Linda Armstrong
EVP, Practice Leader
Linda’s career like many people at DMW spans both the agency and client-side roles. She knows through personal experience what clients need and what they value. With over 35 years of experience in direct response insurance marketing, Linda functions as DMW Direct’s Insurance Practice Leader. In this position, she is charged with keeping DMW clients and colleagues abreast of insurance industry opportunities and challenges. She assists in translating that information into action by assisting in the strategic planning for all DMW clients. Her particular expertise in the Boomer population is often called upon to help clients sell to the newest leading edge Boomers as they enter Medicare. She also delivers her industry insights in a variety of forums such as conferences, whitepapers, industry publication articles and webinars.
Prior to joining DMW 19 years ago, Linda was Vice President of Marketing Services for Monumental General Insurance Group (AEGON) in Baltimore and she held positions in both direct response creative and marketing at National Liberty Corporation, marketing arm of National Home Life Assurance Company.
Cheryl Biondi
Vice President, Creative Director
A proud Penn State Grad, Cheryl brings the insight of 25 years in advertising to her insight and opinion regarding marketing and communications — focused on direct response marketing. She has worked with client companies from weight loss to auto insurance, executing persuasive messaging in all media.In addition to her role in the agency creative department, Cheryl is called to judge at numerous award shows and continues her work earning a Lifetime Achievement Award, raising a family of three children with her husband, Chris.
Cathy Carleton
Director, Data Analytics
Cathy has a passion for turning complex raw data into real-world, plain-English insight people can understand and use. Comfortable in her role at DMW Direct, a large portion of Cathy’s career has been on the client side – first in operations, and for the last thirteen years leading marketing teams that provide data stewardship, analytics and insight across channels and business units. It’s no surprise that she brings the client’s point of view into any analytical strategy.
Cathy has served on the Program Advisory Committee for the National Center for Database Marketing (NCDM), participated as a judge for the NCDM Excellence Awards, and has also served on the IBM SPSS Customer Advisory Board. She is a member of the Philadelphia Internet Marketing Association, Agile Philly, and the Digital Analytics Association. Cathy holds a BA in Liberal Arts from Assumption College, and has studied at the SAS Institute and St. Joseph’s University.
Warren Hunter
Chairman
For nearly 35 years, Warren has helped marketers reap the fruits of their marketing investment: first as a marketing director and officer at various insurance companies, and since 1988 working with clients as an agency consultant. Clients in many categories—financial services, business-to-business, and utilities, as well as health, life, and property and casualty insurance—have all tapped Warren’s experience to enhance their marketing programs.
Warren has been instrumental in the launch or expansion of the direct marketing efforts for a cross-section of companies including over 20 BlueCross BlueShield Plans, Exelon Energy, Discover Card, World Book Encyclopedia, Fireman’s Fund Direct and Response Insurance using multimedia advertising, database marketing methods, and multi-channel distribution.
Warren served nine years on the Echo Board of Governors of the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), has served on the Board of Directors of the Professional Insurance Marketing Association, is currently serving on the Board of Trustees for the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation and is a frequent speaker at insurance and direct marketing events. He was named the DMA’s Financial Services Marketer of the Year in 2008 and Insurance Marketer of the Year in 2011.
Kevin Kane
Account Director
Kevin’s professional portfolio encompasses over 25 years of strategic and brand marketing, new business development, and direct response marketing. His background includes a broad range of business-to-business and business-to-consumer engagements, including roles on both the client and agency sides of the business.
DMW Direct‘s clients value Kevin’s strategic focus and finely honed grasp of segmentation marketing. Beyond his years in the agency business, Kevin was responsible for a number of product launches in a corporate role, including the the Alpo cat food line extension and Alpo Puppy Food for Alpo Pet Foods, and Chewy Candy Tongues for Cadbury-Schweppes.
Kevin was also a founding member of the Philadelphia Chapter of MENG, an international marketing organization, and the Health Care Marketing Consortium. He is a cum laude graduate of Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing. He has also completed the AAAA Executive Management workshop.
Gina Kneib, C.P.M.
EVP, Agency Operations & Privacy Compliance Officer
A career marketing professional focused on operational excellence, Gina’s senior expertise and experience combine to not only maximize the deployment of direct marketing campaigns in a timely and cost-efficient manner, but also to make certain all aspects of agency operation fully comply with all HIPPA regulations, privacy guidelines and security protocols.
As is evident from the range of her posts on the NGB blog, Gina is far from a one-dimensional professional. DMW Direct clients, however, are thankful for her focus and capabilities which bring continuous process improvement to the delivery of services to their businesses.
Gina holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Information Technology, as well as professional Certification in Purchasing Management from the Institute for Supply Management (which entitles her to those impressive initials after her name).
Renee Mezzanotte
EVP, Client Services
Even as Renee chairs the agency’s activity status meeting each morning, she has her eye on the big picture and her role as one of the key strategists at DMW Direct. She has spearheaded the development of numerous successful consumer and business acquisition and retention programs across a variety of industries, including telecommunications, credit card, weight loss, insurance and cable/high-speed Internet. Prior to joining DMW Direct, she worked closely with such clients as British Telecommunications, Nextel, and NutriSystem.
Currently, Renee shares her acumen leading strategy development and overall account management with all of DMW Direct’s clients. In addition to her account management experience, Renee also directs media and data analytics functions. In those roles, she has been instrumental in developing sophisticated media and database capabilities that focused on leading-edge applications of customization and personalization strategies as a means of reaching highly desirable target audiences.
Megan Shisler
Social Media & PR Coordinator; Editor No Green Bananas
As the DMW Direct Social Media & PR Coordinator, Megan not only works to get the agency’s name on the radar of potential prospects, but gives the outside world a glance into the culture of our Chesterbrook office on the DMW Facebook page. She multi-tasks her way through each day coordinating agency promotion, news releases and articles in major publications, as well as managing agency social media participation. Previously, Megan vented her prodigious energy reserves playing lacrosse and rugby while earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an Art History minor at West Chester U, and then coaching high school lacrosse and field hockey while earning a teaching Certificate from Kutztown University. In her free time (yes, she has energy to burn) she likes to be outside, especially in Sea Isle City, watching stand-up comedy or hanging out with friends.
Bill Spink
EVP, Chief Creative Officer
Bill’s insights stem from his work crafting winning creative executions, and leading creative teams as they develop winners. He brings a widely diversified background to his points of view, spanning work communicating to varied audiences in financial services, various consumer and business-to-business marketing and advertising categories. From credit cards to home equity loans to private banking services — including such wide-ranging products as T-shirts, dog treats and pest control, Bill would never say he’s “seen it all,” but he has seen a lot. And the key — in all cases — is seeing the world from the consumer’s point of view. When those perspectives range from single mom’s to retired couples; CEO’s to lift ruck oeprators, it really broadens one’s perspective.
Bill’s is a member of the Direct Marketing Association, The DMA’s Echo Academy, The Philadelphia Direct Marketing Association, and Philadelphia Art Director’s Club. He is a frequent judge at both regional and international award shows. His work work has been recognized at numerous award shows, including several Caples and a Clio. Bill also posts periodically on his own blog “Frankly I’m Puzzled” sharing a creative perspective on marketing and life at large.
Matt Thompson
Dakota Diesel
Partner, Client Services
With nearly two decades of hands-on interactive experience, first at Razorfish and now at Dakota-Diesel, Matt Thompson and his team bring proven expertise developing and implementing the most appropriate interactive solutions based on each client’s stated goals. As DMW Direct‘s interactive partner, Matt contributes to online planning, design, and delivery; email, video production and online distribution; microsite and website development; usability and user experience analysis and improvement; and SEO/SEM and social media applications.
Through the right combination of applicable products, available technologies and professional services, Matt has built successful programs and managed implementation for clients such as PNC Financial, Aetna, AARP, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca.
Wendy Vagnoni
Vice President, Creative Director
As a multi-award-winning creative director at DMW Direct, Wendy Vagnoni is responsible for managing the agency’s creative resources against specific client programs, as well as continuing to develop innovative, winning creative approaches. A self-professed advertising junkie with a fascination for understanding human behavior, Wendy prides herself on crafting breakthrough winning creative positioning and packaging that delivers powerful results for her clients in a variety of media channels, from print to mail to broadcast, interactive, outdoor, collateral support and more.
A member of the Direct Marketing Association and its local chapter, The Philadelphia Direct Marketing Association, Wendy is a 1981 cum laude graduate of The Pennsylvania State University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism.
Len Zappolo
Executive Director, Media Services
Len brings DMW Direct clients over 17 years of general and direct marketing media experience. He is responsible for comprehensive media research, planning, and analysis. Len’s team of media planners and buyers provides daily campaign management, in-depth weekly reporting and analysis, and ongoing micromanagement to achieve targeted campaign metrics.
Len has worked in all media forms (broadcast, mail, digital, our of home and alternative media) for both acquisition and customer retention programs. All his work – and blog posts – reflect his range of experience in financial services, hospitality and attractions, telecommunications, auto and other industries.
Tracy Elasfari
Director of Production
Tracy Elasfari is Director of Production at DMW Direct, responsible for overseeing the production department as the agency team executes direct mail, DRTV and telemarketing campaigns. She also contributes hands-on as lead production manager for various agency clients as well as new business activity.
Tracy has put her 17-plus years of printing and advertising experience to work developing procedures to assure optimal efficiency and quality control for creative release of projects, quality, process flow, and vendor qualification.
The DMW team relies on Tracy’s recommendations at creative and planning sessions regarding innovative formats, pricing, postal qualification and supplier selection. She works hand-in-hand with both account services and creative during the creative process to ensure concepts are technically producible and within proposed budgets.
Prior to joining DMW Tracy held production positions at Brown + Partners and Euro RSCG Devon Direct. She is currently a member of the Greater Philadelphia Postal Customer Council.
Greg Marta
Director of Digital Marketing
Greg Marta has been a leader in interactive marketing for over 17 years. Greg’s experience includes virtually every aspect of digital marketing but these days he’s focused on paid search, targeted display, landing page testing and optimization, user experience design and attribution modeling. He has enjoyed working with top Fortune 500 brands both client-side with MetLife and agency-side with Razorfish as well as leading several successful entrepreneurial start ups. Greg has earned an MBA from Loyola College’s Executive fellows program as well as professional certifications from Marketing Experiments in Paid Search Management and The Fundamentals of Online Testing and from Pragmatic Marketing for Practical Product Management, Requirements that Work and Pragmatic Roadmapping.
Jill Appicello-Heyl
Account Manager
Jill has over 8 years of direct response marketing experience, primarily in the insurance and health industry. As an Account Manager, Jill assists with the planning of client activity, coordination and management of program campaigns and development of client relationships. She has worked with insurance companies that marketed property and casualty, life insurance, Medicare Advantage and Supplement, and under 65 products. Her experience continues to grow across a multitude of direct response media including digital, direct mail campaigns, print and DRTV.
Prior to joining DMW Direct, Jill worked at TGP Direct and fwd>direct. She is a magna cum laude graduate of West Chester University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Management.
