Lisa Wilson, CEO

Wilson brings 20 years of perspective to her clients’ public relations programs.  Wilson founded VisiTech PR in 1998 and has had the opportunity to collaborate with some of the brightest minds in technology and marketing to elevate her clients’ PR campaigns to attention-getting levels.  She is known for her strategic insights that keep client PR programs fresh and on the cutting edge.

Besides PR, her interests are sparked by the technologies that drive entertainment, the communications networks that deliver content, and the software that drives business. Wilson’s experience includes telecom, cable, wireless, satellite, networking, enterprise, software, computer hardware, security and pretty much every vertical market that purchases technology.  She has worked on global PR programs for major technology companies such AST Computers, Samsung, Microchip, Sun Microsystems, AIWA, Polycom, and NAMCO.  She also enjoys working with hot, emerging companies such as all of VisiTech PR’s current client base.

Wilson speaks on public relations, social media, leadership, entrepreneurship and technology topics at industry events and conferences. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in business, with an emphasis in Marketing, from San Diego State University (SDSU), a certificate in public relations from Long Beach State University and graduated from the entrepreneurial masters program of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT.)

Kendra Westerkamp, Director

Westerkamp brings over a decade of high-tech PR agency experience to VisiTech PR. Her work is dedicated to demonstrating her passion for strategy, creativity and delivering optimal results for her clients. As a result, Westerkamp has won a number of prestigious PR awards, including her recent recognition as a “Top Tech Communicator” by PRSourceCode, an accolade for individual achievement given by the tech journalist community.

Throughout her career, Westerkamp has led successful global PR programs for an extensive list of technology companies and organizations including Polycom, Thomson MICROMEDEX, Samsung, The Cable Center, MessageGate, Wilson Electronics, ConceptWave, Hubspan, The Colorado Multi-Use Network, Silver Creek Systems, Xceive, Digital Fountain, Net Insight, NAMCO, CIBER, XOR, Gold Systems and others.

With an extensive focus on media and analyst relations and strategic communications planning, Westerkamp successfully leverages her experience in a number of industries including telecom, cable, wireless, IT enterprise software, semiconductors and components and networking as well as associated vertical markets such as education, government, healthcare, finance, energy, retail and supply chain/manufacturing. Westerkamp has secured client coverage with publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, BusinessWeek, CIO, eWEEK, InformationWeek, CNET, Red Herring and ComputerWorld.

In addition to high-tech BtoB and B2C clients, Westerkamp’s knack for media relations and PR strategy has also delivered optimal results for non-tech clients such as PacifiCare, The University of Denver, Colorado State University, Thanasi Foods and BODY WORLDS: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies.

Courtney Carlisle, Director

Courtney Carlisle has spent 10 years in brand communications and marketing, building new brands and invigorating well-established programs and companies with innovative public relations campaigns.

Carlisle has worked with blue chip clients, such as Mattel, Nestle, Dole, Ritz-Carlton, Columbia Crest/Domaine St. Michelle, Levi’s, Sunkist, General Motors, Philips Electronics, Dell, Pioneer and Red Bull in addition to several innovative wireless and technology start ups, such as Flipswap and HulloMail. Before joining VisiTech PR, Carlisle launched the new mobile service Helio, a joint venture between Earthlink in the United States and SK Telecom in Korea, and its unique handsets as in-house public relations counsel.

Working for leading agencies and as in-house PR counsel in the Los Angeles area, Carlisle collaborated with influencers, top chefs, celebrities and tastemakers to promote her clients. She developed strong relationships with her clients to establish media and marketing strategies, as well as with targeted medias. She also gained broad experience in event logistics and coordination through trade show, large-scale and red carpet productions, such as Helio’s Drift Launch Party featuring Beck; the GM All Car Showdown with Shaquille O’Neal; the California Governor’s and First Lady Conference; and Hot Wheels’ 35th Anniversary.

Bill Menezes, Director

As a veteran national journalist, Menezes gained in-depth knowledge about the technology industries, trends and players he now enjoys working with at VisiTech PR, as well as first-hand experience with best practices in tech public relations.

Following nearly a decade as a reporter and business news editor for The Associated Press, Menezes then focused on cable, wireless, telecom and their technology ecosystems as a senior writer and then editorial director for the national industry publications Wireless Week, Broadband Week and Multichannel News.

Working closely with industry figures from engineers to CEOs, Menezes was able to feed his personal passion for tech by covering and directing coverage of the epic changes sweeping tech-related businesses, gaining insights into technology related to wireless, cable, networking, telecom, IT, fixed and mobile broadband access, the Web, digital content and consumer products.

Menezes then moved into public relations, leveraging his background knowledge and experience as an award-winning public and media relations consultant. He has worked with such clients as Cricket Wireless, Aurora Networks, SteelEye and Network Cadence.

Valérie Sontot, Director, France

Valérie Sontot began her career in public relations 14 years ago. She has excelled on diverse projects from strategic counsel to pure media relations. Sontot is a tech PR veteran with knowledge that covers a broad range of B2B technologies such as networking, storage, software, electronics, multimedia, cabling, CRM and IT security.  Sontot is flexible and can deliver on PR campaigns with both solid execution and well-founded strategic counsel. Sontot also excels at media training for the senior managers of client companies.

After working five years in Dublin as the European PR Manager for Gateway Computers, Sontot joined Text 100’s Paris office as an account director.  For more than five years, Sontot managed and coordinated complex, global campaigns for prestigious brands such as IBM, StorageTek, Microsoft, Gartner Group and Analog Devices. During her career, Sontot has managed B2C campaigns for TripAdvisor and ebookers. Passionate for communication and for mentoring the next generation of PR professionals, she regularly lectures to public relations students.

Ronja Hartmann, Director, Germany

With more than a decade of experience in global public relations, Hartmann has strong media relationships with technology journalists in Germany and across Europe.  Hartmann combines strategic and conceptual creativity with practical solutions to create customized campaigns for promoting clients in a powerful and efficient manner.

As a seasoned high-tech PR veteran, Hartman has a broad range of experience in technology related to IP, networking, storage, enterprise software, multimedia, digital video, DRM, wireless, web, IT security and consumer/digital lifestyle products.

Before joining VisiTech PR, Hartmann held a senior PR position with DivX in Germany. In this role, she led and executed all communications strategy and PR campaigns for EMEA.  While at DivX, she managed four PR agencies.  Her experience at DivX gives her a true understanding of PR management from the corporate perspective.   During her career, Hartmann managed PR programs for several major brands and exciting technology companies including Siemens Communications, SMC Networks, Adaptec, Allied Telesyn, Great Plains, Equiinet, WeSpot, BlackSpider, Vyou, muvee, C-Technologies and Anoto.

Kate Warwick, Director, UK

Kate Warwick has more than twelve years in public relations.  She cut her technology PR teeth in the dotcom boom over the turn of the millennium, whilst at one of the world’s largest agencies, Weber Shandwick. A key member of the technology division that was ranked No.1 in the UK by PR Week and Marketing (2000), Warwick has experience in a wide range of technology and business PR; including telecoms, IT and consumer technology. Having worked with clients such as Panasonic, Huddle, Arts Alliance, Media Lab Europe, Monster.co.uk and wcities.com, Warwick is equally at home with traditional and social media campaigns for both B2B and consumer clients.
Over the years, Warwick has developed a strong reputation with UK journalists and clients for being shrewd about what makes a client newsworthy and savvy about creating PR strategies that deliver relevant coverage. Warwick aims to offer a straight-forward approach to public relations, focusing on producing demonstrable results.

Aurora Arlet, Account Executive

Arlet’s passion for technology doesn’t skip a beat.  Whether it’s serving on the Technology Section of PRSA Denver, lecturing about social media or connecting with contacts at good old fashioned print publications, Arlet is on top of all the industry trends and knows exactly where her clients will be successful.

Arlet found her knack for technology while working for a consulting agency in Scandinavia with international innovators such as Nokia, Skype, Telia Sonera and Movial.

Using her strong grasp of industry trends, Arlet has helped create and execute award-winning campaigns that have secured client coverage with U.S. and international publications such as The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, MSNBC, The Guardian, WIRED, TechCrunch, The New York Times, Telephony, Broadcasting & Cable, Light Reading, Cable & Satellite International, InformationWeek, Baseline and BusinessWeek.  Arlet has also developed strong relationships with leading industry analysts from firms around the globe, including Gartner, IDC, Forrester, Aberdeen, AMR, Enterprise Strategy Group and more.

Arlet’s client experience includes work with NAMCO, Polycom, Xceive, MessageGate, Aurora Networks, ConceptWave, MIKOH and Hubspan. She also has worked with numerous international PR campaigns, including Samsung, Edgeware, Net Insight and Irdeto. Her specialty industries include cable and telecommunications, gaming and entertainment, enterprise software, wireless, security, semiconductors, application development, networking and electronics.

She received a Bachelors of Science from the University of Colorado, at Boulder with an emphasis in Broadcast and a minor in Sociology and Gender Studies.

Michael Hopkins, Account Executive

Hopkins has spent more than 13 years within the cable, satellite, telecom and IT industries, writing and editing for a number of national and international publications and as a public relations professional.

Hopkins started covering the communications business first as a reporter then as editor of SkyREPORT, a daily Web-based publication covering the satellite industry. Eventually, Hopkins branched out into coverage of the cable, broadband and telecom businesses with The Morning BRIDGE, a daily e-mail publication he helped launch in 2005.  Hopkins also supervised editorial content and distribution for The BRIDGE, a weekly publication delivering research and insight into the cable, satellite and telecom businesses.  Hopkins has contributed articles to Light Reading, Satellite Business News and for the quarterly newsletter of Cable Television Laboratories, the cable industry’s non-profit research consortium.

In addition to his strong journalism background, Hopkins’ work in public relations has been spent working with a number of cable and telecom technology clients including Aurora Networks, Sunrise Telecom and Verecloud as well as IT companies such as SteelEye Technology.

Joe Giordano, Account Representative

Working in high-tech PR for the majority of his career, semiconductors for wireless high-definition televisions, mobile social networking and email and Web security are just a few of the areas of expertise Giordano brings to VisiTech PR.

With a passion for technology and a dedication to exceeding client expectations,
Giordano has executed sophisticated PR programs for companies such as Plantronics, Altec Lansing, Webroot and MX Logic, to name a few.

In addition, Giordano has a strong background in Web 2.0 and mobile technologies. His research examining how individuals reacted to mass notification text messages sent by SMS aggregators was recognized by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Before his career public relations, Giordano worked at Cox Enterprises where he served as an award-winning community newspaper reporter in Southwestern Ohio. Giordano earned his master’s degree in Public Communication and Technology from Colorado State University and his bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Miami University.

Rachel Nobel, Account Representative

Nobel brings global perspective and diverse technology experience to VisiTech PR. In addition to her work in the U.S., Nobel has honed her PR skills working for large public relations agencies in London and Sydney.  Her international experience includes work on global campaigns for both consumer tech and B2B clients, such as Microsoft, Hitachi, AT&T, Toshiba and NCR.

Prior to her agency work, Nobel worked in-house at Intel Corp. and the Northern Arizona University Office of Public Affairs. She was also a journalist for the university newspaper.

Leveraging her skills and “out-of-the-box” thinking, Nobel consistently generates and delivers new ideas that drive results. Creative and motivated by nature, she thrives on working with people and meeting challenging goals.

Nobel holds a BS degree in Public Relations and Advertising and a BA in French from Northern Arizona University. She also attended a business school in Strasbourg, France, where she studied international marketing, as well as fine-tuned her French speaking skills and knowledge of the culture.