RUI Faculty

RUI Subject Matter Experts

Dave Logan

Dave Logan teaches courses in management and leadership as a faculty member in USC Marshall’s Management & Organization department. From 2001–2004, he served as Associate Dean of Executive Education, during which time he founded a business degree for mid-career medical doctors and initiated new executive education programs with dozens of companies, including Northrop Grumman and Westcom Credit Union. He also sits on the faculty of the Foundation for Medical Excellence, and teaches in Malaysia’s International Center for Leadership in Finance. He is the co-founder of CultureSync, a management consulting firm specializing in cultural change, executive coaching, and strategy, with clients including Amgen, Intel, Charles Schwab, American Express, and Southern California Edison. Dave has authored or co-authored dozens of articles and training programs, and four books, including Three Laws of Performance, an international best-seller. He holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Communication from USC’s Annenberg School. Return to top

Marlene Morris Towns

Marlene Morris Towns is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Marketing at USC Marshall. She has published papers in journals including the Journal of Consumer Affairs, Journal of Marketing, and Marketing News. She serves as a reviewer for the Journal of Consumer Research, the Society for Consumer Psychology, and the Association for Consumer Research, among other, and has consulted for organizations including AT&T, PepsiCola, Exxon Corporation, the New York State Attorney General’s Office, and the U.S. State Department. Marlene holds a Ph.D. in Marketing from Duke University. Return to top

Steve Shepard

Steve Shepard is the Resident Director of USC’s Executive Leadership and Advanced Management Programs in Telecommunications; he also is an adjunct at Thunderbird University, the University of Vermont, Champlain College, and St. Michael’s College. He is the founder of the Shepard Communications Group and co-founder of the Executive Crash Course Company, which provides executive education and professional networking to the telecommunications industry, and a best-selling author on a variety of topics. Steve spent eleven years with Pacific Bell in San Francisco and ten years with Hill Associates in Colchester, Vermont. He is a senior fellow of the Da Vinci Institute of South Africa, a member of the Board of Directors of Champlain Community Television, a Founding Director of the African Telecoms Institute, and an Emeritus member of the Board of Trustees of Champlain College. He holds degrees from the University of California at Berkeley and St. Mary’s College. Return to top

Mary Coller Albert

Mary Coller Albert is a seasoned Internet marketing and media executive with over 15 years’ experience in the entertainment industry. Senior strategic advisor on digital distribution and marketing. Clients include Ascent Media’s GMX, Sony Media Software Services, Playstation Network.  She also has held engagements as Senior Vice President at Sony Pictures Digital; Senior Vice President and General Manager of SoapCity and SoapCity Download; and Vice President and co-founder of Beatnik, an interactive audio software and music development company launched with musician Thomas Dolby. Mary also has managed the careers of musicians, artists, and producers. Return to top

David Gale

As Executive Vice President of New Media for MTV Networks, David Gale is responsible for incubating and creating original programming, websites, multi-platform new media experiences for MTV’s coveted demographic audiences. He previously served as Executive Vice President of MTV Films, overseeing an expansion of the brand into a unique movie label with a slate of diverse and successful films that grossed more than a billion dollars in box office revenue and opened seven films to #1 in their opening weekends. Return to top

Rick Kolsky

Rick has spent the past thirty years helping clients take marketing to the bottom line. Since receiving his Ph.D. in Economics from Yale University, Dr. Kolsky’s clients have used action-learning to convert many of today’s fads–such as strategy innovation, market-focus, channel management, corporate social responsibility, brand synergy, value-pricing, e-transformation, and relationship selling–from simple buzzwords to bottom-line reality in markets as diverse as accounting, infant formula, life insurance, cream cheese, hip-hop, and earth moving equipment. Among Rick’s clients are AAA, Aetna, Allstate, American Express, Aon, BAE Systems, BP, Bristol Myers, Caterpillar, Cemex, CIGNA, Ernst & Young, Genentech, Griffin Communications, Hartford, IBM, ICICI, ING, International Paper, J&J, Jefferson Pilot, Jefferson Wells, Kraft, Lincoln Financial, Marsh, MassMutual, MasterCard, McGuire Woods, Microsoft, Motorola, National Australia Bank, Navteq, New China Life, O’Melveney & Meyers, Philips, Proeza, Prudential, Qualcomm, Roche, Selective Insurance, State Farm, Smuckers, Time Warner, and Turner Construction. In addition to his consulting engagements, Dr. Kolsky is a Lecturer at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, where he teaches in and is academic director for a number of executive education programs; and a guest lecturer at the India School of Business. Rick has published numerous articles and been keynote speaker for conferences on a range of subjects, including “Convergence of Media, Entertainment and Advertising,” “Break the Rules to Compete for the Future,” “Collective Corporate Social Solutions,” “Distribution: From Landmine to Competitive Advantage,” “Tossing Out the Pink Slips,” and “Integrating Marketing and the Web.” Return to top

Tim Napoleon

Tim Napoleon is a co-founder and President of AllDigital which offers services and technology that enable the secure transport and ongoing management of digital content to IP-enabled devices including mobile computing devices, the desktop computer, and digital televisions (“10-foot” devices). Most recently, Mr. Napoleon was the Chief Strategist, Media and Entertainment, for Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), working directly with enterprise and media companies such as Apple, MLB, XM Satellite, MTV, NBC, and News Corp. Prior to Akamai, Mr. Napoleon worked at VitalStream as VP of Business Development, and Mr. Napoleon was the director of online marketing at Pacific Life. He received his MBA degree from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business after earning his undergraduate degree in Communications from the California State University at Fullerton.. Return to top

Rod Perth

Leveraging three decades of leadership experience in the television industry, Rod Perth is currently the co-founder and President of ReelzChannel, a start-up cable network that launched to over 28M homes in September 2006. Prior to presiding over the then-largest cable/satellite launch in industry history, Rod served as President of Worldwide Television for the Jim Henson Company, where he produced seven domestic television series; President of Entertainment of USA Networks, leading all programming efforts for both USA Network and the Sci-Fi Channel; and Senior Vice President of Late Night and Non-Network Programs for CBS Television, where he led the effort to overhaul the network’s late-night slate by recruiting David Letterman. Other engagements include Vice President, Station Manager for Chicago’s WBBM-TV, and General Manager of CBS Spot Sales in New York. Return to top

Caralene Robinson

As Director of Marketing Services for Boost Mobile, Caralene Robinson is responsible for planning and executing all of Boost Mobile’s consumer marketing. In addition to developing all advertising campaigns, she utilizes brand assets, media, merchandising, creative, sponsorships, and local planning to drive integrated marketing programs. Caralene has held a variety of marketing roles, including consumer packaged goods experience at Colgate-Palmolive and The Coca-Cola Company. She has significant experience delivering results across an entire marketing mix, as well as creating vanguard marketing campaigns, earning her a reputation as a creative innovator. Caralene holds a degree in marketing from Howard University, and an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business. Return to top

Jeffrey Schneider

NBCUniversal named industry veteran Jeffrey Schneider to the newly created position of Executive Vice President, Business Affairs, Entertainment & Digital Networks and Integrated Media (E&DN/IM) in July of 2011. Since 2007, Schneider served as the Senior Vice President, Business Affairs and Deputy General Counsel for Lifetime Television Networks, a wholly owned subsidiary of A+E Networks. In this role, Schneider oversees all aspects of business affairs, including talent and production negotiations, program acquisitions and business deals for the E&DN/IM portfolio which includes the broadcast network Telemundo, the cable assets Bravo Media, mun2, Oxygen Media and Style, and the digital businesses iVillage, DailyCandy, Swirl and Fandango. As SVP, Business Affairs and Deputy General Counsel for Lifetime, he oversaw all business affairs and entertainment-related legal policy for the network’s programming, including scripted series, alternative/reality series, made-for-television movies, marketing initiatives and digital product. He also was responsible for all business affairs for AETN’s scripted programming across its network holdings, including for Lifetime, A&E and The History Channel. Schneider is currently an adjunct law professor at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, Pepperdine Law School and the Carnegie-Mellon University Heinz School of Business. Return to top

Susan Hunt Stevens

Susan Hunt Stevens is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Practically Green, a company driving green lifestyle changes through technology and social networking. Previously, Susan spent nine years at The New York Times Company, most recently as Senior Vice President, Digital for Boston Globe Media, where she ran Boston.com, one of the Web’s largest news and information sites. Under her watch, Boston.com incorporated innovative social media, launched several high-growth products and services, and amassed industry accolades. Other positions have included Director of Marketing for NYTimes.com, Vice President of Circulation Marketing for the Boston Globe, and Senior Vice President, Circulation and Marketing, with responsibilities including market research, product development & licensing, campaign management, and distribution services. In 2000, Susan co-founded and served as president for Abridge, Inc., a data-mining startup. Return to top

Pat Quinn

Pat Quinn is a longstanding member of the Hollywood creative community, specializing in helping entertainment companies package and develop projects for all media. Pat creates sales strategies, pitches, and sales presentations covering all aspects of entertainment media sales, and represents international television series and formats that she packages for domestic networks and cable. She has extensive entertainment industry including senior positions in the television, film, and theater departments at ICM, Metropolitan Talent Agency, Paradigm, and Warner Brothers Television, and has sold projects recently to Fox 2000, FX, ABC, CBS, A&E, NBC Universal Studios, ABC Family, The Disney Channel, ESPN, TruTV, Sony, Showtime, Oxygen, HBO, an VH1. Pat also is an instructor at UCLA Extension, Chapman University, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, NATPE, AFI, and USC. Prior to arriving in Los Angeles, she was an executive for developing, marketing, and producing projects for major theater companies, and an early advisor to Robert Redford’s Sundance Film Institute / Sundance Film Festival. Pat is a graduate of Bennington College and Yale Drama School. Return to top

Brian Williams

Brian “Bee” Williams specializes in developing multi-platform marketing campaigns for the entertainment industry. At Brand-in Entertainment, he has formed strategic partnerships with major studios and grown content that includes integrating products into video games, live events, Web series, and mobisodes. Since 2007, the company’s client base has expanded to include CBS Television, NBC Television, Fox Television, The CW, PBS, Spike, USA, Dreamworks, MCA, RCA, Arista, Atlantic, Interscope, FX Network, TNT, BBC, and Universal. Brandon is a 2005 graduate of Loyola Marymount University. Return to top

Kevin Yamano

Kevin Yamano is Director of Inventory Management and Delivery for Clearspring Technologies, focusing on developing new channels for ad distribution and audience retention, and increasing advertisers’ reach and penetration in the social media space through innovative pricing models and distribution strategies. In his previous engagement at Dedicated Marketing Solutions, Kevin built and grew both a cost-per-lead network and a cost-per-acquisition network, in complement to an existing cost-per-impression solution. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California. Return to top