Our Team

Named in 2005 to PRNews’ “15 to Watch,” Marina is a seasoned communications professional whose career spans more than ten+ years of broadcast journalism and strategic public relations. Known for her media-savvy, high-energy, tenacity and dedication to client success, Marina started Activa PR to provide results-driven public relations that would maximize companies’ sales and marketing dollars. She creates and manages comprehensive and value-driven programs that educate the market, build credibility, heighten awareness and drive demand.
Over the years her clients have been featured in leading business, technology and vertical publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily, U.S. News and World Report, USA Today, Newsweek, CNBC PowerLunch, KQED-FM, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, InformationWeek, Computerworld, CNET, eWeek, InteractiveWeek, InfoWorld, Information Security Magazine, Network World, and many others. From May 2000 to December 2000, Marina was a founding partner of a Bay Area tech PR firm where she promoted technology-driven companies in emerging markets, including Epicentric, Inc. (acquired by Vignette) and DCTI. During her tenure with the firm, she developed and executed media relations, customer reference and partner relations programs; contributed to early-stage messaging, executed joint media and analyst tours with clients and their customers; and worked on new business development initiatives.

Prior to that she worked in Fleishman-Hillard’s tech-PR practice, UpStart Communications, Inc., where she provided the full gamut of public relations services for public and emerging companies. Clients included: Uniscape, Inc., Peregrine Systems, Pilot Network Services, Sendmail, Inc. and Sun Microsystems.

Before delving into public relations, Marina tackled the world of broadcast journalism with stints as producer, news director, reporter and news intern at respective affiliates of NPR, CBS, Fox and at KOCT-TV. This unique combination contributes to savvy media relations and skilled interviewing techniques for cultivating compelling messages that drive headlines.

Marina received a B.A. in Journalism with an emphasis in radio/TV news from San Diego State University. When not crafting story ideas for her clients, Marina enjoys dining, kickboxing, and following the latest business, lifestyle and fitness trends. Marina speaks fluent Spanish and loves to travel.

Emma brings over eight years experience in marketing and public relations to Activa Public Relations, including five years in-house with fast-paced start-up companies. Most recently, Emma built marketing communications campaigns and helped develop marketing strategy for online training provider Ninth House, Inc. From 1996 to 2000, Emma directed marketing communications programs for secure Internet services provider Pilot Network Services, Inc. Her responsibilities included public relations, investor relations, event management, promotions and website marketing. During her tenure, Pilot increased from 40 to 160 employees, grew revenues from $6.3 million to $17.5 million and completed an initial public offering.
Prior to Pilot, Emma was an account executive at Edelman Public Relations, Silicon Valley, where she orchestrated a worldwide launch of BroadVision in 1996 and supported public relations for the CKS Group, Evans & Sutherland, Mecklermedia, Viacom and Sigma Designs from 1994-1996.

Emma graduated from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley with an MBA in 1994 and Brown University with a B.A. in Applied Mathematics and Economics in 1988. She enjoys running and is active in alumni relations for the Haas School of Business.

Beth Avant brings over 10 years of experience in marketing and public relations in the high-technology, wireless and consumer industry to Activa PR. Most recently, Beth served as director of operations for CommNexus San Diego (formerly the San Diego Telecom Council) where she spearheaded the name change and re-branding of the well known San Diego non-profit organization. During her tenure at CommNexus San Diego, Beth was responsible for directing all marketing, public relations activities for the organization, while also managing the 100+ industry focused events per year that the organization was known for.

Previously, Beth refined her public relations skills with international agency Burson-Marsteller on the Sony Electronics account. As account lead for the Sony VAIO computers and Sony digital still camera accounts, Beth was responsible for leading various multi-city NDA tours, executing all tactical PR campaigns and running the vast product review program for the multi-national account. Prior to her time with Burson-Marsteller, Beth was an account executive at Townsend Inc., a San Diego agency known for its excellence in integrated marketing for high-technology companies. Starting her career during the “dot com boom,” Beth boasts a varied experience of technologies from software to wireless integrators from her time at Townsend Inc.

At Activa PR, Beth serves as a writer and heads up the agency’s social media practice – an offering that takes clients beyond traditional public relations tactics into the realm of Web 2.0, social media and blogging. In addition to her public relations and marketing career, Beth is part of the blogging community, where she regularly shares personal stories of parenthood and work-life balance. Beth has been a featured interview on WorkItMom!, a social networking website for working mothers, and also was a guest
writer on JobMom, where she shared the trials and tribulations of leaving her corporate position to pursue more entrepreneurial initiatives. Beth received a B.A. in mass communications from San Diego State University.

Kate is a senior communications professional with deep technology and consumer marketing experience who is adept at adopting a corporate, marketing, or technical tone as the situation dictates. She has provided copy, as well as media strategy and results, to a wide range of companies including Adobe, Avanade, Documentum, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Intel, Iomega, J.D. Edwards, Microsoft, Nike, Turbolinux, and United Linux, among others. The power to influence outcomes is the power to reach the correct audience with the correct message. With the communications deluge out there, media and consumers will no longer sort through clichés and jargon in search of nuggets of news. Kate has a proven history of developing content that delivers measurable results.
Kate has been recognized with the following industry awards:
Winner 2001 PRSA Silver Anvil Award: Marketing Business to Business for Documentum
Winner 2001 PRSA Award of Merit, Northern California Compass Awards for Documentum
Winner 2001 Sabre Awards Certificate of Excellence, Contributed Article Writing

A frequent “ghostwriter,” for clients, Kate has contributed numerous articles for top-tier technology magazines.

Jan is an award-winning public relations professional who brings more than 23 years of experience to Activa PR. She first honed her media skills while working in the trenches for 13 years as a broadcast journalist at WXXI, WWCN, WGNA and WOKO where she won 7 awards, including 2 Associated Press Awards for Best Investigative Reporting in New York State. Following her accomplished journalism career, Jan went on to represent a veritable who’s who in high-tech while working at UpStart Communications (a Fleishman-Hillard Company). During her 6 ½ years at UpStart, Jan worked on such accounts as: BEA Systems, Sun Microsystems, Xerox, Novadigm, WebGain, ACCPAC International, Captus Networks, MarketFirst, ListenPoint, TurboLinux, CrossLink, WaveSplitter, Symantec, Rubric, Fujitsu, and Objective, to name a few. In 2001, she was honored by BEA Systems for her outstanding media work.
With a knack for storytelling and developing winning story ideas, Jan’s clients have been featured in leading publications, including: BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, CIO, Computer Reseller News, eWeek, InformationWeek, InfoWorld, InternetWeek, Java Developer’s Journal, PC Magazine, and many more.

Jan has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Brockport State University New York. In her spare time she enjoys kayaking, biking, skiing and antiquing.

With more than 15 years of industry experience, Paul Rubin provides public relations and writing support to a variety of technology clients.
Prior to joining the Active PR team, Paul was a senior account manager and writer with Calysto Communications. He managed a number of clients and handled day-to-day responsibilities for Bridgewater Systems, RadiSys, and PCTEL.

Paul was also a communications associate with McKesson — a Fortune 15 healthcare services and information technology company — where he was responsible for the development and creation of sales and marketing programs and tools for the company’s Provider Technologies division.

A variety of other roles have allowed Paul to showcase his skills and deliver results. At Mirant, a competitive energy provider, he created and communicated key messages and information to the company’s employee base to increase their satisfaction, knowledge and morale, particularly as the company worked through a financial restructuring.

As a consultant, Paul supported Equant, Northrop Grumman IT, SilentRunner, SPI Dynamics and WorldCell in their public relations and marketing communications needs. This included the formation of media plans, authoring of press releases and proactive story pitching.

With Nortel Networks, Paul handled marketing communications efforts for the company’s optical division and led public relations activities for its wireless unit. In the optical segment, Paul created and drove internal and external messaging to build awareness and increase sales. In the wireless segment, he pursued and secured media opportunities with the national media as well as trade publications, helping to raise visibility and enhance the image of the wireless solutions business.

As a journalist, Paul has written for numerous publications. He served as wireless editor for tele.com magazine, where he developed and wrote monthly features on trends and issues within the paging, cellular, PCS and satellite industries. As a research analyst and editor for Capitol Publications, he authored numerous reports and articles on the wireless and satellite industries.

Paul graduated from The George Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism.

A creative communications professional, Marie Clark, brings nearly 18 years of expertise in media relations, strategic branding and planning, writing, project management, marketing, and event planning to Activa PR.

Always results focused, Marie regularly secures coverage for her clients at media outlets such as USA Today, and KRON TV, ABC, and NBC as well as at numerous trade and Internet publications. In 2003, Marie elevated client, F-Secure’s Mikko Hypponen to international cyber celebrity status during a US press tour. The top-tier of major US dailies, TV stations as well as high-level lifestyle magazines wrote about F-Secure. BusinessWeek referred to Mikko and his team of researchers in Finland: “Mikko Hypponen and his band of Finnish computer virus hunters”; the New York Times called them “Sleuths”; and “the Code Warriors” was the name Vanity Fair gave them. For her work, in 2004, Marie won the Bulldog Reporter’s Bulldog Award for Excellence in Media Relations and Publicity, the Beacon Gold Award, and the Mar-Com Creative Awards. Another client, Niebaum-Coppola Winery, revenue’s increased by 200% during the holidays because of her innovative cross marketing/publicity campaign.

Previously, Marie was a senior member of the team at the Antenna Group⎯ a hi-technology public relations firm in San Francisco. There, she managed the Elemental Software and Linuxcare, Inc. accounts. Focusing primarily on media relations, and strategic development and direction, Marie has led a number of successful company and product launches and media and analyst tours for her clients.

A native of Northern California, Marie earned a degree in Political Science from San Francisco State University and a graduate certificate in Public Relations from George Washington University.

Cathy Morley Foster has more than 25 years of experience as an award-winning public relations, marketing communications, public outreach, and crisis communications counselor. Cathy has extensive agency and client-side experience with leading companies and organizations on strategic consumer, business-to-business, and nonprofit programs. She has focused technology expertise in emerging growth markets, and she has experience in consumer products and services, healthcare, government, environment, professional services, retail, food and beverage, travel/hospitality, and entertainment.

Cathy has been instrumental in the development of Fleishman-Hillard’s Customer Leverage specialty, working with such clients as Citrix Systems, Alcatel-Lucent, Maxtor, HP (Novadigm), and Cable & Wireless USA. She has led public relations programs for BEA Systems, Visa, Fair Isaac, Fujitsu Interactive, Uniscape.com, InterNex, GTE Mobilnet, Persistence Software, and Digital Sound. She has provided senior public relations counsel to myriad well-established and startup technology companies, including Auspex Systems, TimesTen, Captus Networks, WebGain, eGain, and Singularis.

She is on the board and is past president of the Public Relations Society of America San Francisco Chapter, and is on the board and is past chair of the San Francisco Public Relations Roundtable. She also served on the PRSA Los Angeles Chapter’s Counselors Academy board, and she was vice president of Los Angeles Advertising Women. In addition, she served on the executive board for Women in Technology International and on the public relations board for International Starlight Foundation. She has guest-lectured on public relations at the University of Southern California, University of San Francisco, Los Angeles Advertising Center, Marymount College, and Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. She has received numerous awards for her work, including those from the PRSA, the Publicity Club, Los Angeles Advertising Women, and The Holmes Report.

Cathy graduated cum laude from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and journalism (public relations).