Staff and Advisory Board

Staff
	Hope Bertram Windy City Social Founder, Hope Bertram, is from the Chicagoland area. She holds a Masters in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University and has worked as a Direct / Interactive Marketer at top companies such as GE Consumer Finance, Discover Card and Sears Holdings. Most recently she’s become well versed with Social Media, drawing hundreds of people to her events using facebook, twitter and viral videos.Hope was recently honored as one of Chicago’s Social Media Elites at The Chevy Equinox Chicagonista.com Social Media Soiree and one of Chicago’s top 25 Most Influential Women in Social Media at Chicago’s Social Media Starlet event hosted by Four Keys Media and Nancy Loo from Fox Chicago

Advisory Board
	Perianne Grignon, VP of Media and CMO, [x+1] As the VP of Media and CMO at [x+1], Perianne Grignon has extensive experience leading major advertisers and agencies through the diverse media and communications landscape. Grignon was the Vice President of Media Strategy & Digital Innovation at Sears Holdings Corporation, a position she held for ten years. During her tenure at Sears Holdings, Grignon developed the widely successful partnership with ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and led the company into the use of digital and social media while controlling an annual media budget of $1Billion. Most recently, Grignon was the Senior VP of Marketing at the Online Publishers Association, the industry trade association that represents the interests of high quality online content sites. Before joining Sears in 1998, her previous roles included Director of Media Strategy at AT&T and Executive Vice President and Director of Media and New Technologies at Bates Worldwide. Ms. Grignon is former co-chairperson of the ANA Television Committee and a member of the Executive Committee of the Family Friendly Programming Forum. She was named a 2008 Media Maven by Advertising Age, a Working Mother of the Year by AWNY, is a frequent speaker at media industry events and is always optimistic about the future of media innovations.
	Ben Parr Ben Parr is a respected tech journalist, web entrepreneur, sci-fi author, and aspiring world changer. He is currently an Editor at Mashable, the world’s leading online publication on social media and web technology. He’s appeared in media such as CNN, the BBC, and The New York Times.In addition, he is working on a new, currently unannounced startup and recently completed his first sci-fi novel, The Eternal Sphere. In the past, he has worked on Facebook applications and in the web health space.
	Daliah Saper Daliah Saper is a member of the Illinois Bar and both the General Bar and Trial Bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. She has handled high profile cases and has been featured in several publications including: National Jurist Magazine, Chicago Lawyer Magazine, Chicago Reader, P2Pnet.net, StyleExpose.com, and SBTV.com. She has repeatedly received the honor of being named a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers magazine and was recently nominated for the prestigious ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award. Daliah is a frequent lecturer, panelist, and instructor for organizations around the city and the country. She is on the faculty of PLI, Practicing Law Institute, and has been selected by Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society to be a member of Harvard’s new Online Media Legal Network (OMLN). This spring Daliah will serve as an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, teaching a Sports and Entertainment law course.
	Teri GidwitzTeri Gidwitz is a senior level executive with a background in marketing and general management. She spent the first part of her career in consumer packaged goods & services, focused on traditional marketing, advertising, direct marketing and promotions. She has spent the last 12 years developing an expertise in eCommerce and online marketing in both corporate and entrepreneurial environments. Teri’s skills include building online capabilities including web infrastructure, navigation, functionality, and customer experience, as well as online lead generation and customer relationship management. Teri’s most recent corporate experience was leading the eBusiness team for HSBC’s US credit card division. Lately she has been providing consulting to a variety of organizations in industries including music, construction, food service, and several non-profit organizations.
	Brad Spirrison Brad Spirrison is a tech writer for the Chicago Sun-Times and Managing Editor for Appolicious.Spirrison is also a serial entrepreneur and startup executive and is the founder of eXtreme Networking, MyCampFriends.com and ePrairie/MidwestBusiness.com. He is married and living in Lakeview.

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