has led communications initiatives for such industry associations as the International Middleware Association (IMWA), Business Quality Messaging (BQM), and various security associations. 

Paula holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a master of science in Journalism from San Jose State University. She works and lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Steve and three kids.

Digs Majumder brings nearly two decades of experience in the media, with client companies and at agencies. He has worked in high-tech communications since early 1989. He provides high-level communications and media strategy, editorial and media relations services to client programs. He has worked on numerous programs such as FileNet, Wipro, Hewlett-Packard, Cybertrust, McAfee, Cognizant, Wendover, Aztec Software, AXS-One, eDiets.com, Citrix Online, Toshiba, Juniper Networks, Intuit, Bill Me Later, Deloitte, FICO and Partsearch. 

Previously, he was director of Corporate Marketing at an e-business consulting firm, where he developed all of the company collateral, including white papers, Point of View statements, executive presentations and press releases. Earlier, he was senior consultant at AlexanderOgilvy Public Relations, where he developed and executed media strategy for clients such as Merrill Lynch, Ziff-Davis, Telstra and HotOffice. 

Before that and for more than ten years, Majumder was a member of the high-tech media. 

From 1994 to 1999, he was chief technology editor at WINDOWS Magazine, where he oversaw the content mix for the entire publication, supervised all staff writers and freelancers, wrote columns and features and represented the magazine at many trade shows and industry events. 

Earlier, he spent six years at InformationWeek Magazine, where as senior editor he created many of the sections in the journal. Over the course of his career, Majumder has written reviews, features and opinion pieces, been a public speaker at such trade shows as Comdex and PC Expo, and appeared in the media over 50 times to comment on industry trends and products. 

Majumder has won writing and editing awards from the American Society of Business Press Editors. He earned an MS in Mass Communications from Iowa State University and a BA in English from St. Xavier’s College. And, he currently resides and works in New York City. 

Tim Alban has been a member of the international public relations and marketing community for more than three decades, applying his expertise and multi-faceted background to advance the goals, objectives and initiatives of a wide array of Fortune 500 technology and consumer-focused firms. Throughout his career, he has developed a strong, ongoing professional relationship with trade and business reporters, bloggers, editors and analysts worldwide. His additional strengths include market research, analysis, strategic planning, positioning and messaging, and media relations. 

Alban’s clients have included Avenue A, Active Power, Anonymizer, Applied Microsystems, aQuantive, Austin Semiconductor, AutoDesk, Brocade, Boscia, Detto Inc., Dow Chemical, Entercept Security Technologies, EON Corporation, Express Matrix, Fluke Corp, Forescout, HyTrust, Identitymine, kCura, Mercora, Mistletoe Technologies, Nea Power Systems, netForensics, Nortel Networks, PERSIST Technologies, PTT Telecom, Net Continuum, Netforensics, Netmotion, Pivotal Corporation, Rentals.com, Schlumberger, St. Bernard Software, Secure Computing, Senforce, SiegeWorks, Siemens, Sigaba, Solutions IQ, The Seattle Times, IBM/Tivoli Systems, Trilogy Corporation, Voltage Security, WRQ and Zscaler, to name a few. 

Previously, Alban was instrumental in increasing U.S. corporate sales by 300% for European-based KPM, and establishing its position as an international telecommunications leader and innovator, helping businesses increasingly manage the total cost of telecommunications ownership across mobile and fixed voice, as well as data services. 

Adding his experience to an already successful worldwide public relations firm, Alban also served as a vice president of Neale-May & Partners and GlobalFluency in Palo Alto, California, and was instrumental in leading strategic planning, IR and media relations initiatives for such Fortune 500 firms as E*TRADE, and PayPal. 

Alban also served as a Public Relations Manager for AT&T, and represented several AT&T lines of business providing vision, leadership and management expertise critical to the growth of AT&T’s corporate media positioning with major trade, business and consumer media. Alban also supervised AT&T’s Studio Loan Department, which was instrumental in product positioning and worldwide visibility in major motion pictures and on network television shows. Working directly with the AT&T Office of the Chairman, Alban also was also responsible for implementing an aggressive corporate initiative to reinforce AT&T’s active role in community relations, through the AT&T Foundation, communicating to the media and stakeholders the ongoing public involvement of the corporation. 

A native of Houston, Texas, working and residing there again now, Alban graduated from the University of Houston with major fields of study in Journalism and Marketing.

John is a creative director and communication strategist with over 20 years of experience in advertising and integrated marketing communications. A copywriter by background, he has served as creative director in the San Francisco offices of Grey Advertising and the London-based Citigate Group, and more recently with Thunder Factory, a Silicon Valley integrated marketing firm.

A firm believer in true integration, John has written or supervised the creation of everything from print and broadcast advertising to e-mail blasts and websites, direct marketing, brochures, annual reports and corporate videos. His work has helped achieve ambitious marketing and branding goals for companies like Bank of America, CNF Transportation, Seagram Wines, investment bankers Hambrecht & Quist, Wyse Technology, Atari, Dialog Information Services and Zantaz, Inc., to name a few 

Although he is more excited about getting results for clients then recognition from peers, John’s work has won awards in a wide range of industry forums, including the SF Show, the San Francisco ADDYs, The American Advertising Federation’s Best in the West, The Financial Communications Society and the Business Marketing Association.

A graduate of Princeton University, John lives in San Francisco with his wife, Jan. He’s a big-time fan of rock and jazz, the Giants and Sharks, the History channel, and his two grown daughters. He skis in the winter and waits for snow the rest of the year, sometimes while paddling a kayak on the bay.

Terry has been involved in Web technologies and software development since the Internet’s commercialization it the 90’s. His expertise is in website development, with particular emphasis in backend database integration, and software development and implementation. He has designed and deployed client-server, web-based, and database-driven applications for various industries, including high tech, government and municipalities, financial services, payment processing, education, automotive, healthcare and non-profit. He has extensive experience in both user acceptance and designing acceptance testing.

Terry’s Industrial Engineering background combines a unique understanding of systems, processes, production environments, work practices, and information flow. This knowledge enables him to better understand client needs and greatly enhances the overall approach while bringing creativity, an artistic flair and technical elegance to each project. 

Terry has a BS in Industrial Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He works and lives in Silicon Valley (Redwood City) with his young daughter and wife Olga.

Jeff Braun is a high-energy media trainer with a passion for helping clients succeed in delivering high-impact, high-value public presentations and media interviews. His extensive background enables them to achieve optimal results communicating in an increasingly competitive environment. Braun is particularly adept at helping companies refine and retool strategic messages and communicate them so that they command attention and end up in print or on the air. 

As General Manager/Vice President of the Crisis Communications Practice at The Ammerman Experience, Braun has assisted many companies in managing critical business issues. He has coached and trained executives from many of the largest public and privately held companies around the world, including technology leaders (networking, software, security, etc.), food manufacturing, energy, retail, healthcare and government. Clients have included: <LIST MAJOR>

With a reputation for taking ownership in the success of each client, Braun ensures that individuals leave each training session with a new level of capability to successfully manage interviews to the desired result. He has conducted innumerable sessions, preparing spokespeople for major speeches and presentations, as well as network, print, trade channel and broadcast media. 

Because he spent the majority of his 20 year journalism career coaching reporters about how to get information from the people they interview, Braun provides more effective training for spokespeople that need to learn how to deliver information to their audiences. 

Prior to Ammerman Experience, Braun worked for a CBS network affiliate in Texas, managing a staff of more than 40 journalists and launching the first regional satellite news network. His career in journalism began at the young age of 16, reading news headlines for a small radio station; at 19 he became one of history’s youngest television news directors. 

Braun is frequently invited to speak at industry conferences and trade associations. He conducts regular sessions on Communications for the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) and the Houston Technology Center. He is also a regular lecturer at Rice University and the University of Houston.

Braun received his bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Texas A&M University, with a minor in Business, Marketing emphasis. He is also a graduate of the prestigious University of Missouri program for newsroom managers. A lover of the outdoors, he enjoys cooking and travel in his leisure time. 

Dyana is a successful marketing professional with a broad range of experience. She’s created and delivered numerous multi-faceted marketing and communications programs, campaigns and initiatives, most of which have significantly moved the needle for companies. Dyana’s an expert at event production, tradeshow and conference marketing and promotions, and is extremely knowledgeable and effective at lead generation programs. She’s also recently been developing customer and partner initiatives, outbound marketing plans and processes, and sales enablement and communications programs for clients. 

Dyana is described as an amazing, capable and creative marketing professional who brings dynamic, out of the box thinking, and delivers polished, memorable and error-free programs. She’s also been described as an effective change agent for organizations.  

She has worked with a broad range of companies, from Symantec, VeriSign, F-Secure, DataMotion, Secure Computing, McAfee/Network Associates and Palo Alto Networks, to NetApp, Act-On Software, WorkExchange and the Mercora and Social.FM social music services. From 2003 to 2005 she founded a company called Run em Ragged and ran day-to-day operations prior to selling the business.

Dyana received her BA in Marketing & PR from Ashford University. She works in Silicon Valley and lives in Aptos, CA with her husband Jonathan.

Sandra directs Pan EU communications programs, as well as country or region-specific ones in the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland (DACH), BeNeLux, Scandinavia, France and Italy, as principal of Information-Travels. Her team has represented over 120 companies of all sizes and stages of development, and from a wide range of industries and countries around the world. She has successfully enabled them to achieve their business goals of increasing recognition and sales in the European marketplace. She held senior sales, marketing and public relations positions in global and pan-European organizations prior to establishing Information-Travels in 2000. 

Born in Germany, Sandra lived 22 years in the USA prior to returning to Europe to complete her graduate studies. In 2004, she founded became Executive Director of WirWIT, the local German branch of WorldWIT, the world’s largest online network of women in business. In 2008 she was part of the founding team of the non-profit United Generations, and in early 2013 began supporting the charity Global Family. 

Sandra holds a B.A. in Social Science from Tulane University in New Orleans and a M.A. in Public Relations from The European University in Antwerp, Belgium. Bilingual in English and German, Sandra is an avid golfer, gardener and soccer fan.