Skiing with Ms. Sophia (age two)

In 1999, Brinn A. Wellise opened Switchback Public Relations + Marketing in Tahoe City, Calif. to provide outstanding services to local, regional and national clients. Prior to founding Switchback, Ms. Wellise served as a senior account executive for Kratz & Company in San Francisco (a firm headquartered out of New York) and has managed numerous prestigious accounts including: Jamba Juice, Kenneth Cole, Ski Lake Tahoe, Chris-Craft, East West Partners, Boston Properties Embarcadero Center, American Eagle Outfitters, Aqua Restaurant and the Truckee Donner Chamber of Commerce. Her background also includes handling all aspects of media relations, community relations, event coordinating and marketing for the Incline Village/Crystal Bay Chamber of Commerce and Alpine Meadows Ski Resort.

In addition to her vocational accomplishments, Ms. Wellise has an undergraduate degree in communications from Saint Mary's College, Calif. and in May of 2004 completed her master's degree in journalism from the University of Nevada, Reno. Her thesis topic was Press Clippings as a Measurement Tool in the Field of Public Relations, enabling her to uncover national trends in public relations measurement techniques.

Besides her national public relations expertise, she also orchestrates media relations and community outreach programs for local and regional clients. She has been awarded for her efforts by PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) as well as by her business colleagues in both the Rotary Club of Truckee and the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association where, in 2002, Switchback Public Relations + Marketing was awarded "Best Small Business of the Year."

In November of 2004, Switchback Public Relations + Marketing expanded, moving into a brand new building on West River Street in downtown Truckee. The new office overlooks the Truckee River and the train depot and provides a spacious meeting area for clients and Switchback staff. Currently Switchback Public Relations + Marketing is the largest agency in the Lake Tahoe basin with a full-time team of seven employees and one intern. In 2005, Switchback Public Relations + Marketing became incorporated.

Additionally, Ms.Wellise is committed to giving back to her community, serving on the boards of InnerRhythms, a performing arts organization, and the Truckee Rotary Club. She dedicates both her own time and that of her staff to several non-profit organizations including: Truckee Tahoe Seniors Council, Truckee River Watershed Council, InnerRhythms, Truckee Rotary, Tahoe Maritime Museum, Kidzone and Tahoe Forest Hospital Leadership Council.

With a strong background in both local and national marketing/PR campaigns, she continues to maintain a diverse client list while overseeing all aspects of the business. She looks forward to the continuing growth of her company and the opportunity to serve both her clients and her community while mentoring Switchback employees and interns.
-Contact Brinn-


Margo Donohue has over 12 years public relations experience. She comes to Switchback Public Relations + Marketing, Inc. after serving as director of public relations for the Conde Nast Bridal Group in charge of all consumer press for Modern Bride, Elegant Bride and Your Prom magazines. In addition to those responsibilities, she oversaw the publicity for the business/publishing side of the Conde Nast Bridal Group as well. Included in her duties were the day-to-day management of the brand, writing all press releases and press materials, coordinating TV and print interviews and editor media training.

Prior to that she worked at Gruner & Jahr Publishing handling the consumer press for Child, Fitness and YM magazines. She also worked at Conde Nast in the public relations department for both Mademoiselle and GQ before joining the launch team of Lucky magazine.

Donohue has experience with both consumer and business press and event management. She oversaw the YM "Voting is Pretty" campaign and the "Coolest Girls of the Year" awards as well as the Child "Children's Champions Awards" for two years. Some of her placements include "Entertainment Tonight," "The Today Show," "Good Morning America", "MTV TRL Live", The New York Times, People Magazine, The Wall Street Journal and Advertising Age.

Previously, Ms. Donohue worked at Dan Klores Communications on accounts as diverse as W Hotels, Sesame Street Productions, Esquire and Marie Claire magazines and the "Queen Latifah Show". She began her career in book publishing working for such diverse companies as DK Publishing, Hyperion Books and National Geographic Books.

As a consultant, Donohue has worked on a variety of projects from the annual Tibet House U.S. Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall, the New York Women in Communications MATRIX awards, the da Vinci exhibit at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. as well as a variety of beauty, fashion, liquor and healthcare brands.

Ms. Donohue is a graduate of San Jose State University and resides in Brooklyn, NY. In her spare time she loves music, reading, museums, travel, a good meal paired with fine wine and rarely misses her Sunday morning 9:00 am Spin class.

A certified spin instructor, she teaches several classes per week and recently completed her first 60-mile bike tour around New York City and New Jersey for the MS Society. Her next mission is to perfect her power chord changes on the electric guitar.
-Contact Margo-


Lorna began her career in advertising at Ogilvy & Mather, Chicago working on Sears and EyeMasters.  She then moved to J. Walter Thompson, Chicago to work on Oscar Mayer's Bologna and Hot Dog Brands’ product positioning as well as new product development.  She worked with Oscar Mayer to launch the first adult-flavored hot dog from the company.  While at JWT, she also worked on Bristol Myers Squibb infant formulas and was the lead on pro bono client, Brookfield Zoo.
 
Lorna then moved to San Francisco to work at Foote, Cone & Belding on Clorox laundry and home cleaning brands spearheading research to determine competitive positioning and new product opportunities, as well as overseeing multi-million dollar campaign development.  A few years into her career at FCB, Lorna jumped at the chance to work on Janus Mutual Funds.  She and her team developed Janus' brand positioning against much larger, better known competitors and developed an advertising and marketing campaign that resulted in growing the company from $5 billion in assets to $16 billion in less than two years. 
 
Lorna’s next move was to Citigate, Albert Frank, an agency that specializes in financial advertising and marketing. At Citigate, Lorna worked with clients including Hambrecht & Quist, Everen Securities and Piper Jaffray to establish their brand identities and to develop marketing plans that allowed them to compete in the booming late 1990's.
 
After moving to Truckee, CA, in nearby Reno, NV, she signed on with a small firm, the Rose/Glenn Group. For nearly 7 years, Lorna wore many hats at Rose/Glenn: she formalized the account service group, developed an account planning division and lead brand development, creative strategy and research for all of Rose/Glenn's clients including Nevada State Bank, the Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority, the Resort at Squaw Creek and Upromise 529 Plan. 
 
A move to Mering & Associates allowed Lorna to work as account planner for Disney, Raley's supermarkets and Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority.  She led quantitative and qualitative research projects and worked closely with advertising and public relations experts to position her clients regionally and nationally.
  
Lorna graduated from the University of Wisconsin's School of Journalism.  She lives in Truckee with her husband where they enjoy year-round activities: she is a PSIA-certified snowboard instructor and when the snow melts, she rides dirt bikes.
-Contact Lorna-


Marc Gendron has more than 14 years experience in journalism and public relations, working with international consumer and technology companies, from start-up to Fortune 500, helping to design, execute and manage a variety of successful media, analyst and community relations programs.

In working with Starbuck’s, Jamba Juice and Noah’s Bagels, Mr. Gendron established unique, individualized community outreach campaigns for new store openings in existing and nascent markets. The programs were reinforced with comprehensive media relations efforts that not only accomplished the goal of increased local support, but resulted in media coverage in publications including The New York Times, Entrepreneur Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle and US News and World Report among others.

Mr. Gendron has also worked with brands including Prudential Investment, Scharffenberger Chocolate, Perfumes Isabell, Stolichnaya Vodka and Bombay Sapphire Gin, as well as Bay Area restaurants including Aqua, Charles Nob Hill and Café Marimba, as well as other restaurants including the Daily Grill for regional promotions.

In working with Mervyn’s, a $4.5 billion unit of the Target Corporation, Mr. Gendron designed and developed the company’s first series of quarterly newsletters to promote seasonal clothing trends, securing national and regional media attention. Additionally, he organized publicity and community relations events surrounding the retailer’s launch of its new store concept, Mervyn’s California, throughout the western United States.

Mr. Gendron began his career as a journalist for The Fresno Bee’s community section, covering a range of beats including police and fire, and city government. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from California Lutheran University.
-Contact Marc-


Shelly Purdy is a Lake Tahoe native who decided to return to the Truckee area after a career in broadcast television. Ms. Purdy has more than a decade of experience in television news reporting, producing and entertainment. Although her specialty was in environmental reporting, Ms. Purdy has a broad range of experience in the industry having done everything from covering the President of the United States as a general assignment news reporter to serving as Executive Producer of a reality television show. Ms. Purdy brings her extensive knowledge of the television industry along with her strong writing, leadership and organizational skills to the Switchback team.

In her personal life, Ms. Purdy is an avid outdoor and travel enthusiast. Having practically grown up on skis, she was a member of the University of Nevada at Reno National Championship Women’s Ski Team. Ms. Purdy still enjoys skiing but also loves snowshoeing, hiking, mountain biking and exploring in the outdoors. The daughter of a travel agency owner and the wife of a professional athlete who traveled internationally, Ms. Purdy has had a lifetime love for travel. She has studied abroad in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji and has skied and hiked with her family all over the world. Some of her most memorable excursions include cheering on Lance Armstrong high atop the slopes of Mont Ventoux during the Tour de France, hiking hut-to-hut in the Dolomite Mountains of Italy and wandering the vast labyrinth of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Ms. Purdy plans to carry on the family tradition of travel and exploration with her two young children.
-Contact Shelly-


Jenny Franklin has been part of the Switchback team since August 2004, moving up from account executive and senior account executive to her current position as account supervisor. Ms. Franklin's responsibilities include securing new business leads, proposal writing, editing, directing clients and accounts as well as managing fellow team members.

Ms. Franklin brings with her a background in the hospitality/tourism industry. Before joining Switchback, Ms. Franklin worked for the Resort at Squaw Creek as the public relations & tourism coordinator. Ms. Franklin's experience at the resort involved close collaboration with the company's PR agency and leisure sales department to increase brand awareness and positioning, including planning and attending thematic media and travel group familiarization trips.

Ms. Franklin earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is a native of the Bay Area, and has lived in Tahoe, collectively, for five years. In her spare time, if she's not traveling, Ms. Franklin enjoys being active outdoors; you may catch her on the soccer field, playing softball, exploring the Sierra trails by mountain bike or foot, enjoying the ski slopes, or simply relaxing by the lake.
-Contact Jenny-


A Reno native, Jen Eastwood graduated from the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism with an emphasis in public relations, and a minor in philosophy. After interning with Switchback PR + Marketing for several months, she joined the team as an account coordinator in January of 2003 and was promoted to account executive later that same year.

Ms. Eastwood’s responsibilities include press release writing, client relations, event coordination, media relations, overall program development/implementation, new business development/proposal writing and overseeing various project work. She assists in overseeing account coordinators and currently leads the internship program. Ms. Eastwood brings a strong background in editing with a great attention to detail to the Switchback PR + Marketing team.

An avid travel enthusiast, Ms. Eastwood has studied abroad in Reading, England and Freiberg, Germany and has visited 13 foreign countries. In her free time she loves to hike and camp in the surrounding Sierra Nevada's.
-Contact Jen-


A Northern California native, Nicole joined the Switchback team in July 2006 as a senior account executive. Her responsibilities include strategic planning, client relations, press release writing, event planning and promotion, media relations and new business development.
 
Before joining Switchback, Ms.Shearer worked for Booth Creek Ski Holdings, Inc. as communications supervisor for Northstar-at-Tahoe and Sierra-at-Tahoe resorts. Her experience with Booth Creek broadened her knowledge in the travel/tourism industry as well as in the ski industry.
 
Ms. Shearer first moved to Truckee after accepting a position with Pettit Gilwee Public Relations where she worked as a public relations coordinator and was given the lead on accounts like the Lake Tahoe Marathon, North Lake Tahoe Snow Festival and Tahoe Arts Festival. Ms. Shearer is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno Reynolds School of Journalism where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism, with an emphasis in public relations, and a minor in German.
 
Shearer has studied abroad in Lüneburg, Germany and has spent many summers visiting her relatives in Switzerland. She truly enjoys the Truckee/Tahoe lifestyle and participates in outdoor activities any chance she gets including skiing, climbing, biking and hiking.
-Contact Nicole-


Amanda Spitsen brings extensive marketing experience to the Switchback team. She has been on both the agency and corporate side, and understands the ins-and-outs of project management and customer service. Her focus has mainly been in the hospitality/tourism and technology industries.

Amanda joined the Switchback team in July of 2007 as a senior consultant. Her responsibilities include marketing plan development and execution, outside agency/vendor coordination, strategic planning, client relations, press release writing, event planning and promotion, media relations and new business development

Prior to joining the Switchback team, Amanda was responsible for all facets of marketing at the Resort at Squaw Creek. Before she moved to Lake Tahoe, she was in San Diego marketing technology companies before and after the dotcom bubble burst.

Amanda is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara with Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Sociology and Psychology. As a Bay Area native, Amanda vacationed in Lake Tahoe throughout her childhood. She met her husband, a Lake Tahoe native, at UCSB. Together, they moved to Tahoe in 2001. Hiking, biking, skiing and building sandcastles at the beach with their two children makes Lake Tahoe the perfect playground.
-Contact Amanda-


Katie Shaffer has returned to Switchback after a brief hiatus during which she worked in-house for another local firm. Shaffer originally joined the Switchback team in July 2005 and was promoted to the position of account executive in July 2006.

Ms. Shaffer's extensive knowledge and love of the area, combined with an interest in growth and development helps connect Switchback clients to the local community. Her responsibilities include handling account work, maintaining media and client relations, press release writing, event promotion and new business development.

Ms. Shaffer is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and previously held positions as marketing manager for the University of Nevada Press, a publisher of scholarly books, as publicist and volunteer coordinator for the North Tahoe Fine Arts Council, and as a regular columnist for the Sierra Sun. In addition to numerous volunteer and board positions, Ms. Shaffer has teamed with her husband in a reclaimed lumber business, and has built five homes locally as an owner-builder.
 
With a jam-packed calendar full of family endeavors, Ms. Shaffer's second shift begins when she leaves Switchback at the end of each workday. 
-Contact Katie-


After earning a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Smith moved west to Lake Tahoe to see what it was like on the other coast.  He began interning at Switchback during the winter of 2005-2006 and after spending much of his free time on the slopes he decided that Tahoe would be a great place to begin his career.

After interning for three months he spent the remainder of the winter working at Squaw Valley and then decided it was time to get out of the mountains. He spent the month of May on the road, traveling and surfing the coast of California, wandering south into Baja, Mexico.  He returned in June 2006 to handle media relations for the Tahoe-Reno International Film Festival and joined the Switchback team in August 2006.

Smith's responsibilities include media and client relations, press release writing, research, program and new business development, event coordination and overseeing account work.

In his free time Josh snowboards every chance he gets and loves to hike, fish and camp.  He loves the Tahoe lifestyle but that doesn’t stop him from shooting to the coast to surf.  An avid reader, Josh brings stellar writing skills to the team and plans to use his competence with words to write a novel in the near future.
-Contact Josh-


An east coast native from the New England coastline and lobster famous state of Maine, Justin Swett journeyed west in a rusted Saab packed to the brim with all his personal belongings to explore the many recreational options and the endless sunny days in the Sierras.
 
Swett graduated from the University of Maine where he earned his bachelor of science degree in business with a concentration in marketing. While attending U. Maine, he was an athlete on the cycling team, and received multiple Dean’s list and presidential academic achievement awards.
 
Swett began interning at Switchback PR + Marketing Inc. in the fall of 2006 and recently came on board full time, accepting a position as an account coordinator. His responsibilities include support on various client account projects, writing and disseminating press releases, maintaining and developing media lists and managing the internship program.  His strengths include researching consumer and industry trends and strategic planning and implementation.
 
Previously, Swett held a management position with MBNA America, which at the time was the world’s largest independent credit card issuer. At MBNA, he was responsible for account representative development and sales performance in the telesales department.
 
When not in the office, Swett’s free time is dedicated to training and mountain bike racing semi-professionally on the national tour for the Northstar-at-Tahoe/Giant Bicycles development team with sponsorship provided by Smith Optics, Michelin Tires, Six Six One, and the Tahoe Forest Sports and Performance Center. When his racing season is over, he is usually found hiking to catch the views of Lake Tahoe at sunset, dropping into a half-pipe at one of the local mountain resorts, or enjoying a great micro-brew.
-Contact Justin-

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Switchback's Internship Program
Internships are one of the most valuable experiences for any student. Switchback PR & Marketing, Inc. supports internships from vast educational backgrounds primarily focusing in the fields of marketing, public relations, advertising and communication.

We feel that the opportunity for students to work closely with a professional mentor is an invaluable tool. At Switchback, interns are given a chance to participate in every aspect of diverse marketing campaigns. Interns oversee many important initiatives including: tracking media placements, managing the press clippings, overseeing the media database, developing media lists, special event organization, creative brainstorming and constant communication with account leads and the media.

Switchback PR & Marketing, Inc. will maintain its commitment to education by continuing to accept interns from related programs. For more information on obtaining an internship at Switchback Public Relations + Marketing, Inc., contact Justin Swett or email him at justin@switchbackpr.com.