Access Executive Network Presents Forum on Managing Innovation

PRLog (Press Release) - Jan. 10, 2012 - COSTA MESA, Calif.— An accomplished panel of experts will discuss and debate the best practices for managing the innovation process at the Access Executive Network monthly forum on January 17, 2012 at 6:00 PM at the Center Club, 650 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, Calif.

According to Ed Inal, AccessEN chairman, once an idea is fully formed and the product is just about to go out the door it is normal to think about how to take it to the next step. Company management needs to ensure that the next version of the product or service is what the customer really needs and will purchase so the company can stay ahead of the competition while continuing to evaluate the myriad of new opportunities.  

“Our panel of experts will discuss ways to manage the innovation process, gather the right information for product development, create powerful product positioning and messaging, insure that the product teams are in alignment, and prepare for a successful product launch to reach sustainable market and revenue growth,” Inal said.

Panelist Thumbnail Bios

•   Dr. Tony Karrer, CEO/CTO of TechEmpower, a Los Angeles web development firm, is considered one of the top technologists in e-Learning. He has twenty years’ experience as a CTO. Dr. Karrer taught Computer Science for eleven years. He has been the CTO for several start-ups, most notably eHarmony. His work in social media, e-Learning and performance support has won awards and has led him into engagements at many Fortune 500 companies including Credit Suisse, Royal Bank of Canada, Citibank, Lexus, Microsoft, Nissan, Universal, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems, Fidelity Investments, Symbol Technologies and SHL Systemhouse. Dr. Karrer was valedictorian at Loyola Marymount University, attended the University of Southern California as a Tau Beta Pi fellow, one of the top 30 engineers in the nation, and received a M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science. He is a frequent speaker at industry and academic events.

•   Lisa Ames, director of marketing programs for PivotLink, has over 15 years of experience in all aspects of integrated digital marketing, including marketing automation, database and market segmentation, campaign development and execution, lead management and CRM, analytics and closed-loop reporting.  Throughout her career she has been an expert at successfully aligning sales leaders and their teams to communicate marketing strategies and set tactics to support pipeline and revenue growth.  Prior to joining PivotLink, Ms. Ames was director of marketing programs with Kofax, and also served as direct marketing manager with DATAllegro (acquired by Microsoft).  She is a graduate of Stanford University.

•   Eileen Licitra, product strategy consultant with Concentric Focus, has over 15 years of strategic product management and marketing experience.  She has led the strategy, launch and management of several vertical consumer websites, digital advertising products, and SaaS products for media companies, growing both market share and revenue in highly competitive markets. Ms. Licitra has held vice president of product management positions with Local.com and MediaSpan Online Services, and served as director of multimedia product management for The Orange County Register.  She holds a master’s degree in communications management from USC’s Annenberg School for Communication, and a bachelor’s degree in marketing.

Featured Business Case:  How the Alzheimer’s Association of Orange County can increase business support in the community

The Alzheimer’s Association of Orange County was founded in 1982, when there was an estimated 9,000 people in the County suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Today, 75,000 Orange County residents are currently affected by Alzheimer's disease, or at high risk of developing it.  The disease not only has a major and devastating impact on families, but also on companies whose employees must take care of family members suffering from the disease.

Jim McAleer, president and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association of Orange County will provide an overview of the disease and its impact on the business community.  He will also discuss the Association’s need to elicit increased support from businesses to assist their employees who are faced with the challenging and emotionally charged responsibility of taking care of family members with the disease – while holding down their jobs.  

Admission to the event is $45 for non-members and $25 for students. Space is limited; pre-registration may be required to ensure seating. Register online at http://www.accessen.org.

AccessEN sponsors include Daly-Swartz Public Relations; Latisys; Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth; The Center Club; Sandler Training; BridgeGate; TriNet; and CyberianSoft.

About Access Executive Network
Access Executive Network (http://www.accessen.org) is dedicated to bringing together leaders and senior executives to enhance professional connections and give back to the community. AccessEN focuses on helping other entrepreneurs and executives by sharing knowledge and expertise. With strong ties to the community and a desire to not only support each other, but also to support the community at large, AccessEN has quickly grown to be a well-known presence in Orange County with an eye to expanding throughout Southern California.

Contact:
Daly-Swartz PR for AccessEN
Jeffrey Swartz, 949-470-0075
jeffreyswartz@dsprel.com

Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/11768728/1