CHICAGO, IL -- (Marketwire) -- 11/06/12 -- The Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA), the official trade association of the word of mouth marketing and social media marketing industries, is pleased to announce that Rick Murray (President, Chicago for Edelman), Gemma Craven (Executive Vice President, NY Group Director for Social@Ogilvy), Chetan Bhargava (Senior Manager, E-Commerce & Consumer Direct for The J. M. Smucker Company), Peter Storck (SVP Research & Analytics for House Party, Inc), and Deborah Holland (Executive Vice President for Publishers Clearing House) have been elected to join WOMMA's 2013 Board of Directors.

"We are delighted to welcome our five newest members to the 2013 WOMMA Board of Directors," said Suzanne Fanning, President, WOMMA. "They are proven leaders who care deeply about the word of mouth marketing industry and are committed to helping maintain and develop appropriate ethical standards. I am confident they will be strong additions to our distinguished WOMMA Board."

The five newly elected board members are:

• Rick Murray of Chicago; President, Chicago for Edelman
  
  Rick's principal areas of expertise include business and marketing strategy; brand positioning, social business strategy and influencer engagement. Today, he provides strategic and creative counsel to many of Edelman's clients including RIM, Kraft Foods, Best Buy, SC Johnson and PepsiCo.
  
  In June 2010 Rick was appointed President of the firm's Chicago office. Rick is a frequent speaker and media spokesman on social media, social networks, word of mouth marketing and the future of communications. He's an active member of the Board of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce; a Trustee to the Chicago Architectural Foundation; and serves in an advisory capacity to Syncapse, GenConnect and Auburn University.
  
  
• Gemma Craven of New York; Executive Vice President, NY Group Director for Social@Ogilvy
  
  Gemma leads the Social@Ogilvy team in New York focused on leading a team that develops and executes on scalable social media and word-of-mouth strategies for clients from British Airways to IBM, IKEA, DuPont and American Express.
  
  She provides senior client counsel to Social@Ogilvy clients focusing on thought leadership, strategic direction and ensuring creativity and effectiveness across all work. She is particularly passionate about the intersection of social and business, and how today's enterprises are embracing the new connected status quo throughout their business transformation.
  
  
• Chetan Bhargava of Akron, Ohio; Senior Manager, E-Commerce & Consumer Direct for The J. M. Smucker Company
  
  Chetan has over eighteen years of progressive experience which spans across digital marketing, social media, e-commerce, international and general business management.
  
  Chetan leads the digital marketing, social media and e-commerce activities at The J. M. Smucker Company. He has been responsible for the strategy, planning and execution of digital marketing for brands such as Smucker's, Folgers, Jif, Crisco, Pillsbury, Hungry Jack, Eagle Brand, Millstone and Café Bustelo... to name just a few. He has managed the e-commerce business including company-owned online stores as well as opportunities with pure-play e-tailers and traditional brick-and-mortar retailers.
  
  
• Peter Storck of New York; SVP Research & Analytics for House Party, Inc
  
  Peter oversees strategic research for House Party, a social marketing company that drives consumer recommendations, online and off, to build brand and increase sales for the world's top brands. Peter's focus at House Party is analyzing the effectiveness of House Party programs and helping marketers see how to use them to strengthen the marketing mix.
  
  
• Deborah Holland of New York; Executive Vice President for Publishers Clearing House
  
  As Executive Vice President of Publishers Clearing House, Deborah is responsible for planning, direction, execution and coordination of company communications, creative, public relations and consumer affairs across all channels, including social media.
  
  Her career with Publishers Clearing House has spanned over thirty years of experience in virtually every aspect of direct marketing and she has been featured as a company spokesperson at industry functions, media interviews (including on-camera appearances) and high-level governmental and legal negotiations, as well as in promotional communications and interactive social media.

Directors serve a term of three (3) years, and to maintain continuity on the Board, the terms of Directors are staggered to assure that no more than one-third of the Directors will complete their terms in any one year.

The 2013 WOMMA Board of Directors includes the following members:

• Virginia Miracle, WOMMA Chairman and EVP of Services, Spredfast
• David Witt, WOMMA Past-Chairman and Director, Global Digital Marketing and Brand PR, The Hershey Company
• Rod Brooks, Vice President & CMO, PEMCO Mutual Insurance Company
• Adam Lavelle, Chief Strategy Officer, iCrossing
• Brad Fay, Author & Word of Mouth Marketing Expert
• Christine Cea, Brand PR Director, Unilever, U.S.
• Mark Bisard, Vice President & Senior Counsel, American Express
• Rob Key, CEO, Converseon
• Tanuja Singeetham, Digital and Social Media Marketing Manager, Nestlé USA
• Ekaterina Walter, Social Media Strategist, Intel Corporation
• Ted Wright, Founder, Managing Partner, Fizz
• Rick Murray, President, Chicago for Edelman
• Gemma Craven, Executive Vice President, NY Group Director for Social@Ogilvy
• Chetan Bhargava, Senior Manager, E-Commerce & Consumer Direct for The J. M. Smucker Company
• Peter Storck, SVP Research & Analytics for House Party, Inc
• Deborah Holland, Executive Vice President for Publishers Clearing House

About WOMMA

The Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) is the official trade association dedicated to word of mouth and social media marketing. Founded in 2004, WOMMA is the leader in ethical word of mouth marketing practices through its offline education such as WOMMA Summit, professional development opportunities, and knowledge sharing with top industry marketers. WOMMA's membership is made up of the most innovative companies committed to progressing the word of mouth marketing industry through advocacy, education, and ethics.

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