Founded in 1937, our chapter reflects the innovation, standards of excellence, and industry and population diversity for which the Bay Area is known and celebrated.
Photo Credit: Gustavo Fernandez Photography
2020 - 2021
For over two decades, Gerardo Garcia-Jurado has been part of the so-called “creatives.” He built his own first job by starting his visual communications firm in Mexico City. Seven years later, his American adventure began when he moved to New York City. Gerardo has been a key player in the development of award-winning campaigns for global brands. From advertising to promotions to retail marketing; from Effies to Emmys; and from NYC to DEN to SFO, his professional life has been filled with exciting projects, all of which have left significant learnings that have made him the well-rounded marketing professional he is today. His full name is Luis Gerardo García-Jurado Rébora but you can just call him Gerardo (Her-are-doh). > LinkedIn
With Maria’s 10+ years of marketing experience, she’s been involved in most things marketing, but what gets her really excited is anything and everything related to growth marketing. She thrives on creating innovative lead generation programs through content and digital strategies. Fun Fact: What you probably don’t know about Maria is that she’s trilingual with a tricultural background (Chilean, Norwegian and now American). Her interests include 80s music, wine tasting and travel around the world. LinkedIn
Laliv is a high-performing B2B Sales and Marketing executive hailing from prominent media companies and high-profile, venture-backed start-ups. She has a successful track record crafting marketing strategy, communications, sales development and marketing programs that drive awareness and revenue growth for brands. Laliv is skilled at setting a vision, partnering with all stakeholders, building teams, and operationalizing for outcomes. She has broad industry relationships, has proven herself as a successful leader and people developer/mentor. Laliv spent her early days at AOL and Yahoo!, and more recently leading integrated marketing for Wikipedia brand Fandom Wikia. Currently, she’s VP of Marketing and Brand for events and communications leader InVision Communications. A long-time Bay Area resident, she’s a proud Cal Berkeley grad. LinkedIn
A passionate and seasoned marketing leader, with over 20 years digital and product marketing experience in the investment, banking & insurance industries – from start-up/disruptor to establish brands. Originally from the UK, Luke has lived and worked around the world, helping to launch and grow businesses in HK, Japan, Australia, Canada and the US. Perhaps not surprisingly, Luke loves to travel and has visited over 80+ countries. A professional Dive Master, Luke organizes group adventure travel in his free time, including diving, skiing & high-altitude trekking. > LinkedIn
Gene Filipi has been an AMA SF member since 1999 and is a former past president. During his tenure as president he led the chapter to win the coveted “Turn it Up Chapter of the Year” award, as well as much-deserved Merit Awards for its Communications and Membership efforts. Gene draws upon more than two decades of successful sales, marketing and market research experience. He strongly advocates connection and collaboration amongst his team – whether on the job or in the AMA. In his spare time, Gene holds his 50 ton USCG Master Mariner captain’s license and has his PADI DiveMaster certification. On any given weekend you’ll find Gene sailing around the Bay with clients and friends and his dog Ruby. LinkedIn
In his current role, Thomas leads the integrated media team to drive strategy and media activation for his clients. Thomas brings a decade of experience working with Fortune 500 clientele across the agency, publisher and technology sides of the digital business in roles that include media, sales engineer and product marketing. Thomas has worked with a diverse clientele such as: Capital Group, Logitech, Workday, Puerto Rico Tourism Company, Hotwire, Microsoft, and many others. Further, Thomas is a part time professor at UCSC Extension teaching digital marketing related courses. > LinkedIn
Loreto is a dynamic sales & marketing professional currently focusing on B2B sales in the restaurant industry. She has 8+ years of experience leading integrated marketing communications projects through cross-functional teams, both in-house and as a consultant. She is also a published author bilingual in English and Spanish. She joined the board of the San Francisco chapter of the American Marketing Association in January 2019 as VP of Communications. She holds a B.A in Journalism and Social Communication from the University of Chile and a postgraduate diploma in Strategic Communications from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. LinkedIn
Omar is an HR professional in the engineering industry, with expertise in communications, recruitment and employee engagement. His career in human resources began four years ago after graduating from San Francisco State University. Outside his day-to-day role, Omar always had a strong passion for social media and digital marketing. He has been an active volunteer with the AMA SF since early 2018 and now excited to take a seat on the board as Vice President, Social Media. He looks forward to continue sharing informative content and build a strong follower base. Fun facts: Omar enjoys dancing to Colombian Salsa music and loves Peruvian cuisine. LinkedIn
Jennifer is a strategic marketing and communications executive with a gift for conceiving high-impact brand experiences that ignite growth and surpass expectations. She brings 15+ years of experience across branding, marketing, and communications in sports, media and advertising technology brands. Jennifer’s roles within both brands and agencies provides her with the unique ability to identify a clear strategy, cultivate strong partnerships and build top-performing teams that drive awareness and revenue growth. Jennifer’s experience includes work with prominent organizations including Salesforce, Dwell Magazine, The America’s Cup and CNET Networks. A Bay Area native, Jennifer can be found exploring the trails of Marin or sailing on the Bay. > LinkedIn
Marissa is a graduate from Sacramento State University, where she served as VP of Advertisements and Promotions, and President. After graduation, she joined the Sacramento Valley chapter as a member and volunteer. When she moved to San Francisco, she joined the San Francisco Chapter as VP of Hospitality. In her current role, she works to obtain a large, quality audience for each event and welcomes attendees. She manages the Meetup group, and is responsible for attendee lists, name badges, and registration. Marissa enjoys running, exploring San Francisco, and traveling. LinkedIn
Kati is a graduate of Western Illinois University. Shortly after moving to the Bay Area, she was bit by the tech bug and became the Executive Assistant to the CEO of Zuckerberg Media. Throughout her years in the Bay she has gain experience supporting high level executives in multiple verticals and industries. Today she is a Senior Executive Assistant at Yelp. Being a highly organized and insightful strategic partner has enabled her to be the president of Phi Epsilon Sigma Kinesiology Honors Society and an advisory board member of the San Francisco Admin Awards. In her spare time, she enjoys a good book and a glass of wine on a rooftop. Fun Fact: middle name is legally Sunshine. LinkedIn
Matt Safranek has been a volunteer with AMA SF for 5 years and a board member for 3. A seasoned product marketer, Matt has brought 0-to-1 and mature products to market for leading companies in the ad tech and financial services industries. In his prior roles, Matt ran the Marketing and Fundraising functions for a local non-profit and worked as a Product Manager and Market Researcher in the financial services industry. Matt earned his MBA in Marketing from the Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Davis. In his free time, Matt is an active volunteer and member of his faith community at St. Dominic’s Catholic Church. He also enjoys hosting dinner and cocktail parties as well as camping and hiking in his beloved Sierra Nevada mountains. > LinkedIn
Eva is excited to join AMASF as the Treasurer. Eva is originally from Madrid, Spain, and holds an MBA from USF. She’s worked in the international and domestic marketing world for over 10 years, where she’d enjoyed promoting products in different markets and geeking out on customer and industry research and analysis. She also helps female entrepreneurs create marketing strategies that allow them to reach clients faster and increase sales so they stop going around in circles with no results. > LinkedIn
Michelle Stern has more than 13+ years of experience in B2B marketing at financial data, information and technology companies. In her current role, she is the global head of marketing, and she also serves on her firm’s Americas Management Team. She has a Bachelors in Journalism from the University of Missouri and an MBA from Columbia Business School. Outside of work, she is active in several non-profit organizations, with a special passion for empowering female leaders and growing small businesses. In her spare time, she’s training her dog to do ridiculous tricks, hiking, cooking or learning new data and digital marketing skills. LinkedIn
Eric has been an AMA SF member since 2010. His vision for a successful AMA SF is to bring together technology, knowledge and thought leadership to help others in the marketing community succeed. He wholeheartedly believes his fellow members and the AMA SF’s resources have helped him stay informed and connected to the overall practice of great marketing. As the owner of Workbox, Eric provides leadership to his clients by tapping into his extensive marketing and technology background to design and build websites and web apps, and run sophisticated online marketing campaigns for clients such as Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Axsome Therapeutics, and DiffusionData. > LinkedIn