Updated: May 17, 2006
Read about our 2005-2006 Mentor Lunch Series below. Student comments on their Mentor Lunch experience are in blue.
Featuring: Tom Cohen,
class of '72
May 04, 2006
Tom Cohen started his career with Microsoft in 1993 as director of Microsoft Media Services. He has held management positions with Microsoft Studio and Microsoft TV. As a senior marketing product manager for Microsoft TV, he developed trial and commercial deployment plans of Microsoft TV cable products with Comcast Corporate and local system operators. In 2005, he participated in the Loaned Executive to Employee Giving Campaign.
As a new communication major, I was pleasantly surprised with the opportunities they present us with. By organizing a mentor lunch with Tom Cohen, the Communication department helped me learn about my career options as well as how best to go about finding and preparing for the right job. Opportunities like meeting with Tom Cohen show me that I have chosen the right educational and career path.
Thank you and the Communication department for the opportunity to be included in this lunch. I had a wonderful time, learned a lot, and hope to be able to participate more!
Tara Miller
The lunch with Mr. Cohen was very informative. Mr. Cohen shared with us some valuable and helpful points on how to present yourself and market yourself when you apply for jobs. He also gave us advise on how to negotiate. I am really honored to have the opportunity to meet with him. I learned that there's no "perfect or dream job" out there; we create our own ideal work and tasks.
Selina N. Fu
These events are great opportunities and it means a lot that professionals take time out of their busy schedules to talk to students.
Joanna Pickup
Mr. Cohen gave us some very distinct directions on how we should be preparing for our interviews. Even though the time was short, I think the luncheon was very informative and gave us a better idea of what we will be facing in the future. I'm very glad the communication department has such event for UW students. Hopefully, I can do the same thing for UW students after I graduate.
Steve Fung
I was able to make some very important decisions after having a great conversation and lunch with Tom Cohen. Lately, I have not been happy with my job, but the advice that Tom gave us gave me a new perspective on what my current job can do for me while I search for my career. His experience served as a guide for me, thank you Mr. Cohen.
Ana Jimenez
It was neat to see an alumni going above and beyond his responsibilities to give back. The luncheon was extremely helpful and I'm sure all of the students benefited tremendously as well.
Tommy Nguyen
Featuring: Suki Dardarian,
class of '80
May 03, 2006
Suki Dardarian is deputy managing editor at The Seattle Times, where she oversees the Metro and suburban news operations as well as the Sunday newspaper. She has been with the Times since 2000, and previously was senior editor at The News Tribune in Tacoma. She has received many honors, including the ASNE team deadline writing award and a series that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
Before becoming an editor, Dardarian was a reporter for The Herald (Everett), The News Tribune and The Seattle Times. She is a graduate of the University of Washington, where she was editor of The Daily.
Dardarian is currently president of Associated Press Managing Editors and has chaired that group's diversity, journalism studies and conference program committees; she also sits on the board of the APME Foundation.
The mentor lunch with Suki Dardarian was a great experience. It's nice to hear from someone who has trekked through the trail that one is currently on. Ms. Dardarian had great tips for the students. Kudos to the Communication department for making this happen for its students.
Manuel Valdes
Having lunch with Suki Dardarian gave me a much fuller sense of what an employer in the journalism field expects from me. She gave me great advice, not only on how important it is to have strong writing skills, but also how important it is to be diverse and follow my interests. It was a very informative and helpful lunch, and I'm very grateful to have met her.
Tasha Thomas
Ms. Dardarian was very helpful to me and I felt much more confident in understanding what employers in my field look for and what is expected of us. She also told us how to make the most of our time here...such as a balancing act between The Daily and life and that was also very helpful.
Kate Rothgeb
I really enjoyed visiting with Suki. The kind of knowledge and insight she offered about the field of journalism is simply unattainable in a typical classroom setting. Her perspective is so useful because it's cemented in years of real-world experience. Thanks so much for the opportunity to connect with such an outstanding woman!
Marisa McQuilken
Featuring: Nancy Eastham,
class of '73
May 02, 2006
Nancy Eastham is responsible for strategic counsel, financial and day-to-day advertising account management for Quiznos Sub Western Wash Co-op and HomeGuard Security at Brandhammer. Prior to that, she was a partner Eastham, Hinton & Simpson and managed their Clearwater Casino, Highline Medical Center, Quiznos Sub and HomeGuard Security accounts.
She has managed accounts for Highline Community Hospital, Grand Hyatt Hotel, Ultimate Journeys and Grange Insurance (at EMB Partners) and ALPAC Corporation (Pepsi Bottler), Washington Natural Gas, Ben Bridge Jeweler, Darigold and Weight Watcher brand for Roman Meal (at Evans Group). Eastham won and award for her work on the Seattle Diet Pepsi 10k race and an Effie Award in recognition of outstanding achievement for effective marketing. As a product manager for Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Co. in Honolulu, she was responsible for introducing Honey Roasted Macadamia Nuts to the world.
She has served 10 years on the Guild Board of Trustees for Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, including Ways and Means Chair and Nominating Committee Chair and two years as Chair of the "Light up a Child's Life" annual event and one year as auction Procurement Chair, raising $380,000 for the organization.
The lunch with Nancy Eastham was both interesting and helpful for those of us thinking about taking on a career in advertising. I am positive that the information she shared will help students understand the advertising field better, and give them someone to turn to for guidance.
Tom Knoop
It is intriguing to look back at one's career from the stance of a seasoned pro, and tell that story to students just getting started. Nancy showed that with hustle and enthusiasm, you can start somewhere in the advertising/marketing field and move your way around an agency as your talents develop further. She also walks the networking talk by making herself available for questions.
Aimee Chou
It was a great lunch...very helpful networking.
Jennifer Sandberg
The opportunity to talk to a professional in public relations was invaluable. Nancy Eastham gave me great tips about how to go about looking for a PR job and tips about how to interview. She not only gave us great information about the field of public relations, but she also offered to connect us to prospective employers! Thank you Nancy and thanks to the Department of Communication for giving students the mentor lunch.
Laura Cruikshank
I enjoyed the lunch, very nice. I liked how they talked about their own career and experiences and left it open for us to ask questions. Nancy was very nice and at the end she gave us her card and asked us to e-mail her with any questions. Overall, I enjoyed it very much. Thank you for the opportunity.
Carol Insalaco
Attending the lunch was certainly a benefit to my future. Nancy Eastham was so generous with her information and willingness to be a professional resource. I was pleasantly surprised at the friendly nature of the lunch; we were more intellectual colleagues than students being talked down to.
J. Williams
Featuring: Harold
Carr , class of '55
April 19, 2006
Harold Carr retired from The Boeing Company in June 1997 after serving as vice president of public relations and advertising since May 1986. Carr's career at Boeing began in September 1962 when he joined the public relations news bureau.
In addition to his responsibilities of directing the company's communications (both external and internal) and advertising functions, Carr was responsible for the Company's historical archive and the company wide weekly newspaper, Boeing News. He also served for 11 years on the company's corporate contributions committee.
The lunch was a great way to have a relaxing opportunity to learn more about the public relations industry. There is nothing more enjoyable then great food, interesting people and fascinating conversation. Thank you for arranging the luncheon, it was great.
Holly Hook
Mr. Carr talked a lot about ethics in the work area and he had a lot of insight regarding what employers look for during the hiring process. Thanks,
Nicole Wade
Featuring: Dianna
Brealey, class of '96
April 13, 2006
Dianna Brealey has worked in PR and marketing since leaving the UW. Before moving back to Seattle, she spent eight years in Palm Springs working for the Marriott in various PR jobs. She ended her time with the Marriott as Sales Manager for Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort & Spa and Marriott's Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa. During her college years, Dianna interned at Convention Services Northwest, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research/Guilds & Special Events and KYCW, Young Country 96.5. She currently works as the Marketing and Events Coordinator for Northern Trust Bank.
Lunch with Dianna Brealey was so inspiring. Her advice was really uplifting and encouraging for an undergraduate like myself. She related well to all of the girls at the lunch and provided thoughtful insight on a career in Event Planning. I am really appreciative that she took the time out of her busy career to share her experiences with me. Thank you Dianna!
Kristine Ann Cowen
I found the mentor lunch really helpful. It was really interesting to hear how Dianna started her career and the path she took for her success. She provided great answers to my questions and gave lots of good advice that I will definitely keep for the future. I really appreciated the opportunity to meet her! Thank you!
Nicole Bukoskey
I thought that lunch with Dianna was very informative. The one thing that I took away from lunch, was that you don't necessarily have to find that "special" job immediately after you graduate. Dianna seemed to have had many jobs which served as a stepping stone to get to her next goal. That alone helped calm my nerves because I was under the impression that you had to know exactly what you want to do after graduation and that there was no gray area. Which definitely is not the case.
Nicole Marie Wade
Dianna Brealey was very informative and helpful. You could tell she enjoyed her job and wanted to share her experiences. The Mentor Lunch was a wonderful experience and I would recommend any student to attend one.
Chakrya Lim
The mentor lunch with Dianna Brealey was EXCELLENT! It was very helpful because it gave us more ideas of what PR (or events planning) is. In addition, Ms. Brealey also taught us some useful tips for job interview etc. which help us to have more confidence and succeed in our career in the future! It was a great experience!
Christine Hsu
I enjoyed the lunch and Dianna had some good things to say. I hope to be able to attend another mentor lunch in the future, because it is always good to get advice from people who have been where I am headed after graduation.
Erica Jane Broadwell
The lunch held with Dianna was monumentally helpful to me in that it eased my fear of committing to one company. Seeing how many time she has switched companies and positions, and how each has change has been a step up, gives me greater confidence in entering the field. It gives me a more realistic expectation of where I should be starting and that it is "okay" to start at an entry level position.
Caitlin Davis
Featuring: Tom
Douthitt, class of '83
February 15, 2006
After leaving the UW in 1983, Douthitt worked for a couple of years in TV advertising in Spokane. While in that job, he developed a strong interest in health care marketing. After earning his MBA and MPH from Cornell, he was hired by Eli Lilly. His emphasis for the next seven years was in business development, and new product development. This culminated in his leading the reorganization of the research and development at one of Lilly's subsidiary companies (Advanced Cardiovascular Systems [ACS]). From there, he got back into more sales and marketing roles. He was fortunate to be able to launch and market the very products he helped develop as part of the reorganization.
In 1995, Eli Lilly divested its medical device companies, and a group of five of them formed a new company called Guidant (ACS was one of those companies). From 1995 - 2000 he headed European and U.S. marketing efforts for Guidant, and helped move the company into market leadership. He left Guidant to join his first start up in 2000, and in 2002 joined Abbott to head up their emerging Cardiology business unit. Both these positions were interesting because they involved creating new businesses. In 2003, he relocated back to Seattle and joined CDI where his is helping develop an exciting new therapy for treatment of Congestive Heart Failure. He is currently VP of Marketing, Sales, and Business Development.
"Tom provided me with great information that helped me feel more relaxed about my future. As a senior that is graduating in June I am feeling unsure and confused about my future in the workplace. Tom discussed his concerns when graduating college and how important it is to be open to trying jobs that will give you experience to further your personal goals, rather than trying to get a job that will be a permanent fixture in your life."
Britta Smith
"Tom Douthitt showed us the versatility and vast number of opportunities that earning a degree in Communications can do. He provided a unique perspective of going into the medical instrumentation business, and how our knowledge gained from communication classes can help in carving out an awesome career."
Alex Oh
"Tom's life experience reassured the decision I've made about my life after graduating with my Communication major. Thank you."
Ana Jimenez
Featuring: David Keene,
class of '76
February 8, 2006
David Keene is a Senior Vice President at Wachovia Securities LLC. He has been there since 2001. Prior to Wachovia, he was a Senior VP at Dain Rauscher and also Prudential Securities. He started his professional career as a sales rep for RJR Industries and moved into an account executive position at E.F. Hutton. His last position at E.F. Hutton was the Pacific North Regional Mutual Fund Director.
Mr. Keene grew up in White Salmon WA and has a long history of family ties to UW. His stepfather, father, and uncle all went to UW. He was very involved with his fraternity and was leader of the Huskies Yell Squad. He remains a huge UW football fan.
I appreciated that David Keene understood where I was coming from as a busy and scatter brained student when he said: "It's not important that you remember every single thing I am saying to you today, but rather you can call it a success if you take just one or two things away from this luncheon." With this in mind, at the end of lunch I reflected on the one thing that Mr. Keene said that really reverberated within me. This was simply to delete the word "try" from my vocabulary. This powerful word means so much more than what we attach to it and not saying it makes our statements that much stronger. I have consciously decided to remove "try" from my vocabulary. Instead of saying "I'll try and do it" or "I'll try and get it done", it is now "I will do it" or "I will get it done." Trying is for doubters, doing is for believers. Believe in rather than doubting in yourself!
Roman Martinez
The lunch was extremely informative in learning about the world of work in general and how your path out of college can take unexpected twists. I appreciated David Keene's optimism and worthwhile advice. Every opportunity available to meet professionals in my field is valuable, and I appreciated the chance to meet a potential mentor.
Erin Ayers
That was the first time I ever had an opportunity to sit down with a VP in the finance industry (even more shocking, the fourth largest financial institution in America). He was friendly and personable. I enjoyed a few laughs with him, but some of his insight was practical for day-to-day life. I learned about the craft of soft selling as well as the importance of networking and safe investments.
Leoule A. Goshu
David was a great speaker and one of his key points for us was that to be successful, learning to be a great public speaker is imperative. He also shared that mistakes will be made, but one should learn from them, not dwell on them and move on from them. He stressed that managing expectations and time are qualities to be developed that are key in successful lives and businesses. He had great networking tips such as handing out business cards. Even if you are not in a particular business yet, it can be generic with your name and information so it promotes name recognition and helps people remember you.
AnnMarie Rochelle
Featuring: Lisa Cohen,
class of '80 and '89
January 25, 2006
Lisa Cohen is a freelance producer, political advisor and community volunteer. She produces stories and events for CBS 60 Minutes, CBS Early Show and local network affiliates. Prior to striking out on her own, Ms. Cohen worked as a managing editor freelance producer, writer and reporter for various TV stations.
She serves on a number of boards, including Seattle CityClub and PATH Leadership Committee. She just finished two years with Springboard Alliance, serving as a board member and chair of a PR/Marketing committee for this new facility serving the homeless in East King County.
Lisa Cohen is fierce! Lisa was very personable, passionate, and had some really good pointers on how to succeed in the broadcasting field. Her advice inspired me to look into news production as a career.
Leoule Goshu
This lunch was very enlightening and reaffirmed why I chose to be in the department. It is always interesting to see where alumni are currently and to hear their story and take in their advice. I had a great time.
Coma Te
Attending this mentor lunch event with Lisa Cohen was an invaluable experience as she gave us insight and the inner workings of the industry. We were able to ask questions that those who haven't worked within the news broadcast system wouldn't necessarily have been able to answer.
Alex Oh
Featuring Beth A. Clark,
class of '80
January 10, 2006
Ms. Clark is a graduate of the Department of Communication ('80) and the UW School of Law ('84). Her practice emphasizes real estate development, land use and environmental law. Her particular expertise is in representing public pension funds and institutional investors in all aspects of real estate development and investors. She has significant experience in real estate acquisitions, transfers, leasing and financing, as well as in obtaining land use and environmental permits and approvals for commercial and residential developments before state and local administrative and municipal agencies and officers.
Named "Super Lawyer" 2003-2005 by Washington Law and Politics, Ms. Clark is a member of the American Bar Association, Washington State Bar Association and the King County Bar Association. She is on the board of directors for Washington Women Lawyers, a member of the Northwest Women's Law Center and Commercial Real Estate Women and an adjunct professor for Seattle University School of Law.
The mentor luncheon was an amazing opportunity to gain insight from someone who has had tremendous experience within the law field. It helped to answer many of the questions I was unsure about and gave me a new found enthusiasm for future endeavors within this particular study. Thanks for the opportunity, I look forward to more such as this one in the future.
Nicole Hankins
Beth's comments were inspiring as well as educational. She gave us a practical yet passionate view of what to expect in the legal profession and inspired me to continue to pursue law school.
Mikki Choman
Thank you for letting me attend the lunch with Beth Clark. I learned a great deal, and realized how little I knew.
Eugene Tay
I found the lunch with Beth Clark very helpful and her comments inspired me to take a year to do things other than school next year rather than go straight to law school. Thanks Beth!
Marissa Olsson
Beth Clark was incredibly interesting and informative and offered many insights to help me prepare for law school and a career in law. Thanks again for inviting me to the lunch!
Cindy Heidelberg
Featuring: Brien Lautman, class of '81
November 29, 2005
Brien Lautman's career has spanned the fields of both journalism and marketing communications over the last 26 years. He is currently Senior Director of Communications at Casey Family Programs, the nation's largest operating foundation focused on improving the lives of children and youth in foster care. His expertise includes strategic planning, brand development, web-based marketing and communications, media relations, crisis communications, staff development, speech writing, and public affairs.
I learned a lot from Mr. Lautman's insight into the PR/marketing industry and enjoyed the opportunity to meet with such a successful and knowledgeable person. I hope that this mentor lunch series continues in the future so that other students will have to opportunity to benefit from such inspiring UW Alumni, too.
Emi Sumida
The lunch was very informative. Mr. Lautman had wonderful experiences and insights to share with us and seemed eager to help us on our career paths in any way he could. Thank you for inviting me to this lunch!
Cindy Heidelberg
I thought the lunch was great! It was a great opportunity to learn a little bit more about the Marketing/PR business. Since I'm a junior I'm getting a head start at networking and gaining knowledge about the field. Mr. Lautman was a really fun and interesting and answered all our questions very thoughtfully.
Kelly Nelson
Thank you for allowing me to attend such a helpful lunch! It was the best way to spend my lunch hour! After only one short hour, I feel I have a good idea of what many jobs in the field of communications would be like. I would highly recommend every student to attend a mentor lunch-there is no better insight to the "real world" than to learn form those who are in it now.
Joanna Pickup
It was a great environment to ask career questions to someone who's been in our shoes.
Jen Kyle
It is always interesting to hear how peoples' careers have developed and where they ended up. It's nice to know there isn't one correct way.
Natalie Smith
Featuring: David Horsey,
class of '75
November 3, 2005
David Horsey, Editorial Cartoonist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and a member of the 2004 UW Department of Communication Alumni Hall of Fame.
Talking with Mr. Horsey provides more than just a look into the role of an editorial cartoon artist. By seeing where he's been and how it compares to the industry with which he currently deals, we get an idea where things are headed. Whether it be in cartooning or not, that's valuable to us looking to make a living in this industry in the future.
Matt Ironside
It was enjoyable to meet such an engaging and successful figure as David Horsey. To an aspiring journalist, his insights were both informative and valuable.
Chad Schuster
I enjoyed the lunch setting. Having meet Horsey two times before, I felt meeting him on equal terms allowed him to open up more than usual. This let us get more out of it than what one gets from a public speaker.
Mark Peterson
I found the lunch to be very interesting and enlightening in the sense that Mr. Horsey both shed some light on what career options might lie before me and how I might go about them, and, also, to peer into the mind of someone who has gone onto success and discover what about them was responsible for it. This was a great opportunity. Thanks!
Nate Robinson
David Horsey is just a really fun guy to be around. Hearing how he made connections through department opportunities like the Olympia program gets me excited about participating in those programs myself. Above all, Horsey's career reminds us to expect a few surprises down the road, and to hone multiple types of skills to increase our marketability as journalists.
Melissa Santos
Featuring: John Dresel, class of '82
October 12, 2005
John Dresel, President and Chief Operating Officer of Tully's Coffee, directs the management team overseeing all of Tully's operations - including strategic marketing, financial and operational improvements, business development, and team growth.
I was amazed at his record of achievements. He spoke with us like we were
his equals, never talking down to us, but informing and answering any questions
we threw at him. I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with him and felt he had
a lot of wisdom to impart. Thank you again for the lunch and opportunity!
Ashley Whitlatch
It was refreshing to meet someone at the corporate
level who has created his own path in life.
Caroline Li
It was a privilege to meet John Dresel. He spoke very candidly about his
personal experience and offered practical advice about how to succeed in
the marketplace.
Mary Beth Kaiser
I think that John's advice on how to be a good leader will stick with me
for a long time. One piece of advice I know I'll use in the future is that
it is better to admit you can't do something and ask for help than leave
a mess for your superiors to clean up. He said that this ability is a trait
of a strong leader.
Christin Evans, former UW PRSSA President
I found it really helpful and insightful to hear
from someone who was once where I am now, about to graduate, and is now
successful. Thanks so much for the opportunity.
Valerie Trask
This lunch was informative and fun - quite illustrative of how important
the communication skills we learn at the University are.
Jennifer Lin Larson
Featuring: David Mills, class of '77
October 18, 2005
David Mills is a successful real estate agent and a dedicated, third generation Husky. He has been in real estate for over 20 years.
Thank you for the opportunity to have lunch with
David Mills. He was entertaining, easy going, and left us with the feeling
that it is possible to make your passion a career. The lunch itself was
a fantastic opportunity to speak openly with a professional about his career,
the steps he took to get to his current position, and what he saw in his
future. It was a great window to peek through to get an idea of life beyond
college.
Megan Manazir
It was great to talk with someone who has been in my shoes before.
Tom Loe
It was a great pleasure for me to have the opportunity to sit down and chat
with David along with a few of my fellow students. David has great pieces
of advice for all aspects of life. It's a shame that more COM students didn't
take advantage of this great opportunity.
Jeff Brown
Senior, Com (Journalism)
Alumni and Development Manager
206-543-2717
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