MANAGEMENT TEAM BIOGRAPHIES Lynn Casey Secretary, Lumin Chairman and CEO, Padilla Speer Beardsley Steve Cody Vice President, Lumin Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Peppercom, Inc. Matt Kucharski Vice President, Lumin Vice President, Padilla Speer Beardsley Ellen LaNicca President & Co-Founder, Patrice Tanaka & Company, Inc. Ed Moed Treasurer, Lumin Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Peppercom Inc. Mike Mulvihill Vice President, Lumin Chief Operating Officer, Carter Ryley Thomas Mark Raper Chairman, Lumin Chairman and CEO, Carter Ryley Thomas Patrice Tanaka Vice President, Lumin CEO, Creative Director and Co-Founder, Patrice Tanaka & Company, Inc. Lynn Casey Secretary, Lumin Chairman and CEO, Padilla Speer Beardsley Lynn Casey never planned on life in a public relations firm. When she joined a predecessor to Padilla Speer Beardsley (PSB) in 1983, it was just an “experience stop” – a year or two in the consulting world until she found a great corporation. Eighteen years later, she had found dozens of great corporations – as clients – and became PSB’s chief executive officer. Lynn is passionate about PSB and her work. (She still plans to return to the stage with her college jazz quintet, dive the Red Sea with her daughter, and skydive – but that can wait for now.) What bonds her to the agency business? The opportunity to access, influence and make a difference for a variety of clients. Her ability to listen, strategize and shoot straight with a heavy dose of business acumen has earned her a reputation for creating successful brand-building programs across many industries. Lynn serves on the boards of the Minnesota High Tech Association, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Minneapolis Convention and Visitors Association, the Minneapolis Downtown Council, and the University of Minnesota Alumni Association. She is a steering committee member of Building Business Investment in Community, a member of the Women’s Economic Roundtable and a trustee of Breck School, an independent college preparatory school based in Minneapolis. Professionally, Lynn is a past chair of the national Counselors Academy section of the Public Relations Society of America, and chairs the talent committee of the Council of Public Relations firms. top Steve Cody Vice President, Lumin Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Peppercom, Inc. Steve Cody is a tennis enthusiast, recreational runner and die-hard believer that any and all TV is a blatant waste of time, except for The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, anything on the History Channel and occasionally a Mets, Nets or Jets game. Steve’s true passion, however, is his voracious love of books. He is often seen reading two to three books at a time. But, he only reads historical, biographical or non-fiction books – a character flaw his family chalks off to early onset Attention Deficit Disorder. As a journalism major at Northeastern, Steve thought he was destined to be the next Bob Woodward or Walter Cronkite. Sadly, however, he found the cutthroat atmosphere in the newsrooms where he interned didn’t mesh well with his fun-loving personality. Next stop: advertising. Unfortunately there were no jobs available when Steve graduated. So, through various connections, Steve eventually secured an interview with Hill & Knowlton and was hired on the spot (without possessing any knowledge of PR – a deficiency he says remains true to this day). Even though his journalism career didn’t quite work out, Steve recently fulfilled a lifelong goal of being a published author, co-writing the book, “What’s Keeping Your Customers Up at Night?” A dedicated family man, Steve and his wife, Angie (who is affectionately known as “Jane Brody” because of her intense proselytizing about health and nutrition à la The New York Times columnist), have two children. There’s Chris, a budding historian and incoming freshman at the University of Vermont, and Catharine, a freshman in high school majoring in “the art of the social life.” The family also includes four pets: Pepper, for whom the agency is named; Mickens, a cute little puppy who has just joined the Cody clan; and two cats: Large and Little. While he adores his extended family and running Peppercom, Steve admits there is one other thing he’d rather be doing – playing centerfield for the New York Mets. top Matt Kucharski Vice President, Lumin Vice President, Padilla Speer Beardsley In his spare time, Matt Kucharski fraternizes with hardened criminals and helps corrupt the youth of America. But that’s not as dark and shadowy as he’d like to think. The criminal element is the result of his work with Minnesota Computers for Schools, a non-profit that works with inmates to refurbish computers for education programs. And “corrupting the youth” is Matt’s way of describing his post as an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota. Definitely more Lone Ranger than Drugstore Cowboy. At Padilla Speer Beardsley (PSB), Matt specializes in transforming start-ups into high fliers. His current roster of clients includes Rockwell Automation, RSA Security, Network Guidance, Entegris and Solutran. For more than 14 years, he has successfully implemented strategic public relations programs for technology and manufacturing players including Rockwell Automation, Microsoft, IBM, 3M and Iomega. Leading the PSB technology practice and a key member of the firm’s B2B marketing team, Matt is responsible for helping clients communicate with the marketplace, investors, employees and the media. He has extensive experience in positioning and message development; marketing communications planning; media relations training; corporate, brand and product positioning; merger and acquisition announcements; and issues management. top Ellen LaNicca Vice President, Lumin President & Co-Founder, Patrice Tanaka & Company, Inc. Ellen LaNicca likes to say that her first career as a teacher of the deaf was a great training ground for a career in communications. She learned to translate ideas in ways one would never expect and, perhaps even more crucial, how to survive in a classroom with kids on the verge of puberty. A prime example was the day a particularly feisty group of her little charges hid behind the classroom cork board and accidentally set fire to an innocent pile of papers. The only thing Ellen could think about was the building’s high tech sprinkler system that, she was assured, would be instantly triggered school-wide should a fire start in any classroom. Nothing like raining down on someone’s parade. Thankfully, she extinguished the fire before the system activated, galvanized the kids, and launched into a language curriculum about fear, fire, and fast action. The concepts the children learned that day stayed with them forever. Ellen, on the other hand, thought maybe a career move was in her future. And twenty-five years later she has gone from head of the class to head of Patrice Tanaka & Company, Inc. (PT&Co.) As president and one of the founding partners, Ellen has used that same resourcefulness for a number Fortune 500 companies including Hartz Mountain, Avon Products, Microsoft, Liz Claiborne and Charles Schwab & Co. Throughout her career she has introduced America to a little girl who is a coffee cake (Sara Lee); a Brit who is a vacuum cleaner (Dyson); and she’s also known for making Paul Newman a star…for his lemonade mix, that is. You remember an obscure operating system called Windows 95? Ellen helped make it a household word. Add fundraising for Avon’s Breast Cancer Awareness Crusade and staging events like the unveiling of the magnificently restored Washington Monument and you’ll see why she’s still jazzed, and crazy, after all these years. An active volunteer, Ellen is vice president of the New York League of Women Voters Education Foundation, she sits on the board of PRSA-NY and spearheads “Acts of Love & Kindness,” an annual PR industry initiative encouraging public relations professionals to volunteer their time and or resources to extend the Valentine’s Day message of love beyond the usual romantic connotations. She loves what she does, and even better, she hasn’t had a client set one of her programs on fire yet. Now that’s got to count for something. top Ed Moed Treasurer, Lumin Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Peppercom Inc. Ed Moed believes he may be the world’s first Jewish pizza maker (okay, maybe not the first, but at least one of the very few). While an undergraduate at Drew University, Ed learned how to make homemade, thin crust, authentic Italian pizza to help pay his way through school. He studied the intricacies of making sauce and dough, and even perfected the art of tossing (and, more importantly, catching) the dough to make a perfect thin crust. Although he could probably open his own pizza parlor, the reality is that Ed currently serves as a co-founder and managing partner of Peppercom Inc., where he is known for his expertise in developing value-added business, crisis, marketing and public relations partnerships. He helps invent and develop impactful partnership programs designed to raise client visibility and reputation, while also producing new business and marketing opportunities. Ed says he loves his work – even if it may overlap with his family life at times. (For example, he often asks his wife to summarize her key points in five bullets or less.) The energy he feels while working with clients – whether it’s helping to negotiate contracts, counseling PR tactics or brainstorming for a launch event – is incredible. Ed is a transatlantic council member of the Business American Business Inc., the Council of PR Firms and the Public Relations Society of America. He also serves on the President’s Planning Commission at Drew University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in political science. He also serves on the board of One Day’s Pay. top Mike Mulvihill Vice President, Lumin Chief Operating Officer, Carter Ryley Thomas Mike Mulvihill’s introduction to the world of public relations was a lot like one of those “Scared Straight” documentaries shown to kids in grade school. His first assignment was to visit a prison in Maryland, where he conducted research for a case study on flame retardant additives used in the facility’s mattress factory. Ever try to get a camera into a prison? Mike can tell you it’s not easy. Since then, Mike’s work environment has improved dramatically. As chief operating officer at Carter Ryley Thomas (CRT), he now focuses on technology, business-to-business and consumer products, and has provided investor relations counsel for several IPOs and spin-offs. Prior to CRT, Mike was a member of Earle Palmer Brown-PR’s (EPB) Systemwide Executive Committee. He also served as director of public relations for Hameroff/Milenthal/Spence (now known as HMS), a $40 -million agency located in Columbus, Ohio. Born in Brooklyn, raised in New Jersey and living for the past 13 years in Virginia, Mike has learned to understand an array of East Coast dialects – from “youse guys” to “y’all.” In addition to his informal linguistics education, Mike holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Dayton. top Mark Raper Chairman, Lumin Chairman and CEO, Carter Ryley Thomas Mark Raper believes that love, values and fulfillment can and should be an integral part of the workplace experience. Cynical? Take a look at the results. As Mark suggests, Carter Ryley Thomas (CRT) has been blessed. As chairman/CEO (and founder) of CRT, Mark has helped build one of the most successful and largest public relations firms in the Southeast and mid- Atlantic regions. He serves as the heart and soul of CRT, a firm that is known for its smart, passionate work; its strong commitment to employees, families and clients; and its unique employee-ownership structure. Mark and CRT have earned almost every accolade in the public relations industry, including Silver and Bronze Anvils, Gold Quills and SABRE Awards. In 2000, the Better Business Bureau honored CRT with its Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics – only the second PR firm in the country to receive the award. The Holmes Report, a leading PR industry trade journal, has recognized CRT as one of the top five “Best PR Agencies to Work for in America” three years running. And, PRWeek has twice labeled CRT as a top five mid-sized agency in the U.S. Mark studied journalism at the University of Richmond before earning his degree in mass communications from Virginia Commonwealth University. He also completed the pharmacy program at Baylor University – Allied Health Center before running a military hospital pharmacy in Europe. His career includes top marketing and communications positions at a Fortune 500 company, a large not-for-profit and a top 25 agency. top Patrice Tanaka Vice President, Lumin CEO, Creative Director and Co-Founder, Patrice Tanaka & Company, Inc. Patrice Tanaka is light on her toes. Not long ago, she started studying Latin ballroom dance. Now her goal is to become an amateur dance champion. Don’t make the mistake of thinking she might not succeed. Since completing a successful management buyback of Patrice Tanaka & Company, Inc. (PT&Co.) in 1990, Patrice has led the agency to become one of the nation’s most highly-regarded independent PR firms. Over the past 13 years, the agency has grown rapidly and won more than 160 industry awards for its breakthrough PR campaigns. Patrice attributes the success of her agency to the fact that PT&Co. is wholly owned by the six original co-founders and owners – individuals who have come together to build an agency focused on creating “great work,” a “great workplace” and “great communities that work.” Patrice has been honored by a number of organizations, including the Public Relations Society of America, which presented her with its 2002 Paul M. Lund Award for Public Service; Asian Women in Business (AWIB), which saluted her with its Entrepreneurial Leadership Award; and the Star Group, which honored her as one of the “Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World” in 2001. She also received a Creativity All-Star Award from InsidePR in 2000. She currently serves on several boards, including Asian Women in Business, the Family Violence Prevention Fund, the Girl Scout Council of Greater New York and New York Women in Communications, where she serves as president. top		contact us | site map