2011 recommendations & references {contacts redacted} draft
TRANSCRIPT
Former Managers & Clients
Cynthia Cheng Correia
KnowledgeInform [former Fuld]
[email protected] or [email protected] see also www.linkedin.com/in/chengcorreia
Jim Hagy
Select Equity Group [former CBM]
[email protected] see also www.linkedin.com/pub/james-hagy/6/486/a72
Joseph King
DuPont [former GE]
[email protected] {work} or ? {home} see also www.linkedin.com/pub/joe-king/3/975/67a
Other Colleagues
Jeff Bloom
CBM Capital
[email protected] {work} or see also www.linkedin.com/pub/jeff-bloom/3/a90/788
Jim Ruszala
Maritz [supported internally & externally]
[email protected] {work} or [email protected] see also www.linkedin.com/in/ruszala
Christina Darnowski
PRSA [former Oliver Wyman & Lexis-Nexis]
[email protected] or [email protected] see also www.linkedin.com/pub/christina-darnowski/3/708/139
Other personal references
Barbara Inglese
[email protected] {work} or [email protected]
Lisa Rosenberger Balbes, PhD
[email protected] see also www.linkedin.com/in/lisabalbes
David Miller Steiner, JD
[email protected] {work} or [email protected] {home} see also www.linkedin.com/pub/david-steiner/3/705/b00
Recommendations For Anna www.linkedin.com/in/annafayshallenberger
President Shallenberger Intelligence Services
“Anna & I first met on the Internet in connection with SCIP & SLA over the years. Recently I had the pleasure of meeting this dynamo at SLA's 2010 annual conference where she directed the Competitive Intelligence Division's speakers, presentations, & numerous logistics that accompany conference planning. Anna was thrown so many curve balls during this conference. In my case, I spoke on Early Warning, the third speaker after two others had cancelled. Anna took it all in stride. She was there for all of us speakers & connected us with the powers that be within SLA & the New Orleans Conference Center to make things work. She is incredibly organized & responsive!” July 2, 2010
1st
Ellen Naylor LION500.com [email protected], CEO, The Business Intelligence Source was with another company when working with Anna at Shallenberger Intelligence Services
“I had the privilege of meeting Anna at the 2010 SLA Annual Conference in New Orleans where she was chair of the Competitive Intelligence Division's meetings. I have to say, I've been to a LOT of CI meetings over the past couple of decades (over 100 on four continents), but this was one of the very best. The engagement of the members around the subject matter was clearly well-thought out in advance & I believe Anna was the driving force behind that dynamic. Likewise, the networking half of the meeting was also well put together to encourage the making of new friends & memories to go with them. I'm looking forward to getting to know Anna on a professional level in the future, as well, as I understand from several sources that, her consulting, research & analysis capabilities are even more impressive than her event planning. Well done!” June 24, 2010
1st
Arik Johnson, Founder & Chairman, Aurora WDC was with another company when working with Anna at Shallenberger Intelligence Services
“I recently met Anna for the first time under high pressure, "real time" conditions & was highly impressed with her strategic, operational & CI expertise. She successfully ran a conference program which I attended which demonstrated her competitive intelligence connections & experience. Anna also served on a panel with leading experts in CI & provided some of the best CI insights offered. Anna is a true professional & I look forward to the opportunity to work with her in future. I would have absolute confidence in her ability to deliver quality work to her clients.” June 24, 2010
1st
Claudia Clayton, Managing Director, Expedient Resource was with another company when working with Anna at Shallenberger Intelligence Services
“Not only is Anna bright & capable, she is extraordinarily task & detail-oriented. She almost single-handedly organized, planned & executed the recent CI Division program at the SLA 2010 annual meeting & conference, which was very successful in terms of content, format & overall experience. Anna brings a great deal of energy & strong communication skills to her projects. In addition to her considerable abilities, she is an impressive leader -- personable, transparent, inclusive & motivational. I am certain Anna will be successful on any path she chooses. I hope to work with her again soon, & often.” June 23, 2010
1st
Toni Wilson, Principal Consultant & Educator, MarketSmart Research Services was with another company when working with Anna at Shallenberger Intelligence Services
“Anna led the planning effort for the SLA Competitive Intelligence Division at the SLA Annual Conference. In this capacity, she took on the considerable task of leading, managing & coordinating sessions, speakers, moderators, & all the myriad logistics involved in planning for an international conference. Her attention to detail is remarkable, & she kept the various stakeholders informed of her progress every step of the way. Even with some major last-minute changes, Anna produced a top-notch conference experience for conference attendees.” June 22, 2010
1st
Scott Brown, Owner, Social Information Group was with another company when working with Anna at Shallenberger Intelligence Services
Research Director CBM Capital
“Anna excelled at getting me the information I needed in a comprehensive & timely manner. When needed, she distilled the information into a highly concise, unique list of the most important pieces of information I required. She worked well as a strategic partner in getting to the data points that we needed. She takes direction well, too; when I made a specific request, I received exactly what I asked for.” February 5, 2009
1st
Adam Marlin, Research Analyst, CBM Capital, Inc. worked directly with Anna at Private Investment Partnership
“I had the pleasure of working with Anna & would recommend her strongly. She is an incredibly hard working person: smart, open to new ideas & constructive criticism, & an expert in her profession. In short, she would be an asset to any organization.” January 12, 2009
1st
Jeff Bloom, Analyst, CBM Capital worked directly with Anna at Private Investment Partnership
“Anna has a forthcoming, no nonsense style that I find easy & enjoyable to work with. She clearly articulates her research needs & is extremely responsive whenever I need clarification or additional direction through the research process.” March 17, 2008
1st
Christina Banker, Business Researcher, Cannon Banker Research Services was a consultant or contractor to Anna at Private Investment Partnership
“I have had the pleasure of collaborating & working with Anna in professional development efforts. Anna consistently applies her vision, intelligence, insights, depth & breadth of experience, & energy to each endeavor, elevating outcomes & enhancing the experience for everyone involved. Her capacity to balance detail-orientation with the big-picture & her ability to connect with people & draw connections between concepts, ideas, & practices are tremendous assets to her colleagues, organization, & field. Moreover, Anna combines these traits with a commitment to excellence that is the mark of her work. I look forward to our future collaborations.” February 20, 2008
1st
Cynthia Correia, Owner, Knowledge inForm, Inc. was a consultant or contractor to Anna at Private Investment Partnership
“It has been an honor working with Anna. She's a cheerful person to be around, is extremely thorough & dependable, knows what she wants & doesn't settle for anything less- all great assets to have. She pays attention to detail while never losing sight of the bigger picture. Anna always strives for the best & knows how to get it. I wish her all the best!” February 4, 2008
1st
Mallica Khajanchi, Sr. Consultant- Client Solutions Group, FirstRain, Inc. was a consultant or contractor to Anna at Private Investment Partnership
“We have been working with Anna for several years, & she has become one of our favorite clients. She understands the challenges of market research, & has inspired us to work better & smarter, to her benefit, as well our other clients.” January 15, 2008
1st
Andrew Scherer, Owner, Scherer Cybrarian Services was with another company when working with Anna at Private Investment Partnership
“I have worked with Anna since 2006. Not only has it been an enjoyable experience, but I have always found her to be thoroughly professional & highly knowledgeable.” December 18, 2007
1st
Wayne Russum, Senior Vice President, Director, Opinion Research Corporation was a consultant or contractor to Anna at Private Investment Partnership
“As research director, Anna is wonderful to work with. She is always willing to work within our schedules & talk over projects & research strategies. It is a pleasure doing business with her & having a fellow researcher to bounce ideas off of.” September 6, 2007
1st
Ruth Balkin, Owner, Balkin Library & Information Services was a consultant or contractor to Anna at Private Investment Partnership
“Anna is a highly skilled & detail oriented researcher. Her ethical & honest approach to her business dealings makes her a valuable employee & it has been a pleasure to have her as a client.” August 29, 2007
1st
Jane Bond, Account Manager, LexisNexis was a consultant or contractor to Anna at Private Investment Partnership
“I have worked as an information consultant with Anna on a number of projects, & it has always been a pleasure. She is always extremely thorough & engaged, & she is excellent at defining parameters. She is very adept at thinking through new & innovative ways to search for information.” August 6, 2007
1st
Liz Miller, Information Specialist, Freelance was with another company when working with Anna at Private Investment Partnership
“As a consultant, I have had the good fortune to work with Anna Shallenberger on a number of projects. Her expertise & leadership have guided me on searches, for which she incorporates innovation in search strategies. I have had a rewarding & educational experience working for her.” August 4, 2007
1st
Lisa Ryan, Information Specialist, Stellar Searches was with another company when working with Anna at Private Investment Partnership
“Anna is always very personable & professional. She is a pleasure to work with.” August 2, 2007
1st
Linde Whitney, Sales, Chain Store Guide was a consultant or contractor to Anna at Private Investment Partnership
Market Intelligence Director Maritz, directly then as contractor
“Anna provided excellent market intelligence to aid business planning in financial services. She uncovered information well beyond traditional sources to fully inform business strategy. Anna helped develop target lists for business prospecting. She provided great service & support as a contractor & was very proactive. I found her to be a solid thinking partner & determined researcher.” January 17, 2010
1st
Jennifer Kallery, Director Marketing & Strategic Intelligence, Maritz Motivation worked with Anna at Maritz, directly then as contractor
“I have known Anna to be quite diligent, thorough, enthusiastic & creative in her work at Maritz in market intelligence.” October 27, 2009
1st
Brian Carlin, President, Maritz Learning, Maritz worked with Anna at Maritz, directly then as contractor
“Anna is an exceptional person. Very helpful & fun to work with. She's very resourceful & dependable. I would love to work with her again & would be glad to recommend her. I believe she would be an asset to any employer.” October 7, 2009
1st
Ademilola Mark Adekoya, Manager, Pricing Proposal & Deal Management, Maritz Inc worked with Anna at Maritz, directly then as contractor
“Anna took care to understand my information needs & then proceeded to fulfill them with insight & in a timely manner.” October 2, 2009
1st
Paul Cousino, Research, Maritz worked with Anna at Maritz, directly then as contractor
“I have worked with Anna on a number of engagements & have always found her to be enthusiastic, determined, & committed to delivering above & beyond whatever is asked of her. Anna is adept at sifting through reams of information & extracting the most critical nuggets. I thoroughly enjoyed working with her & would highly recommend her for any market intelligence role.” September 28, 2009 . Top qualities: Great Results, Personable, High Integrity
1st
Marcia Crumley, hired Anna as a Business Consultant in 2004, & hired Anna more than once
“Anna is a thorough, articulate & conscientious researcher who provided detailed information during high pressure projects.” September 10, 2008. Top qualities: Great Results, Personable, Expert
1st
Shea Adelson, hired Anna as a Business Consultant in 2000, & hired Anna more than once
“I worked with Anna Fay on several market research projects & found her to be intelligent & knowledgeable in the areas or research design & analysis. In addition, she worked hard to go "beyond the research", to understand our business issues & how the research she was working on would help us answer our questions & solve our problems. She was a great contributor to our success!” February 22, 2008
1st
Chris Gaia, Vice President Marketing, Maritz Travel worked with Anna at Maritz, directly then as contractor
“Anna partnered with me on several research projects while we were both at Maritz. She provided solid counsel & collaboration, asking critical research questions while keeping the strategic picture in mind. Furthermore, I really enjoyed working with Anna & appreciated her valuable support. I hope to work with Anna again someday!” November 2, 2007
1st
Tracy Kulhan Wussow, Research Manager, Maritz Loyalty Marketing worked with Anna at Maritz, directly then as contractor
“Anna's marketing intelligence skills were beyond belief. She was very critical to some of the learnings & discoveries we uncovered to support our business plans & strategies. I would recommend Anna in this capacity any day!” October 26, 2007
1st
Jerome Alexander, Director, Sales Strategy & Support, Maritz Inc. worked with Anna at Maritz, directly then as contractor
“Anna is a tenacious researcher with a remarkable ability to unearth new & useful information. She is passionate about her field & works diligently to deliver results.” October 25, 2007
1st
Craig Hogan, VP, Marketing, Maritz worked with Anna at Maritz, directly then as contractor
“Anna is an intelligent, experienced professional. She is resourceful & diligent. She is an independent thinker who works well autonomously & as a dynamic team member. She empowers her direct reports & shares credit. She is deserving of my highest recommendation.” August 11, 2007
1st
Julie Skinner, Research Project Manager, Maritz Inc. worked directly with Anna at Maritz, directly then as contractor
“Anna is an extremely professional individual who I had the pleasure of working with while she was at Maritz. She has the unique ability of being able to analyze the big picture while still maintaining the attention to details.” August 6, 2007
1st
Christina Ritchie, National Account Manager, LexisNexis was a consultant or contractor to Anna at Maritz
“Anna is clearly an expert in all things related to competitive intelligence & understanding market behavior. Anna displayed expert knowledge while also asking & listening to gain insight from her client, & presented findings in a clear & effective manner. A great resource.” August 2, 2007 . Top qualities: Great Results, Personable, Expert
1st
Mark Witzling, hired Anna as a Business Consultant in 2003, & hired Anna more than once
“Always had excellent experiences with Anna. She's an established research professional that consistently delivered exemplary work.” August 2, 2007
1st
Bob Moore, Director Product Management, Maritz worked directly with Anna at Maritz, directly then as contractor
“Anna was an active & engaged member of the Young Friends of the Saint Louis Science Center & her enthusiasm is contagious. She was the Chair for our Planetarium Party which exceeded our goals for both attendance & fund raising.” August 2, 2007
1st
Paul Carlson, Director, Alliance Programs, TALX Corp was with another company when working with Anna at Maritz, directly then as contractor
Director, Knowledge Leverage GE Capital GEFA (now Genworth)
“Anna is the consummate professional who takes pride in her work & is always focused on the customer. While her research skills are exceptionally strong, her uncanny ability to think outside the box gives her the ability to get to the heart of what her customer requires, all in a timely manner.” October 19, 2009
1st
Mildred Lorenti, Manager, General Electric Asset Management worked with Anna at GE Capital GEFA (now Genworth)
“Anna was a colleague of mine while at GE. She has strong research skills & was chosen to lead GEFA's knowledge management effort.” September 27, 2009
1st
Jim Smallwood, Corporate Library & Research Manager, GE Capital worked with Anna at GE Capital GEFA (now Genworth)
“Anna’s…. performance was top notch. Always thorough in her work with a propensity for innovation.” September 25, 2009
1st
Joseph Connors, President, GE Investment Distributors, Inc., GE worked with Anna at GE Capital GEFA (now Genworth)
“I worked with Anna Fay back in 2000 - 2001 on business intelligence programs. She was responsible for organizing the activities of the various business units, which she did admirably. Anna Fay was always organized & on point in coordinating the business activities.” October 13, 2008
1st
Peter Wiesinger, VP, Marketing, Genworth Financial worked with Anna at GE Capital GEFA (now Genworth)
“Anna was a pleasure to work with. She is detailed oriented, a team player & customer focused. If given the chance I would love to have her back on my team.” September 9, 2008
1st
Deb Sandgren, SVP, Marketing Director, GE managed Anna at GE Capital GEFA (now Genworth)
“I worked with Anna at GE Capital for several years. She was a detailed, thorough researcher with excellent library management skills. Her inquisitiveness & investigatory styles allowed her to provide unmatched results for the employees that sought her out for assistance.” December 23, 2007
1st
Roberta (Bobbe) Ferguson, librarian, general electric worked with Anna at GE Capital GEFA (now Genworth)
“Anna is both a knowledgeable research professional & a valued & respected team member. Her expertise & dedication were key to surfacing information necessary to successfully implement projects where limited planning data was available.” November 4, 2007
1st
Christine Dias, VP Marketing, Genworth Financial worked directly with Anna at GE Capital GEFA (now Genworth)
“I had the pleasure of working with Anna at GE. Anna was always ready to lend a hand. Her expertise in knowledge management & research was highly valued in our department.” October 22, 2007
1st
Joseph Franchina, Project Manager, GE Financial Assurance worked directly with Anna at GE Capital GEFA (now Genworth)
“I worked with Anna while at GE & highly recommend her. As Director of Knowledge Leverage, Anna was an incredible source for all things related to the business & a great person to work with.” October 21, 2007
1st
Dan Womack, Market Research & Strategy Leader, Genworth Financial worked with Anna at GE Capital GEFA (now Genworth)
“I had the pleasure of working with Anna during my time at GE Financial within the Strategic Marketing department. Anna was brought in to build GE Financial's Knowledge Management capability. With limited resources & a tight time line Anna was able to accomplish the goal of establishing the KM function. This was a critical capability for GE Financial as cross-functional managers relied on key information to manage their businesses; Anna was proficient & adept in providing the critical information they needed.” August 4, 2007
1st
Andrew Blum, Director, Nielsen worked directly with Anna at GE Capital GEFA (now Genworth)
President Shallenberger Information Services
“Anna is an extremely professional & proactive research professional. She supported a number of consulting projects at our firm through her skills digging up extraordinarily difficult-to-find but directly relevant business data. I believe her work is differentiated three ways: 1) Deep knowledge of how to find source information on almost any topic 2) Strong business experience that allows her to provide different angles & original ideas on how & why information that she can access might be of interest to clients 3) Genuinely friendly, helpful attitude that makes clear that demands on her can be made & will be met at all hours, as needed in professional services. I heartily recommend Anna's work.” September 25, 2009
1st
Jeff Oxman, Senior Advisor, TPI, Inc. managed Anna indirectly at Shallenberger Information Services
“As the scheduler for St. Bart's Sailing Anna assumed the burden of getting people aboard the club's sailboat for up to four weekly sailing excursions. She exhibited considerable grace under the pressure, as members & guests frequently changed reservations or expressed unusual expectations of the club's volunteer managers. Anna is detail oriented & dedicated to tasks for which she is responsible. She does not lose sight of the big picture even when dealing with the minutia.” October 24, 2007
1st
Mia McCroskey, PMP, CSM, Commodore, St. Bart's Sailing managed Anna at St. Bart's Sailing
“I worked with Anna on many charitable projects such as the American Museum of Natural History & the Young New Yorkers for the Philharmonic. She is a peerless organizer & leader who developed projects & saw them through to completion.” August 16, 2007
1st
David Steiner, Trial Lawyer, United States Dept. of Justice was with another company when working with Anna at Shallenberger Intelligence Services
Manager Top Tier Financial Services Firms NYC
“In the many years I have worked with Anna, she has shown strong leadership skills in charitable work. We served together on committees at the Natural History Museum in Manhattan where she helped develop a foundling junior council into one of the largest of such organizations in NYC. That work in particular would make her more than qualified to continue her leadership in this area of endeavor.” September 28, 2009
1st
Andrew Goodwin, Manager, Bletchley Management, LLC worked directly with Anna at Top Tier Financial Services Firms NYC
“I have known Anna professionally for a number of years. As a member of the Library community & the director of an Investment Banking Information Center, I have had the opportunity to discuss with Anna a number of managerial & research issues & she has always been generous with her time & provided good feedback.” August 11, 2009
1st
Kathy Cray, Director, UBS was with another company when working with Anna at Top Tier Financial Services Firms NYC
“Anna is extremely hard working & intelligent & would be a valuable asset in any capacity or project in which she becomes involved. In the many years I've known her, she has always been a great networker, which has aided her ability to deliver cutting-edge research & conclusions for financial services industry customers. She is a really good person who took significant time to help me sort through some job opportunities & ultimately my selected position.” October 31, 2007
1st
Christina Schoen, VP, Citigroup was with another company when working with Anna at Top Tier Financial Services Firms NYC
“After working with Anna Shallenberger at Cowen & Company in NYC, I can definitively say that Anna's professional performance is of the highest standards. She is self-motivated, intense & resourceful. Her true desire to service the needs of her clients to help them obtain their goals is refreshing in that she truly desires for their success. Anna has an adept ability to listen to a client's overall objective & access the resources needed to meet, & consistently exceed, their needs. She takes information research to the next level for her clients in ways they have not even considered. It is this innovation & expertise that compliment Anna's overall ability as a communicator & put her in the top echelon of research specialists. I would highly recommend Anna to a firm or individual that desires a professional & rewarding experience.” August 19, 2007
1st
Selena Lynn Pickering, Founder / President, Ping Pong Book Club worked with Anna at Top Tier Financial Services Firms NYC
Coat Check Hostess (winters) Bentley's Restaurant
“My father, who managed Bentley's & hired Anna, has passed away. However, I recall how happy he was to have her working there, considering Anna to have a strong work ethic & sense of responsibility that can be somewhat atypical in many teenagers. She was very diligent with her duties, willing to stay late or come in early as needed, & always very cheery with customers. As often the first & last face the diners saw -- Anna's interactions were an important aspect of the whole experience.” September 24, 2009 Top qualities: Great Results, Personable, High Integrity
1st
Greg Altin, hired Anna as a Business Consultant in 1981
Student Westminster College
“Anna Shallenberger has been a friend of mine since childhood. We were both very involved in church activities at Second Baptist Church. Anna & I attended Westminster College in Fulton, MO & we were both Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority Sisters. Anna demonstrated leadership skills by her involvement in campus activities. Anna showed great knowledge & high standards in her academics & graduated with honors. She is a loving & loyal friend who has supported me throughout the years.” September 24, 2009
1st
Anne E Riggs, Music Teacher/producer of Midwest Lyric Opera/Jefferson City Branch, self employed, studied with Anna at Westminster College
Student Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg im Breisgau
“I studied with Anna at Albert-Ludwigs-Universitat in Freiburg, Germany. It was a rigorous curriculum & Anna was always well prepared & brought interesting perspectives to our discussion. She was always willing to collaborate & learn more about a topic.” September 24, 2009
1st
Jon Paukovich, Vice President, Mortgage Lending, Ent Federal Credit Union, studied with Anna at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg im Breisgau
“Anna & I were fellow students in an English language semester abroad program in Freiburg, West Germany, studying the economics & politics of the European Community. Anna was a hardworking & thoughtful contributor to our discussions & a good friend, in & out of class. I have spent time with her at our periodic program reunions & continue to be impressed with her personal qualities. She'd be a contributor to any professional environment.” September 24, 2009
1st
Rob Munnelly, Student, Tufts University, studied with Anna at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg im Breisgau
To Whom It May Concern,
Please accept this letter as my personal recommendation for the consideration of Anna Shallenberger as a member of your organization.
Anna and I first crossed paths during my tenure with Maritz Loyalty Marketing, a global agency servicing Fortune 500 clients in the customer relationship management industry. My role at the time was Director of Analytical Services. A main need for our organization was to obtain an improved view of our competitive landscape. The intellectual capital that Ms. Shallenberger brought with her was astounding and went far beyond any expectations.
More recently, I contacted Anna for a series of business needs surrounding a new business unit I joined at Maritz, Learning. Our timelines were short, and our needs strong in terms of conducting a market analysis of the financial services market. Anna was true to form as she provided a mountain of structured data that yielded far improved insight into the industry, from which we were in a far better position to develop products and services that were more appropriate to the market with an aligned communications plan. Beyond the initial market analysis stage, which was to be a 3-4 week project, we continued to engage Anna to this very day for a myriad number of tasks including, but not limited to: Prospecting Dossiers, Financial SME, secondary researcher and business development.
To summate my relations and experiences with Ms. Shallenberger, I’ve found her to be extremely well rounded and affluent, continuously demonstrating a wide and diverse array of unique talents and skill sets rarely found in one individual. Ms. Shallenberger epitomized strong work ethics with a continuous eagerness to assist in advancing our organization.
In closing, I fully believe that Ms. Shallenberger possesses the ideal qualities and characteristics you seek in applicants and I am pleased to recommend her to your organization.
If at any time I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Jim Ruszala
To whom it may concern:
This letter is written in reference to the outstanding market intelligence work Anna Shallenberger performed for Maritz Research. Her leadership and guidance on our projects were invaluable ... she helped us determine overall objectives, clarify project scope, and ultimately obtain information that was key in building our market strategy.
Anna's strengths include a unique ability to think strategically combined with an exceptional ability to execute even the most complex projects. Her organizational skills, process orientation, and follow-through are superb. She adjusts to changing conditions and demands quickly. I found her proactive problem-solving approach very refreshing as was her ability to effectively manage multiple priorities from multiple managers.
Anna is the type of employee that doesn't just do the job and go home. She takes ownership and makes sure that she adds value beyond the requirements. I would highly recommend her for employment because I am certain she will help you achieve your goals.
Respectfully,
Phil Wiseman, Vice President, Marketing, Maritz Research Inc.
To Whom It May Concern:
This letter is to recommend Anna Shallenberger for opportunities within your organization. During her time at Maritz,
Anna provided many significant contributions and consistently demonstrated the highest levels of professionalism and
quality.
Anna’s proactive research and timely delivery of projects helped us succeed on numerous occasions. For example, Anna
was tasked with researching strengths and weaknesses of a new competitor under the briefest time constraints. Her
thorough data and thoughtful analysis was instrumental in helping Maritz capture a $2 million project against this
competitor.
Anna is a consummate professional who will be an asset to any organization she joins.
Sincerely,
Dave Caldwell, Group Vice President, Maritz Inc.
To whom it may concern:
I had the pleasure of working with Anna while she functioned in her role as Director of Business Research in Marketing Intelligence at Maritz. Anna is truly a top performer. She does whatever it takes to get the job done. I requested, more than once, that she obtain some intelligence on an extremely aggressive deadline. For example, we were actually in just about to begin a stand up presentation with a client when we learned of some unexpected and not very well known competition. Anna was literally providing just in time information to presenters' blackberries. Anna seemed to attain the unattainable -- information that other marketing intelligence contacts were simply not able to provide.
Anna can synthesize a large amount of information to only that which adds value, by employing her organizational and management skills. Anna also has the unique ability to get along well with all types of people. She is extremely positive and truly one of the most pleasant people with whom I have worked.
If you need to discuss any other of Anna's attributes -- feel free to call me.
Respectfully,
Dolores Rodenberg, Client Solutions Director, Maritz Incentives
[email protected] http://www.maritz.com
Hello, It is my understanding the Anna Shallenberger has applied for a position within your organization. I cannot recommend her strongly enough. I have known her for approximately two and half years. Over the last year and a half, she was a direct report of mine while I was the VP Marketing & Product Management; I moved on recently to become VP Capital Markets. Prior to that, we had worked on a couple of projects together. As the VP Marketing & Product Management, Anna was instrumental in keeping both me and the organization informed and up to date in a variety of business critical areas: 1. Operational Improvement - She is the key driver and architect of our "Digital" library effort. When completed, it will allow archiving, searching and retrieval of all documentation within the organization independent of the source. This is a monumental task since GEFA is a cobbling together of 16 different insurance companies each with their own data peculiarities. The benefits of this project are better communication & sharing, cost efficiencies, direct 24/7/365 accessibility, and elimination of duplication.
2. Strategic Positioning – Anna’s critical assistance in helping our group design GEFA's go-to-market-strategy resulting in Immelt's (new CEO of GE and an ex-marketeer) comment to us that GEFA had a "more thorough understanding of its current & emerging customers and a better articulated plan than any of the other 40 GE businesses." 3. Vendor Management & Relations - She has managed the relationship with many of our key vendors such as IAB, Yankelovich, LIMRA, Macromonitor.... These relationships have grown over the last few years and have required extensive customization for each of GEFA's SBU's and channels. 4. Internal SBU Relationships - For the GEFA sub-businesses, Anna is their day-to-day "face of headquarters." Her responsiveness and ability to engage the various groups within GEFA makes her the "go to" person for market research. This is quite a compliment when one considers that each of these sub-groups has their own marketing research group of professional; it is these professionals that find her services so valuable. Put bluntly, they just like working with her because she always gives them more than they expect and is "easy to deal with and always returns my calls." As a person I have found her extremely sincere and dedicated. She doesn't cut corners, has very high energy and unyielding integrity. She gets along well with people at all levels of the organization and quickly understands their concerns. As a result, I have often used her as an objective sounding board and reviewer prior to the presentation of my own work. On project delivery, she has always come though when it counted. If you have any further questions or comments, please don't hesitate to contact me. Should you decide to hire her, I believe you will be truly happy with both her and her work. Sincerely, Joseph A. King Jr. Ph.D.
VP Capital Markets
Dear Sir/Madam: I would like to take a few minutes of your time to tell you about Anna Shallenberger. I have worked closely with Anna on two major GEFA corporate initiatives in the competitive intelligence area. Part of my job responsibilities includes legal responsibility for CI issues within GEFA and a component division of GEFA, RSG. Anna managed our initiative to revise and implement updated corporate CI guidelines. This was a major undertaking, which involved the many diverse companies, products and multiple distribution channels within GEFA. These channels and companies create and distribute a very wide range of financial services products, including variable and fixed insurance and annuity products, affinity products and marketing, term insurance, LTC insurance, and asset management products and services. Anna aggressively managed the project, including creating the project plan, assisting the various business units in identifying and producing information and VOC on existing CI practices and needs, and driving the project to conclusion, including the creation of new CI guidelines and approval by GEFA General Counsel's office.
This project was highly visible within the highest levels of GEFA, and Anna managed it with efficiency, energy and creativeness. My opinion is that she did an outstanding job, and I do not believe the project would have been completed without her skills and focus on managing the project to a successful conclusion. Anna is particularly adept at using CAP tools to drive consensus building. I am also presently working with Anna on another GEFA wide project, the creation of a digital library including a significant CI component. She is driving the present project just like she did the previous project, and exhibiting the same drive, energy, ability and dedication to completing the task. I would be happy to speak with you directly if you have any questions, or if I can provide further information about Anna's abilities. I speak from direct experience, and recommend her most highly. She is a highly effective project manager for complex, high visibility projects, and has demonstrated her knowledge of CI needs and processes to a wide variety of business units with very different products, distribution channels and CI needs. Thomas E. Duffy Vice President & Associate General Counsel GE Financial Assurance
Hello.
I understand that Anna Shallenberger is a candidate for a position with you; I worked closely with her some years ago and wanted to offer my warmest recommendation on her behalf.
The context from which I write: I was a Senior Consultant with Sibson and Company from 1995-1998, during which time Anna provided critical research assistance to me on strategic consulting projects which I was running (or working on) in New York, Toronto, Raleigh, and Johannesburg, South Africa. Her work with me was not one-time; rather we requested it repeatedly over the course of a couple of years.
What impressed me so much about Anna's style is that she has a relentless focus on meeting her customer's needs; she'll "do what it takes" to help not only herself but others be successful. If one line of research failed, she was always knowledgeable about alternative ways to capture important information - and seemed to always be able to find a way to "get the answers". As such, I was struck, up-front, by the breadth of her research knowledge and awareness.
Downstream on consulting project work, Anna provided even more value-added, with her ability to efficiently distill research output (which was always voluminous, thanks to her inevitable success in finding what we needed) into concise but complete summaries of information that helped us "dig deep" to diagnose problems and provide strategic solutions. It is rare in my experience to work with people who have both raw on-line horsepower in a research / knowledge management discipline, yet the strategic sense as to how to be a team player in solving hard business problems. Anna had that combination and I and my consulting teams always benefited from that.
A word about Anna the person - she's someone who deeply cares about doing right, not just doing well. We've kept in touch over the years with regard to a number of charitable enterprises with which she's been involved (and has encouraged me to learn about). I'm amazed at her energy level, in keeping up with both a very challenging work schedule at the same time as playing an active role in a variety of community groups both in Connecticut and New York City. It's just another combination that's unusual to see and that I appreciate in her.
If you wish, I would be happy to take time to answer any type of follow-up questions you might have. I currently run a smaller management consultancy, MPact Consulting, which is based in New York, Chicago, and Dublin, Ireland. I plan to be in my office in New York all next week at 212-599-5109. Please feel free to contact me at any time.
Thanks and best wishes.
Sincerely,
Jeff Oxman , Founder and Principal
MPact Consulting
www.mpact-consulting.com
GEORGE BALL, PRUDENTIAL BACHE CEO