James F. Dawson, CBC
President

After managing the Dawson Marketing Group, a top 25 design firm in Boston (per the Boston Business Journal) for 15 years, Jim relocated to Dallas-Fort Worth and re-opened his agency. An award-winning marketer, he has created programs for General Motors, Anheuser Busch, Verizon, American Express, the World Trade Center Boston, Hyundai, the Harvard Medical School, Carlson Wagonlit Travel and others. Prior to starting his agency, he held marketing roles with Liberty Mutual, DuPont and Kendall, a $1 billion division of Colgate Palmolive.

Organizations including the New England Direct Marketing Association, the Medical Marketing Association, International Association of Business Communicators, and the Health Care Exhibitors Association have recognized programs he developed with various awards. Publications such as Marketing News, Exhibitor Magazine, Sales and Marketing Magazine and Crain's New York Business Daily have featured articles pertaining to campaigns he created. The Trade Show Exhibitors Association recognized a program he created with the Most Remembered Exhibit of the Year Award, and the Public Relations Society of America and Retail Merchants Association awarded him a Best Promotion of the Year Award.

A journalism graduate of Northeastern University, Jim interned at the Boston Globe for three years. He later earned a Certified Business Communicator (CBC) designation from the Business Marketing Association, a masters-level certification achieved by less than 5% of professionals nationwide.

Jim is President of the American Marketing Association, Dallas-Fort Worth, a member of the Dallas Advertising League and the DFW Interactive Marketing Association. He has been a Marketing & Creative Judge for the Annual Crystal Awards hosted by the Houston AMA Chapter the past two years. He has also been a Promotional Judge for the Sizzle Awards - a national competition for promotional and event marketing hosted by Exhibitor Magazine.

He is past-president of both the American Marketing Association and the Business Marketing Association, Boston, and a past-chairman of the Trade Show Exhibitors Association. He has also been on marketing advisory boards for the Dimock Community Health Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Central Massachusetts Association for Retarded Citizens (CMARC).

Christopher J. Samuels
Chief Research Officer, Dawson Marketing Group;
Chairman and CEO, CommunitasOnline

In the realm marketing research, customer satisfaction and market segmentation, Christopher has few peers when it comes developing studies that deliver the essence of what a client absolutely needs to know. In addition to driving research and strategy development at Dawson Marketing Group, Chris is CEO of CommunitasOnline, a Web-based research company that utilizes a proprietary technology to fully integrate open- and closed-ended questions in a single study. Previously, he was the CEO/Founder  of the Center for Strategy Research and directed strategic marketing and segmentation work for national and international clients. This includes assignments for McDonald's, Disney, FedEx, IBM, 3M, Charles Schwab, Bank of America, BP/Amoco, Greater Baltimore Medical Center, AIG, JP Morgan Chase, Apple, EF Educational Tours, California Teachers Association, CARE and OnStar.

Previously, Chris directed the Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) business and technical research facility, Business Data Analysts. Before working with BCG, Chris, in partnership with Mitsubishi International, was a director of Information for Business, an industrial research firm. There, he oversaw the development of research methodologies while working with the firm's clients on new applications of commercial and industrial research.

Chris began his career in business at McKinsey & Company, management consultants, where he was Director of Research.

Bob Kaplitz
Vice President, New Media

In the realm of new media and integrating online video to communicate a message or engage an audience, Bob is a master at developing content that resonates with viewers both on- and offline.

So whether it’s a compelling testimonial, a new business program, an interactive presentation or creating a compelling story that demands to be told in any media, Bob is a true expert.

He started his career on the television side as an intern with Dan Rather, and has covered a variety of people ranging from Janis Joplin to Janet Reno, covered Miami Vice — the real thing, reported on organized crime for the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite and CBS Radio, and was selected as the Best TV Investigative Reporter in North America. He has also written for publications including Broadcasting Magazine, the Dallas Morning News and numerous Web sites.

In following his passion for online media, Bob volunteers as vice president of new media for the American Marketing Association's DFW chapter. He also serves as Director of the New Media Institute and adjunct professor at the University of Dallas Graduate School of Management where he teaches international advertising as well as advertising and marketing communications. He is a member of the University of North Texas’ Advisory Board in the Department of Radio, Television, and Film.

Bob earned an undergraduate degree in psychology and a masters degree from the renowned Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University. He’s certified as a process leader in innovation by the global company, Synectics, and studied at the Center for Creative Leadership.

Shayne Washburn
Creative Director

Shayne started his career as a designer at RBMM, a division of The Richards Group, and one of the most prestigious branding firms in the country. During his 13-year career, he reached senior designer status and was internationally recognized in publications such as Graphis, Communication Arts, Print, How and received Gold medals in the Dallas Society of Visual Arts Show, the Houston Show and Tops.

Shayne has been recognized for his work with clients such as Homegate Studios and Suites, Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie, The Dallas Symphony Derby, First Baptist Academy Dallas, Briggs Equipment, El Paso Chile Co., USA Cycling Federation and Hartco Flooring. He has also worked with Pilgrim's Pride, Baylor Hospital, Children's Medical Center, The Home Depot, Wyndham Hotels, Chick-fil-a, Prudential, Putnam Penguin Publishing, Pergo Flooring, The Dallas Country Club, Texas A&M Foundation, Greyhound Inc. and Junior Achievement of Dallas.

Brian Feuerman
Creative/Copywriting

With over 20+ years experience, Brian has an extensive background in hotel and resort advertising, restaurants, retail/consumer and legal services. Clients served include: the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Marriott and Sheraton Hotels, and many independent properties from Maine to Texas. Restaurants served include the Vinny T's of the Boston Restaurant Group and numerous restaurants associated with resorts.

Working with creative, Brian develops print advertising, direct marketing campaigns, outdoor and transit, point-of-purchase, radio and television (writing, casting, and production), website creation and more, communicating to both consumer and business-to-business markets.

He has received 1st place awards from the New England Direct Marketing Association, the Boston Advertising Club Hatch Awards, Boston Bell Ringer, the Ad Club Supershow of Rhode Island, Holland Awards, Echo Awards, John Caples International Award for copywriting, the CASE Award for legal advertising, and dozens of awards from the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association for excellence in resort and travel advertising.

Jennifer Burk
Media Director

Offering over two decades of hands-on media and account service experience with full-service agencies
(J. Walter Thompson, McCann Erickson, The Bloom Agency), Jennifer has worked on national, regional and local accounts. At JWT, she supervised media research, planning and buying for 26 offices. Her responsibilities included analyzing primary and secondary research available to support media recommendations; target audience demographics, media habits and lifestyle analysis using MRI, Scarborough, Demographics Now and other resources; competitive media analysis using CMR; geographic and demographic analysis and media targeting; media approach, strategy and plan development, including rationale for media recommendations; media evaluations; media budget allocation; media buying and negotiations using Strata; negotiation of value-added and merchandising opportunities; integration of online and direct response media; developing and/or recommending opportunistic media packages for agency clients.

Her account experience includes B2C, B2B, direct response, corporate and employer branding, and tune-in advertising. Specific national and local media planning and buying experience includes broadcast, newspaper, consumer and trade publications, out-of-home, direct mail, non-traditional and interactive.

Among the accounts she has served are: CitiMortgage, FedEx, General Motors, Home Depot, May Department Stores, Shell Oil, Starbucks, Tenet Healthcare, EMSI, VHA, Galderma, Harris Methodist Health System, Panasonic Copiers, Leon’s Texas Cuisine, Edward Jones and Wright Brand Foods.